Meet the German-born spelt bread baker working through the night to get her bread to the market

Josephine Plettenberg – who was sent to boarding school at a West Cork convent in the 1970s and has been in Ireland ever since – works from 1am to 8am in her Laois ‘bakehouse’

Appetising: Josephine Plettenberg with her co-worker Allen Walton with her produce on her stand at Kilkenny Market. Photos: Roger Jones

Appetising: Josephine Plettenberg with her co-worker Allen Walton with her produce on her stand at Kilkenny Market. Photos: Roger Jones

Josephine in her 'bake-house'

Some of Josephine's breads

At Kilkenny Country Market.

Josephine with her colleague Eimear

Appetising: Josephine Plettenberg with her co-worker Allen Walton with her produce on her stand at Kilkenny Market. Photos: Roger Jones

Tamara Fitzpatrick Twitter Email

March 14 2023 02:30 AM

Josephine Plettenberg has become “a bit of a night owl” over the last 15 years — she spends four days a week baking spelt bread through the night at her home in Co Kilkenny.

Born in Germany, Josephine moved to Ireland when she was just 13 in the 1970s to attend a Catholic boarding school, and has never left.

“My mother had a friend in west Cork so we were there on our holidays during the summer,” she says. “While we were here, my mother, being a journalist, was permanently curious and decided to interview some nuns from the convent in Rosscarbery about Catholic education and offer the article to a local newspaper.

“She did the interview and loved the ethos of the school and the way the nuns taught the pupils. She decided to send me to secondary school there, so I just stayed on after the holiday, and I’ve been here since.”

Josephine in her 'bake-house'

The move wasn’t a big decision for teenager Josephine, who had grown up “in the German army” and was used to moving around a lot.

“My father was an officer and we moved with him every two years so I was used to changing schools and making new friends. As a child you’re adaptable I think,” she says.

“Boarding school was a big change for me, though. I wasn’t used to that way of life but I soon settled in. The uniform is the one thing that will stand out in my memory, however — it was horrible.”

Fast-forward a decade, and Josephine had graduated from Trinity as a geographer. She went on to work in a few different roles, including environmental consultancy, and met her husband Liam Lysaght, who manages the National Biodiversity Centre.

“I stayed at home most of the time once I had our four children and I baked now and then. It wasn’t until Liam was diagnosed with asthma and was put off wheat that I really got into baking though”, says Josephine.

“I, being German, love good bread, so I looked into ways of making tasty, healthy alternatives to bread made with wheat.”

Some of Josephine's breads

Spelt is more suitable for those who have intolerances, says Josephine, was an obvious choice for her to experiment with.

“Spelt bread stands between regular bread and gluten-free bread so it’s a good one for someone who has a sensitivity or allergies,” she says.

When Josephine made her first few loaves, they went down a treat at home and she gave some to a friend to try.

“It was the time of the crash and everyone was trying to make a bit of extra money,” she says. “My friend Siobhan owns a shop called Glasraí and Goodies in our local village of Gowran and when she tried some of my bread, she asked me if I’d be interested in supplying her shop.”

Josephine started supplying the small shop with a few loaves every couple of days and when they sold well, she approached other local retailers and began selling at farmers’ markets too.

At Kilkenny Country Market.

“I could see there was a market for spelt bread and there wasn’t anyone else supplying it in my locality,” she says.

By 2013, Josephine decided to convert her garden shed into a “bake-house” and since then she has taken on four part-time staff and bakes from 1am to 8 am Wednesday to Saturday, all year round.

Her bread is sold in various shops and markets throughout Kilkenny and the surrounding counties, and she trades at Kilkenny Farmers’ Market every Thursday and Carlow Farmers’ Market every Saturday. She sells a small amount online and delivers to Waterford, Kerry and Limerick once a week.

“Trading at farmers’ markets is very exciting in the beginning because you’re seeing people first-hand showing a great interest in something you’ve put time and energy into making,” she says.

“Every week there is still a sense of satisfaction about being there and talking to the people that buy my bread. Having direct communication with them and getting the chance to explain what I’m doing is great.”

None of Josephine’s bread is packaged because she believes the key to selling fresh bread is allowing the buyer to see it.

“We just put a paper sleeve around the loaf with the name of the bread on it. Traditionally nothing sold at farmers’ markets would have been packaged so why do it now? If nobody can see a loaf of bread, they’re not going to buy it,” she says.

“Farmer’s markets are great because they unite small producers. There are too many solo flyers and it’s really difficult to make it on your own in this industry so having somewhere we can all go and sell together makes a world of difference.”

Josephine with her colleague Eimear

Wanting to promote the farmers and small food producers she meets, Josephine started hosting a radio show — ‘The Producers’ — on her local radio station, KCLR.

Every week she interviews a different person, telling their story and how they produce food.

“If there was any positive from the pandemic it was the fact people started to take an interest in where their food comes from and how it is produced, because all of a sudden there was no bread on our shelves and no milk in the fridges — everyone was panic buying and food distributors couldn’t keep up,” she says.

“I was really keen to find a way to highlight small producers like myself and re-connect the consumer with the producer and the land because over the years I think we have lost that connection in Ireland and it’s such a shame.”