Underground sourdough supplier Zelda Bakery moves from garage to Ripponlea shop

Underground kosher sourdough microbaker Maaryasha Werdiger has moved her garage bakery to a shop in Ripponlea. Zelda's opening has been big news in the local Jewish community, with queues along the street for quality sourdough loaves, sesame-topped bialys, challah buns and more.

The kosher community hasn't been well-served for sourdough and observant Jews can't shop at regular bakeries. For bread to be kosher, the oven must be reserved for bread and turned on by a Jew, and each day's bake must be ritually blessed. Baked goods with dairy must be kept separate and when butter is used, it must be a specified kosher type.

Until now, Werdiger's baked goods have been available sporadically to the kosher crowd via the community grapevine and Instagram alerts, with pop-up pick-ups from homes. A street presence opens her products to the broader community. Local restaurateur Ben Shewry has already come by, posting an Instagram story about his new neighbour.

Werdiger is still getting used to baking off-site, and can't help making late-night visits to the shop to feed her six sourdough starters and check on her bread, babkas and croissants.

"I needed to get the bakery out of my house but I'm still getting used to being here," she says. "The community has supported me to get to this point and I am still a community baker."

Open Wednesday and Friday 9am until sold out. Zelda will close on Friday, March 26, for a week to mark the Jewish festival of Passover.

54 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, zeldabakery.com.au