Christmas is a busy time for most, but more so for bakeries. When we speak to A.P Bakery’s Dougal Muffet, weeks ahead of the holiday, the team is ramping up production. “December is the busiest time of year,” says the former Ester chef, who swapped restaurants for bakeries in 2016. “So finishing on the 24th, we scrub the place down. Then it’s about getting to the country with family and friends. Good food is well-earned,” says Muffet.
This Christmas rounds out a stellar year for Muffet and partners Mat Lindsay and Russell Beard. In early 2022 the trio opened A.P Bakery, a thoughtful viennoiserie located atop Surry Hills’ Paramount House. Then in July, they opened a Newtown outpost. The venture’s success is owed, in part, to Muffet’s reputation for crafting inventive-yet-classic pastries, breads and biscuits. This made Muffet our first port of call to reimagine baked treats at a time of year when traditions can become stale. “Many Christmas traditions are so northern hemisphere-based but here it can be 40 degrees. Typical techniques and flavours don’t translate,” he says. “It’s finding things you can do here and adapting them for the environment.”
These recipes bring a distinct Australian edge to Christmas classics, featuring fresh summer produce, such as mango and Davidson’s plums. While Muffet encourages bakers to be methodical, he also encourages flexibility. “We’re free-flowing with what’s growing,” he says. “When baking you have to follow the process but not be confined by flavours. Be flexible with finding substitutes.” 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills, NSW, apbakery.com.au
Coconut and cherry frangipane tart
SERVES 10-12 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 1 HR 15 MINS (PLUS RESTING, COOLING)
“For this recipe you will need to grate fresh coconut. You can do this yourself with the right tools (see note) or buy it grated from an Asian or Indian grocer,” says Dougal Muffet. Make sweet pastry first to allow for Pictured p118
