What Makes the Pipacs [peːpʌtch] Bread Unique?
Breadmaking Art or just Simple Bakery? 🙂
In our current times when everything that most of us think as cool tend to be virtual and intangible, artisan professions are more and more appreciated. A blacksmith, a shoemaker, a tailor or a baker that works day after day conscientiously to create some tangible assets is hard to find. It’s a sad tendency to observe, especially because when it comes to professions of the last centuries, our modern day karaoke capitalism finds easy ways to mimic skills with technology or mass produce otherwise sophistically created goods, even if that means lesser quality with shorter shelf life – not to mention the planned obsolescence – or unnatural additives and preservatives in our food supply. The future has become computable and predictable. This inheres with the soul being absent in most of our produces, which can eventually lead to an even more disposable future where foodstuff will only become stuff.
Pipacs Pékség, our Organic Bakery in Budapest was founded by Ádám Fülöp, Márton Tóth and Máté Simor for the love of organic bread in the spring of 2014. We are university / college graduates who after working in “regular office jobs” for a few years realised that we wouldn’t want to spend our most valuable years “pushing folders and files around” but we’d love to learn a profession that would make it possible for us to create value in other peoples’ lives. Something we could do conscientiously and whole-heartedly. Even though there are several recipes and methods available in the Hungarian Traditions to make real bread, we also wanted to learn the business side of becoming bakers from mentors, so we decided to move to France for a few years to become apprentices of traditional French bakers. As we all know, France is famous for its traditional bread making techniques so we thought that finding such a source could give us the most benefits in many respect.
When we returned to Hungary at the end of 2013 we decided that we would make an organic bakery & give it a try whether there was demand for preservative-free breads made only of sourdough, flour, water and salt. We were happy to learn that many artisan bakeries with natural approach had set food in our beautiful capital before us and we’re also glad to observe that the general demand for additive-and-preservative-free delicacies is growing by the day.
Our goal is to make many thousands of kilograms of crunchy amazing breads for the lovers of organic sourdough loafs.
One of the founders, Máté, left Pipacs to pursue other ventures in 2015. Here’s the team in Pipacs Bakery now, who in one way or another are involved in bringing crunchy and healthy sourdough loaves to your dinner table:
Pipacs Team
baker, founder
A Budapest College of Foreign Trade graduate, has an MA in Ecology from Geneva, Switzerland, to earn his diploma he also had to do a 4-months research in Mexico. For 2 years Ádám worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, subsequently packed up with his family and moved to France for a while to work with Jean François Berthellot, an organic farmer-baker specialised in crops and artisan bread making. He is one of the founders of Pipacs Pékség | Bakery in Budapest.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, French, English, (Mexican) Spanish
baker, founder
After having spent years in the world of international trade and certain NGOs, he became seriously interested in the baking craft. His bread making experience started out with a half-year-long training in Tours, France then he continued on sharpening his skills as an apprentice in several traditionally set up organic, artisan bakeries throughout France. Márton worked for a year in a small town bakery near Nantes (France), graduated as a professional baker in 2013.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, French, English
baker
Studied architecture for years, but his irresistible longing for gastronomy made him pursue the art of cooking. He loves creating something with his two hands that influences every bit of our sense organs and make people happy. He feels lucky that his hobby has become his work. Divine intervention got him set up with Pipacs Bakery in the summer of 2016, making bread is his zen now.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
Balázs Tóth
baker
He studied history and sociology, during his years at the university, he held museum pedagogy workshops to children. After doing all sorts of crafts he wanted to work in a small shop selling high quality food, that’s how he got to Pipacs in 2017. In his leasure time he loves cooking, walking, going to the theatre and gardening.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
baker
He came to Hungary in the middle of 2013 to study anthropology. He is one of the founders of a migrant solidarity group at CEU (open initiative program). In 2015 he was part of a team that was monitoring the situation in the Balkan region with Amnesty International. He loves working with sourdough and bread, joined Pipacs in 2018.
Languages spoken: Arabic, English, Hungarian, Greek
salesclerk
Antal is a sociotherapist, a psychodynamic movement and dance therapist, he worked at a psychotherapy department for many years. He has been a devoted organic goods consumer for 2 decades, and he got involved with many projects in the ‘bio field’. Currently he holds interactive music workshops for children; musical improvisation is an important part of his life. He has also gotten influenced by the Weight Flow Contact method and buddhism. He joined Pipacs in February 2017.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
office secretary
She wanted to become a child psychologist in Africa, eventually ended up doing dance and excercise group therapy to couples before childbirth. As an anthropology graduate she did some research in Nepal & India, that helper her realise the immense support of human touch before, during and after childbirth. Kata also has a degree in baby massage therapy, and she teaches parents to massaging their babies in the Életfa Midwifery Praxis. In her sparetime she does Zen meditation and yoga.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
They used to work with us…
baker
After graduating from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics he spent several years at an NGO doing environmental education throughout Europe as well as Peru, where he did voluntary work. Subsequently Kristóf lived in Chile and in Brazil on a digital storybook startup. Spending 4 weeks in a Scottish eco village training as a volunteer in a permaculture garden by the Findhorn Foundation was a defining moment in his life. He joined the Pipacs Bakery in April 2015.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English, Spanish
salesclerk
She has joined Pipacs Bakery after several office jobs, voluntary work and her ventures in gastronomy. Graduated with a Degree in Economics, wrote her thesis on the distinctness of organic markets in Hungary, was also involved in children’s rights as well as country image projects. Noémi also has a baker degree, spent many years in Italy with her family where she familiarized herself with the Mediterranean cuisine, in addition to spending time in different artisan manufactories. She co-authored a cookbook and is an avid enthusiast for quality fresh pasta and traditionally baked goods.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, Italian, English
salesclerk
He is a Waldorf School graduate, after high school did some voluntary work in Cyprus, then in Scotland where he was involved in a project helping young people with disabilities in a Camphill Community. Returning home after 1,5 years abroad he was acquainted with Pipacs Bakery and immediately got fond of its values. In his quest to collect another set of uplifting pieces of experience he is currently conveying the message to conscious consumers that organic sourdough bread is amazing. He loves spending his spare time in nature, and with interesting people, and is particularly interested in permaculture and organic architecture.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
salesclerk
A felvidéki Kassáról jött Magyarországra tanulni szociálpedagógiát, majd közgazdaságtant és pszichológiát. Korábbi munkái leginkább a segítő szakmákhoz kapcsolódtak. Három gyermeke mellett az élet nagylelkű ajándékának tekinti, hogy mostanság két szenvedélyének is élhet: a fotózásnak, és a kenyérsütésnek. A Pipacs szellemisége 2017 tavaszán ejtette rabul a szívét.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English, Slovakian
baker
Levente is a psychology major graduate, for many years he taught Aikido for kids, and he was also involved with organizational and personal development trainings. He is fascinated by the sheer simplicity and beauty of making organic sourdough bread. Besides working in the bakery he practices martial arts, Zen meditation, and spends most of his free time in nature. He joined the Pipacs Bakery in the summer of 2015.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
baker
He worked for 7 years as a bicycle messenger at ‘Hajtás Pajtás’ company, then spent 7 years in his own enterprise called ‘Csajbringa’ building bicycles. Looking for new challenges he joined Pipacs in 2017. It was a series of serendipitous encounters that lead him to baking, he loves working with the dough, though it was the Pipacs mindset and spirit mostly that made him fall in love with this job.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
salesclerk
She has first gotten acquainted with Pipacs Bakery and its philosophy while doing her masters degree in the university on Community and Civilian Studies. Besides working in Pipacs Bakery and going to school she also works in a self-founded NGO in Újpalota (15th District) that teaches people through interactive games how our modern society operates in the 21st century. She loves being around people that’s why she has decided to join our team and help out with the sales tasks at the teeming organic market on Saturdays.
Languages spoken: Hungarian, English
“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water,
is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight…”
― M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating
