Yolis Bakery

Flour & Soul

THE HEART OF YOLI'S | NICKY COOPER

If you could see the inside of Nicky Cooper's heart, it would look like Yoli's bakery. Flour dusted fresh baked loaves, delicately layered pastries, mouth-melting combinations of dark chocolate & homemade custard. Savoury, woven twists and breads, gourmet pies - fresh herbs and cheeses infusing delicate aromas into artisan recipes.

​The sounds of the background would be of fresh egg cracking gently into heavy rimmed ceramic bowls, the chopping of nuts and quality chocolate, hands brushing boards and surfaces with flour, all against the quiet whir of a dough mixer. Shapes pressed from flat dough, loaves rolled with firm gentleness.

Trained in Parisian traditions, Nicky's love for artisan baking techniques is layered deep, and she pulls from the well of it on a daily basis. Her personal vision (pure and fresh, high quality ingredients, stone ground flour), coupled with a devotion to tradition and rustic precision (a handful, a pinch, a dollop) is at the heart of every Yoli's recipe.

In her own words, "Each loaf lovingly handcrafted, each loaf unique..."

It all starts with the flour...

We use flour from a mill in Phoenix Durban called Millstone. The flour we use Is stoneground. Basically what this means is it is milled between two stones the old fashioned way. But the goodness of the flour starts with the grains itself. Millstone only use GMO free grains.

What does this mean? Its basically wheat crops that are not sprayed with pesticides, making the wheat grain itself organic.

In commercial flour production, they will remove the husk and the endosperm of the grain to improve the shelf life of the flour (these bits of the grain are where all of the nutrients are) then they grind it down at high speed further degrading the nutrient quality of the flour. Finally, they bleach it to make it white and also to kill of any lurking pathogens that would make the flour go off. So in the end the flour is completely empty of nutrients.

With stoneground flour the whole process is different. The whole grain with all of its nutrients are ground down, including the nutrient dense wheat germ. They grind it down slowly, so there is no friction to destroy the nutrients. The flour is not bleached. Nothing is added or taken away. It is the purest form of flour. The way it has been milled for ages. The flavor of the flour is sweet and nutty.

​The ingredients we use are sourced locally where possible, and no preservatives, enhancers or harmful additives are used so you can be sure when you indulge in Yoli's baked goods you are getting a wholesome product

​Our methods are simple and are a complete reflection of our ethos: everything from scratch - fresh, quality, ethically sourced ingredients. Everything hand-made. We are loyal to freshness and artisan traditions, and loyal to the integrity of our products and our customers. That's you.

​To view our bake-schedule and menu, click here.