History of Bakeriet i Lom , told by Morten

Morten Schakenda

Photo: Yayoi Hamazaki Halle

All roads lead to Lom

I can't really explain how it all started. It's not like this was the final plan, but more like things just happened along the way. One thing leads to another and suddenly you are somewhere you might not have originally thought you would be, but rather a long series of random events that take you there. Regardless of what you had thought and planned. That's why we are here now. In Lom. That's why there's smoke coming from the chimney in the bakery.

Looking back over the years, I can still see that there are some things that have been more valuable than others. I'll try to explain some of it here, and you can read the rest in the two books we've written in between expansions, construction, hectic summers and bun baking.

It is a story about coincidents

Many have wondered what in the world was the reason we were only in Lom, and to be completely honest, it's a story of coincidences that came in a well-choreographed sequence.

The short version actually starts with me getting tired of working in a restaurant kitchen day and night, something I had done for many years. I wanted to try something new, while also thinking about what I really wanted to do. It's not good for family life to work as much as I had done for periods. We wanted to start something that was ours. That's how it ended up, but this less work hasn't really happened yet. There has been even more, but at the same time, living in Lom is different than in the city, in a good way. It's worth emphasizing to anyone who dreams of living in the country and starting something that there won't be much time to watch the grass grow. It's hard work, but the feeling of creating something on your own terms is incredibly good.

We have invested a lot of ourselves in this project and have received a lot in return. The process from a dream to a wild idea and where we are today, does not come from our own stubbornness and will, but also from everyone who has helped us. It was Øyvind and Emanuel at Åpent Bakeri who first made me understand that I could not bake until they taught me the right and proper way. This made them want to help us from Lom Municipality, both Arne Brimi and Kristoffer Hovland, who had already put Lom on the map with world-class culinary ideas and craftsmanship. Of course, finally, everyone who has helped us at the bakery with everything that needs to be done, not only to start, but also to keep the wheels turning every single day all year round.

I may have thought of the bakery as mine in the beginning, but now I think of it as ours.

Bakeriet i Lom

Photo: Stine Aasløkk

Cinnamon roll

Photo: Stine Aasløkk

There are no shortcuts to good bread

The most exciting thing about baking, compared to cooking, is that there are no shortcuts.

Good baked goods are almost always about time and process. These are processes that you have little control over, and if you try to influence them, the results are usually worse .

We bake everything by hand. It's real work and every single loaf or bun has its own individual quality. Of course, we have kneading machines and tools that make the everyday life of a baker a little easier, but ultimately it's a craft.

We also use thoroughly tested, genuine ingredients and only buy things that we ourselves believe have the quality we want to pay for. All products are treated individually, which in itself is a guarantee of quality. When you have baked tens of thousands of buns, you feel that everything is as it should be. You notice the nuances in the dough, the elasticity, the weight and the consistency. That's what craftsmanship is, it's in the hand.

It is no exaggeration to say that baking is an art. I dare say that even though we are quite good, we are still learning something new and gaining new experiences and knowledge every day. Fortunately, that is the case and it makes every single day a little less predictable. It is true as they say; “every time you bake, there are different buns.