Our Story

Bodhi’s Bakehouse, a West Aussie pioneer in ultra-healthy, traditionally hand-crafted baked goods, has been baking since 1981.

The Sanskrit word “Bodhi” means “teacher and provider of good things” or “enlightenment”. The Bodhi tree or Bo tree is a fig, under which it is said Buddha became enlightened while meditating.

Bodhi’s Bakehouse’s philosophy of producing environmentally sound, high-quality, health-conscious products has baked and matured since 1981 and is now an established favourite, available all across WA.

Bodhi’s bread was first raised in 1981 by two members of Fremantle’s ‘Orange People’, championing the cause of healthy living and fresh wholegrain breads. The women started the bakery to provide fresh bread for friends, and it grew from there.

Coming from a long family background in baking, John and Jane Noonan brought a wealth of experience and business savvy with them. Purchasing the business in 1986, they decided to move away from ordinary wheat breads, following and helping foster the trend towards more health-conscious eating.

“White bread is kid’s stuff; Bodhi’s is bread for the rest of your life.” says third generation baker John Noonan.

The Noonans revived ancient bread-raising practices, as well as researching and developing numerous new lines, and their recipes especially cater for vegans and people with wheat or gluten-intolerance, or of course, those simply looking for healthy alternatives.

Bodhi Healthy Breads Fremantle

Bodhi’s has developed a range of more than 40 gourmet and dietary loaves, including Sour Dough, Rye, Wupper, and Barley breads, organic Spelt breads, bread-mixes and biscuits, as well as gluten-free cookies, bread crumbs, rolls, pizza bases, and even snack bars.

Bodhi’s Bakehouse specialises in breads made from organically grown grains – including ancient wholesome grains like Spelt, Kamut and Triticale – purchased direct from organic-certified farmers predominantly located in Western Australia. Bodhi’s is a member of the Organic Growers Association.

The bread is baked in natural gas-fired ovens, rather than wood-fired, as gas is more environmentally friendly – producing less smoke. Our brochures and business cards are printed on recycled paper. Every effort is made to be both ethical and environmentally conscious.

Bodhi’s Bakery products are supplied with a complete ingredient list so purchasers can make sure they are not getting anything they may be allergic to, or wish to avoid. They are all low in fat, salt and sugar, and free of artificial additives. All ingredients are as fresh and natural as possible.

Bodhi’s is a wholesale bakery, and its products are widely available at major supermarkets, independent grocers, and selected health food shops across the Perth metropolitan area, and regional centres from Broome to Albany. We also send our cookies to outlets in the eastern states, and export our pancake mixes and other products to Singapore.

FAQ

1. Is Bodhi's Bakehouse a shop?

Bodhi’s is predominantly a wholesale bakery. Our products are widely available at major supermarkets, independent grocers, and health food shops across the Perth metropolitan area, and regional centres from Broome to Albany. Orders can be placed on our website for delivery direct to your door.  

Monday’s, Wednesday’s & Friday’s. However on Monday Public Holidays the delivery is put forward to Tuesday.

Most of our breads are made with Sourdough, which requires 2 days to make. We need to know the quantities of bread required to enable us to make the correct quantity of Sourdough’s.

Variation in colour & size is typical of hand crafted breads, and can be due to a number of factors, such as differing batches of flour, seasonal variations in temperature, & differences in proving & baking times.

Yes, but with the exception of Calcium Propionate, which is used in some of our lines over the summer period. Calcium Propionate lowers the Ph of a loaf in the same way as Sourdough does and as such acts as a mould inhibitor. All of our loaves (3 or 4 lines out of a total of around 50) that contain this inhibitor has this ingredient listed on the label. During the winter months we take the Calcium Propionate out.

Only one. Bodhi’s Gluten & Yeast Free, which contains Non-Fat Milk Solids.

All breads are considered to be low fat food.

Sure. Our breads are transported far & wide within Western Australia. Please refer to our regional location finder for stores who stock our breads. Some lines are available by direct mail to all states of Australia. These loaves are vacuum packed to preserve freshness.

Being a natural product, our breads should be kept in your fridge. For your convenience, we have stamped a “use by” date on each loaf of 2 days. This date refers to the shelf life of the product. Once opened place in a plastic bag or container and use within 7 days if refrigerated or 2 months if frozen. Think of our breads as a perishable product, like milk. Just keep an eye out for mould developing – any remaining slices should be thrown out (or better still, composted!) once mould appears.

Because it’s natural for it to do so!! Other bakeries can chemically treat their bread so that mould development is reduced. We prefer to make bread the old fashioned way, which means that it will mould quicker at normal room temperature. You can greatly extend the life of our bread by refrigerating or freezing.

Yes. We have received good reports of frozen bread up to six months old. Hints for freezing: Keep the bag well sealed & free of air. Try to avoid refreezing partially thawed slices (they’ll freeze together & be difficult to separate next time). If purchasing unsliced bread, slice it prior to freezing.

1. What is Coeliacs Disease?

With Coeliacs Disease, the cells of the small bowel (intestine) are damaged. This causes the loss of the tiny, finger like projections, called villi, which line the inside of the normal bowel. The cells on normal villi are specialised so that they can break down and absorb nutrients in food. In Coeliac Disease these special cells are damaged and reduced in number. This leads to deficiencies in vitamins, iron, folic acid and calcium – due to the poor absorption of nutrients. Sugars, proteins & fats are often poorly absorbed as well.

Coeliacs are sensitive to gluten, which reacts with the small bowel lining, damaging it and causing loss of villi. The exact reason for this sensitivity & reaction to gluten is not known. Some believe Coeliacs are born with an enzyme deficiency (not yet identified) which causes abnormal breakdown of gluten and the accumulation of a toxic portion. Others think an abnormal immune body defence reaction to the “foreign” (non-human) gluten is responsible.

Between 10 and 15% of all first degree relatives (parents, brothers, sisters or children) of known Coeliacs have the disease. If one identical twin is affected, the other twin is virtually certain to be affected also. So Coeliacs Disease certainly occurs in family groups and is probably inherited.

Coeliacs remain sensitive to gluten throughout their life so, in this sense, they are never cured. However, after the removal of gluten from their diet, children and most adults return to being perfectly normal. Older patients will often take longer to recover. Coeliacs will remain normal as long as they adhere to the diet.

This varies in different countries and among different races. The incidence is high in Ireland, fairly frequent in England & Australia, and lower in the USA. Although the exact frequency is not known, there are thousands of diagnosed Coeliacs in Australia.

The underlying abnormality is presumed to be present at birth, but recognisable problems cannot develop until gluten-containing solids are included in the infants diet. While damage to the bowel lining occurs whenever gluten is eaten, the effect on different Coeliacs varies markedly, making diagnosis very difficult. Some infants become rapidly & severely ill; other children develop problems slowly over 2 or 3 years. Many Coeliacs have few or no apparent problems during childhood, developing symptoms only during adult life. Family studies suggest that many Coeliacs in the community remain completely undetected.

Chronic diarrhoea. – This may begin at any age and is often present for years prior to diagnosis in adults. It may first appear after other illnesses (eg gastroenteritis) or abdominal operations. Poor weight gain in infants & young children. Weight loss in older children & adults. Chronic anaemia. – Iron or folic acid deficiency anaemia are the most common. The anaemia will either not respond to treatment or will recur after treatment until the correct diagnosis is made and the gluten-free diet is begun. Less common symptoms include: Easy bruising of the skin. Low blood calcium levels with muscle spasms in adults. Vitamin B¹² deficiency.

The Coeliac Society of WA has a website that contains lots of useful information.

Gluten is a protein found in Rye, Wheat, Oats, Barley, Triticale, Spelt & Kamut. This protein gives bread its structure or sponginess. The more gluten in a loaf the larger the holes or pockets of air & hence the lighter the texture of the bread.

Flours vary in the quantity of gluten they contain, due to differing soils, climates & seasonal variations. Sometimes its necessary to add extra gluten in order to achieve consistency in loaf size.

Rye, Wheat, Oats, Barley, Triticale, Spelt & Kamut.

We make gluten free breads, rolls, bread mixes, cookies & pizza bases. You can find more information about them here.

1. What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is a traditional way of making bread. It’s origins are lost in antiquity but it is believed to have been discovered quite by accident. A baker from past times may have mistakenly left a small piece of dough aside while making unleavened bread. After a few days, it was found to have increased in size. Somehow it found its way into a oven and was later eaten. The lighter texture & flavour pleased the baker and was from then on developed, becoming the preferred method of making bread. The process is adhered to by us today, with the only difference being that the Sour, or fermented dough, is propagated separately then added to fresh ingredients to make the day’s bread.

After a mixture of flour and water is made, various micro-organisms present in the air settle on & become mixed with the batter. These micro-organisms start to grow and in doing so produce carbon dioxide gas which causes the loaf to rise. The Sour starter is similar to the method you would use to make yoghurt or traditional ginger beer at home.

Because we use the traditional Sour, some wild yeasts become involved in the Sour ferment. This is impossible to avoid as wild yeasts are everpresent in the air. You in fact inhale wild yeasts as part of the air you breathe. These yeasts that are present in the unbaked dough are broken down & destroyed when baking takes place. As the heat of the oven destroys all micro-organisms the bread is free of living yeast when taken from the oven.

1. What is the Glycaemic Index (GI)?

It is a measure applied to foods of how much your blood sugar level increases in the 2-3 hours following the consumption of that food. It rates the carbohydrate levels of food. If the GI index for a food is high then the release of its energy is fast, and vice versa.

Well, you can use the information provided by the GI to help manage your blood sugar levels. It can be useful for planning diets for athletes since they may require steady blood glucose levels for sustained physical activity. Diabetics are also required to manage their blood sugar levels on a daily basis. For people wishing to reduce their weight, knowledge of the GI ratings can help them select carbohydrate foods that will keep their blood glucose levels steady for longer, thereby staving off feelings for hunger.

We make a breads that have a lower GI compared to the GI of around 100 found in typical white breads. Our Lo Carbo is specifically made from low GI ingredients.

By lowering the starch level in our breads and replacing that with fibre & protein.

The University of Sydney has an Australian Website Database that rates food by GI.

1. What is Spelt?

Spelt (Triticum spelta) is a cereal grain that is one of the oldest known to humans. It is thought to have originated in Iran around 6000-5000 BC. It is believed to have spread to Europe about 5000 years ago and there is evidence of its use at about that time in what is now southern Germany.

Spelt’s use as a primary winter cereal was diminished substantially as newer, higher yielding wheat types that were easier to grow were introduced. Spelt was harder to thresh because of its close fitting husks and being tall was subject to wind damage. The last 30 years has seen a resurgence in the popularity of Spelt as people have sought alternatives to modern wheats.

Spelt shares the same genus as wheat but is a different species.

Spelt has a lower allergenic reaction than wheat so some wheat allergic people are able to tolerate Spelt. You should check with your medical practitioner to see if it qualifies as an alternative to wheat.

Our Spelt range includes: White Loaf,  Spelt 2 with Chia, Wholemeal, Barley Lupin Oats, Honey & Oats, Cob Sourdough, Beetroot bread and buns, Pumpkin & Turmeric bread and buns and our Hemp loaf.