Images: @jordanjamesplaice
A new small-batch sourdough business has launched in McLaren Vale, with local home baker Amy Halford turning a simple hobby into a home bakery that’s rapidly making a name for itself. Sourhaus is producing handcrafted loaves made with South Australian flour and a slow, 24-hour ferment.
The business is only a week old, but her loaves have already become a mainstay at Rare Earth Retreats. She also sells directly to locals, and is setting sights on expansion to McLaren Vale marketplaces in the near future. Shoot her an Instagram DM to preorder a loaf!
“I supply Rare Earth Retreats with all of the sourdough, which has been really cool,” Amy said. “I’m also hoping to get a little market stall one day and have a more permanent setup.”
Sourhaus began as a personal project. Amy had always enjoyed baking, but sourdough was something she had admired from afar. She said part of the appeal is sourdough’s potential health benefits, with the slow ferment making it easier on the gut.
“I’ve always thought the process was fascinating,” she said. “I started giving it a go a couple of months ago and I thought, oh, I actually really like this. I’ve always wanted to have my own little business of some sort and I said, you know what, I’ll just go all in and see what happens.”
When she shared her first loaves on a community page, demand grew quickly. Soon after, Rare Earth Retreats put out a call for a sourdough supplier, to which Amy responded: “I’ll give it a go! What’s the worst that could happen? And yeah, it’s been amazing.”
Amy now bakes twice a week, balancing the side hustle with work at a local school. As is tradition for bakers, her schedule starts in the wee hours.
“For my bread to be ready on a Thursday, I wake up at around 5am on a Tuesday and make the dough,” she said. “On a Thursday I’ll get up at 4 and I’ll bake it.”
Each loaf weighs in at 900 grams before baking, and she sells them for $12. For the large size and absolute quality, her buyers are saying the price is spot on.
Amy describes her signature loaf as having “the perfect crust… but not too crusty that when you bite into it, it hurts your mouth,” and says a longer ferment gives it a perfect level of sourness.
Here’s what sets Sourhaus’ loaves apart:
“My sourdough is made with love and intention,” Amy says, “Each loaf is made slow and with purpose. There is no rush, no skipping steps and no mass production, just mindful creating and the love of bringing other people joy.”
How does Amy serve her sourdough? “I love it with prosciutto, basil, tomato and a bit of burrata or mozzarella,” she says, “Or it’s good in a really thick toastie.”
Right now, the aim is to keep delivering that perfect sourdough, but there’s certainly room for a product line extension.
Amy is experimenting beyond classic sourdough, including sourdough focaccia, biscuits and perhaps even cinnamon scrolls. But she plans to keep the focus tight. “I think I’m always going to stick with the sourdough. That will continue to be the base of everything I make.”
As for a future bakery shopfront, she’s open to it… one day. For now, she’s enjoying meeting locals and growing the business slowly.
So if you’re craving a thoughtfully baked, home-crafted loaf of sourdough, consider this your cue to reach out to Sourhaus.
Sourhaus
Where: Order via Instagram @sourhaus_
When: Bake days are Thursday & Satuday. Order via direct message at least 48 hours in advance.
For more information, click here.
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