Smita Sharan
The Good Butter, Pune
Did The Good Butter start as a passion project, or had it always been planned as a full-blown business? Do you bake at home, or do you have a separate kitchen?
My partner, Khamir, and I started the bakery in 2015, selling granola and nut butters to our neighbours. It was initially a mild hobby in 2011, which led to full-blown obsession. Although it was never intended as a business venture, we eventually got there. I used to bake at home, but now that I spend all my time in production at the bakery, it is very infrequent.
How did you learn baking? What or who inspired you to be a baker? How did this influence your baking style?
I have had a lot of virtual teachers considering my learning exclusively happened through baking books, blogs and a LOT of trial and error (I also got a wonderful head-start on sourdough by attending a day-long workshop with Sujit Sumitran back in 2016).
I don’t have any particular inspiration, but I have always looked up to women who are not afraid of change or of redefining themselves throughout life. Although I was not unhappy, I was far from inspired working at a bank. And since I never went to culinary school, my style evolved almost backwards. I started with copying recipes, tweaking them to my liking and then figuring out the building blocks of what makes a good cake or a cookie, for me.
How would you describe your style of baking? Are there any new techniques that you learnt or are the classical European and American baking styles still relevant today?
My style of baking is sort of old school. What I love about baking is that it allows the nerd in me to play with technique and ratios. The classics are very much relevant today, but then there is always a personal style that every baker brings, including myself.
How does your baking style connect with your fashion sense?
My style has changed through the years. At 30, I was a typical consumer buying whatever caught my fancy. At 43, I like clothes that have a shelf life. Clothes that are well cut and made with lovely fabrics that have been sourced responsibly and are not an environmental or social hazard (The Summer House is a favourite). My baking style and fashion sense, in short, are both about quality.
What are the clothes and shoes you prefer to wear when you’re baking?
I prefer cotton or linen trousers and simple cotton T-shirts. I also prefer open sandals with good cushioning, as I am constantly on my feet.
What are some of the misconceptions people have about baking and bread making in particular? Since it’s more scientific and tedious than cooking.
Baking does require some amount of thought and process, but it is not difficult. If I can bake, anyone can. I didn’t bake for the first 33 years of my life, and now I own a bakery. But there are no shortcuts if one aims to do some quality baking – and especially bread.
Do you use local ingredients, imported ingredients or a mix? What is the most important ingredient in your kitchen?
Our bakery stands for good ingredients. Given that we started it as an extension of our home kitchen, we only sell what we like to eat ourselves. As much as possible, we use local and organic. And other than Belgian chocolate and French butter, we don’t use any imported products.
For me, the most important ingredient is time. We don’t take any shortcuts at all. No premixes, no pre-made flavourings or artificial ingredients. Everything is made from scratch, in-house. Most of our breads are slow fermented, overnight doughs. Everything needs time.
What are some of your specialities? Which has been your most popular baked item?
Our mainstay is breads, and sourdough happens to be our most popular and most ordered. We are lucky to have a host of subscribers who literally depend on us for their daily bread!
Have you experimented with or reinvented any Indian sweets? Do you think Western-style pastries and desserts will ever be as popular as desi mithais in India?
Funny you ask. I am in the middle of some experimentation with revisualising pineapple sheera as a partnership with a local brand.
I think Western-style pastries are getting popular. People are well travelled, well informed and seek out the experiences they have had outside the country, especially when it comes to food.
What unusual flavours, ingredients or pairings have you experimented with? Any strange cake or pastry requests that you might have custom made? Which flavours are you experimenting with right now?
Two years ago we got a request for a gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free chocolate cake. It took weeks to get that out but it was some challenge, especially since we came up with our very own GF flour blend!
What new pastry are you working on that you are most excited about? Is there any pastry that you loved but the customers did not appreciate?
Right now I am familiarising myself with laminated pastry which I am very excited about. It’s all about patience, practice and good ingredients.
Are people looking for healthy dessert and pastry options or do they indulge when it comes to sweet things?
There is room for both. I have to say though, folks are focused on quality of ingredients more than anything else and do respect the fact that we bake with utmost care.
Is the day of the elaborately decorated cake done? Are people looking for great taste but visual simplicity?
Again there is room for both. But most of our customers are those who are looking for solid flavours and simplicity.
What do you think of the current craze for sourdough? Is it just a trend?
In India, I have seen an increasing awareness when it comes to sourdough. I have been baking sourdough breads since 2016 and the popularity has only gone up. We have gone back to the good old days of slow fermentation and naturally made breads and this hopefully is not an end at all.
Did you bake through the lockdown? What was the demand like? Were people ordering more since they were at home?
Yes, we came under the essential services segment given that we deliver bread to folks. Ours being a delivery-only business had us prepared for it but the demand went through the roof and it became difficult to keep up. As more and more people discovered us, the word spread and our pre-lockdown delivery estimate of two-three days went up to 15 days. With no team in place we relied on some friends who saw us through those times of very little sleep and non-stop work. We even had some customers offering us help, from doing dishes in the bakery to making deliveries to other customers. We did take up some of the offers on the delivery front. How people came together as a community is what got us through those crazy times.
What are your plans for the future?
Our plan has always been to grow organically. Scale is a good word only if done with intent, purpose and care.
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