Lobethal Bakery: Lisa samples some of the wonderful fare from this Adelaide Hills region bakery in South Australia

We cover a lot of territory here on Postcards - one week we can be on the Far West coast - the next up a backwater of the River Murray. And of course all that travel works up an appetite so finding the perfect bakery is a sort of unofficial assignment for the Postcards crew. We've tucked into pies, pasties, finger buns and donuts from all over South Australia.

Every time we walk in the door and smell the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked goodies we add another line to our ever-growing list of great South Australian bakeries. And on a recent visit to the Adelaide Hills town of Lobethal that list got a little longer.

Welcome to the world of the Trinkle family. These early risers have been cooking up aromas that have filled the nostrils of the locals for more than 3 decades. It's a world of mouth-watering pastries, pretzels, finger buns, fruit pies, blueberry muffins, meat pies, pasties, breads - you name it - if it's made from flour you'll find it here. And it's all prepared under the watchful eye of Helmut Trinkle who's been in the business since he was a kid in Germany.

Helmut Trinkle, Lobethal Bakery: “I started as a baker in 1952 when I was 14 years old and I’ve done it ever since except for one year in the army.”

Baking is in Helmut's blood - having opened shops in Germany, Canada and eventually here in Lobethal in 1975. The family tradition is in safe hands with many of his five sons and six daughters playing a part either in the bakery or the shop out the front.

Helmut began as a youngster and it seems history is repeating itself with three of his sons now running the Lobethal operation which supplies three outlets in Lobethal, Woodside and Stirling.

The Trinkles have seen lots of changes in Aussie tastes over the years - especially the dramatic swing away from white bread.

Albert Trinkle, Lobethal Bakery: "When I first started about 25 years ago we mainly just baked bread. In the time since I’ve seen a change from bread into the café style of business."

That helps explain the range of appetising goodies on display - and the almost obscene range of hand-made ice cream. Not wanting to miss out I convinced Albert to whip up a batch of his special lemon sorbet.

The lemon sorbet is one of Albert's most popular flavours so after a brief stint in the blast freezer time for the all important taste test. "Oh, that's lovely and the lemon flavour is so intense. That’s the difference fresh lemons make."

With decadent offerings like cookies and cream, hazelnut crunch and even vanilla bean - this is definitely not the place for the dietary faint-hearted.

I can certainly vouch for the flavour. If you want to try it for yourself, the gelati and the stunning range of baked goodies and bread are available at the Lobethal Bakery's three outlets. You'll find them in Lobethal, of course, but also in Woodside and Stirling. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Lobethal Bakery
80 Main St Lobethal
Ph 8389 6318

93 Main St Woodside
41 Mount Barker Rd Stirling.

Published 28th September 2008