Baking from the heart

From The Star

Story and photos by FARIDAH BEGUM

Lily Koshy bakes each loaf of bread as if it is for her own family.

Rich and wholesome: Lily uses only the best ingredients for all her bread and scones.

BAKING has been a passion for Lily Koshy for a long time.

“I just love baking and I try every little recipe I can get my hands on,” says Lily.

Even a five-year stint in various towns in Africa did not deter her from indulging in her passion.

However, the “good one day and not so successful the next day” feeling did not sit down well with her and she launched into making her baking days all good days by enrolling for a six-month course some years ago.

“The numerous courses that I have taken up in the past few years, have been great,” she says.

However, the passion grew when friends, who were recipients of her baking stuff, began asking her to bake for them, subtly making orders.

“Money is not an incentive for me. I really like baking and the thrill when there are compliments from my friends and customers,” she says.

Since March last year, Lily began selling her bread and scones at a place near her SS2 home in Petaling Jaya, giving in to the persuasion of friends.

Beat it up: Lily pats her bread dough before it is left to proof.

“I used to make bread according to orders and my customers would just drop by the house and collect their bread or scones,” she says.

Today, Lily sells close to 50 loaves of wholemeal bread, several loaves of rye bread, tens of milk bread and several tray-loads of buns with various types of filling each time she bakes.

However, she is not your everyday baker. Bent on spending more time with her family, namely her husband and two sons, she only bakes two days in a week and sells her products the next day.

“I spend Monday and Thursday mornings baking and I sell the bread the next day,” she says, busily kneading her wholemeal bread dough just before leaving it to proof.

Over tea and a couple of Roti Boy and scones, she relates how she decided to change from baking cakes to making mainly bread.

Rye Bread

“I used to bake cakes successfully but found that it quite rigid as to what can be done with the cake mix whereas with bread dough, it can be shaped and the fillings planned,” she says.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Lily still continues to go for one-day courses on more intricate ways of handling breads and the opportunities available to turn simple bread dough into much more than just plain old bread.

Her Roti Boy gets a thumbs-up from her friends’ children and it is one of the items that receives the most order on her baking days.

Sweet and crusty on the topping, soft and buttery on the inside, it is actually a healthier alternative for children to have during their break in school.

Her scones, which come with huge juicy raisins, are hard to resist. At RM5 for three pieces, it is hard to say no to the second or even third piece.

Lily’s milk bread is actually meant for children who refuse to have the healthier wholemeal or grain bread. They come in two sizes, a smaller loaf for children to finish in one sitting and a larger loaf for parents to slice and add on their favourite toppings at home.

Scones

While some may find her products a bit pricey, one must truly appreciate the fact that Lily bakes for her business as she would for her family.

“My husband and two sons really love bread and I bake each loaf as if it is for my own family and, hence, the ingredients are the best and there is no skimping on the stuff,” she says.

However, there has not been a day when she has had to come back from her sale with a loaf of bread or a bun.

“My customers are happy and besides the two days set aside for baking, I also take orders for catering and supply buns to a nearby café,” she says.

For those who want to try her bread and delicious scones, Lily can be contacted at 03-7877 1413 or 012-305 7893.