Balgownie Hot Bake Bakery, NSW

Just a five minute walk from my home lies a hitherto undiscovered and under appreciated delight.  Marianne and Greg recommended me to try the apple pie at this bakery, Hot Bake.  At my next opportunity, I woke up one lazy Saturday morning and headed up to Balgownie Village with expectations.  Hot Bake has a simple and unassuming retail front, typical of such retail outlets in any corner of Australia and New Zealand, where you can see baked stuff on warehouse-styled shelves, the ubiquitous refrigerated drinks machine and the all important lit up glass display of freshly baked items at the counter.  A middle aged lady of Vietnamese origin was attending to customers whilst her efficient side kick was busy, service-prompt and hard working behind the scenes.

Obviously my eyes and heart were aiming for the apple pies lying as pretty as spring blooms outside. I also spotted a rather attractive set of coconut flavoured snacks popular in Asia and croissants that would be at home in any Parisian cafe.

The apple pie was exquisite, more like apple crumble inside, with a rather crusty bite first before I felt the melting moments next with small apple squares, with an overall effect that was not too sweet nor too creamy. There was no trace of fluffy butter, chunky caster sugar or over whelming egg.  Granny Smith apples are relevant here. I understand that cinnamon and ground cloves are used but they just flowed on in bite and did not intrude.

The use of pate brisee is necessary for sweet and savoury pies.  This all butter crust utilises unsalted butter, ice water, a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, plus all purpose flour.  I also found the croissants from Hot Bake a pretty good choice - not too dry, with yummy flavour and just the right texture for breakky or a snack.

Hot Bake is located along Balgownie Road in Balgownie Village, nestled on the foothills of the escarpment below Mount Pleasant and Mount Ousley and above the plains of Fairy Meadow, ten minutes drive north from Wollongong CBD.  It lies between the cross roads of Napier and Church Streets and is across the road from the Balgownie Pub.  It is also only a few doors from the Balgownie Fish Shop.