Cowra baker Brian Lynch has decided, after more than 50 years in the industry, he no longer ‘kneads to bake’.
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The fourth generation baker, owner of Cowra’s Hot Bake, clocked off last Thursday after another 12 hour work night that started at 8pm.
It marked the end of another typical week that sees the Hot Bake staff, under Brian’s guidance, process one and a half tonne of flour and other ingredients to manufacture quality bread and bakery products for Cowra’s hungry hoards.
Brian’s career as a baker started in the family business under his father Jack Lynch in November 1967.
His great grandfather was the first baker in the business, starting his career in Sydney before the Lynch family name became synonymous with baking in Cowra.
The first Lynch family bakery was located in Lachlan Street, across from the Cowra Van Park.
In the 1980s the bakery, known as the Cowra Hot Bake, was moved to the Cowra Mall, where the ANZ Bank is now located.
The family baking tradition remained at this site for 20 years before moving into its current Kendal St site.
Brian has sold the business to a former employee Tom Elkins who completed most of his apprenticeship at the Hot Bake.
Looking back, Brian has passed on his knowledge of the industry to a host of others.
Included among his apprentices are his son Matt, Denis Falconer, Mark Nobes, Andrew Hartwig and Andrew Howarth to name just a few.
Staff, he admits, are hard to come by but not necessarily because the work is demanding.
“By the time kids are old enough to leave school they have a lifestyle of going out with their mates now.
“If they left when they were 15 or 16, they’d have a trade by the time they’re 18.”
And as for baking’s reputation as a demanding trade Brian says “It’s no where near as tough as it was when I first started”.
“It’s a lot more mechanised now.
“The hours are similar, it’s hot work in summer but not too bad in winter.
“It’s a good trade, you can go anywhere and get a job,” he said.
For smaller bakers like Cowra’s Hot Bake, costs are always a challenge.
“It’s harder to make a quid, with places selling bread for $2 a loaf. They work on turnover, we can’t, our biggest factor in a loaf of bread is wages, labour and power, not in that order.
“With the big places there was a time when the wage factor in a loaf of bread was just 20 cents, they’d produce 30,000 loaves a day with one more worker than we did in the bread section.
“It’s harder and harder to make a quid now,” Brian added.
As for the future Brian is looking forward to enjoying his other passion of harness racing but admits he “just loves going to work”.
“I’d be lazy if I didn’t work, I just hate gardening. I really don’t know what I’m going to do (with my time).
Brian says the Lynch family prides itself in using the best ingredients and doing the best they can.
“It’s not rocket science, you don’t make it rocket science and you get a good product.
“I don’t know how many people have come in and said ‘the new bloke’s not going to change the recipe is he, and he’s had the same thing.”
New owner Tom Elkins worked for Brian Lynch for about six years and has since worked in Blayney and Bathurst.
Tom has been given one bit of advice from Brian.
“Don’t change everything, gradually work in any changes,” Brian told the new owners who officially began baking from the Hot Bake’s Kendal Street premises last Friday.
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