This week on MKR, Lucy and Krysten cooked up a storm in the second round of the Instant Restaurant. In Round 1 they made a mango and coconut sweet-rice croissant puff which was the best dish of the night. And tonight, Lucy’s baking skills shone brighter, serving up perfect homemade bread for entree, and a choux pastry for dessert.
There was immense pressure on Lucy to perform, having her very own micro bakery at home. She said if they win, the prize money would go into scaling her passion for baking.
We reached out to Lucy to chat about all things micro bakeries, pastries, and MKR. Plus, we’ve shared our favourite micro bakeries across Australia that you need to check out.
Is owning a micro-bakery an unfair advantage on MKR?
Having a micro bakery raised a question at the dinner table. Is it unfair to have an experienced home baker in the competition? After all, the competition is all about home cooks. It’s a controversial question that comes up every year when a contestant has any experience in the food industry.
“I think the immediate reaction people will have learning I am a self-taught baker will definitely be that I have an unfair advantage,” Lucy said. “However, I completely disagree.”
“Seeing as my business is my whole world and my entire baking reputation is on the line doing this competition, the amount of pressure I put on myself is so immense! And with immense pressure definitely comes a few mistakes.”
What is a micro bakery?
Micro bakeries are having a moment. They’re popping up all over Australia, offering freshly baked breads, pastries, cookies and more, often all made in a home kitchen.
How Lucy began her micro bakery, Burnt Croissants
Lucy is a 23 year old self-taught baker living in the Gold Coast and she started her micro bakery because of her passion and love for baking.
“I love having creative freedom with what I make, and it truly is my dream job,” Lucy said. “I started my own micro bakery, Burnt Croissants, at the beginning of 2024 and it’s been my full-time job since. Seeing as I’m pumping out such high volumes, I have a commercial baking space set up on my parent’s property which is honestly a dream. It’s about a 500m commute to work every day.”
How long has Lucy been baking?
“I’ve been baking since I could stand in the kitchen!” she said. “Whether that be birthday cakes for the family or even taking treats into school, I knew it was something that I had a deep passion for. But for some reason I never viewed it as a career, and after graduating high school and realising university was not for me, I just sent it full throttle into starting a roadside pastry stand and it has just blown up!
“Once I realised baking could actually be my forever career it felt like the biggest AH HA moment! But I think being so passionate and authentic is the main reason Burnt Croissants has had so much success, you can really taste the love in all of my croissants.”
Her best-selling pastries are…
“One of them is my Lemon Meringue Croissant, a croissant stuffed with lemon cookie, piped with torched meringue and then drizzled with a lemon curd. And secondly would have to be my Fairy Bread. I hate wastage in my kitchen, so I use croissant offcuts to make a beautiful brioche dough, which then gets baked into loaves and cut into gigantic pieces of bread lathered with vanilla buttercream and dipped into sprinkles.”
Where to find Burnt Croissants?
If anyone is looking to try any of her beautifully baked pastries, you can find her at Kefi Cafe, Coolangatta, from 7-9am on Fridays, or The Robina Farmers Market from 6-11am on Sundays.
Our favourite micro bakeries across Australia
01
House of Suns
Blue Mountains, NSW
Take a hike to Romi Gardella’s remote bakery in the Blue Mountains – a small Saturday stand filled with treats inspired by her Chilean roots. For her, it’s about creating moments of joy, sharing culture and building community. See @house.of.suns on Instagram for directions.
02
Launceston Loaves
Launceston, Tas
Pre-order sourdough loaves and sourdough starter from Cat Curwen in Youngtown (@launcestonloaves on Instagram). She has two little bread fridges in her front garden that sell out week after week.
03
Braeside Bakery
Blue Mountains, NSW
Young entrepreneur Mylah Ashby (@braesidebakery) runs a roadside honesty box bakery in the Blue Mountains on Sundays. She has a range of goodies to choose from, including sweet treats, pickled vegies, jams and freshly baked loaves.
MKR continues 7.30pm Monday, 5 October on Seven and 7plus
