We’re an Auckland-based bakery creating hand-crafted, long-fermented, high-hydration sourdough and buttery rustic pastries.

In late 2017, Josh Helm and Tom Hishon of Orphans Kitchen joined forces with master baker Patrick Welzenbach of 22 generations of baking heritage. Pat’s carried his 600-year-old sourdough starter with him and is the signature flavour in our work.

Opening our first bakery in early 2018, founded on principles of using locally sourced ingredients where possible and making the best bread we can conceive.

Our bread calls for a natural leaven, a long, slow ferment, and the best organic and spray free NZ ingredients where possible.

With these processes firmly informing every step, our bakers pursue bread with a juicy open crumb, a heavy, caramelised crust and deep depth of flavour.

Each resulting loaf possesses a kind of old soul. By showcasing a specific grain in a loaf and treating it in the best possible way, we produce a family of breads that are united by process but wildly different in taste and texture.