How I Learned to Bake French Bread in the South of France
Baking the Bread
After the oven has maintained a 300 degree centigrade temperature for a while — this morning that point is at 7:35 — the baker closes the damper, removes the metal form from the center of the oven, and places a metal rail in the front. The bar holds a basket of flour the baker utilizes to dust the paddles he uses to place the bread in the oven. The paddles have handles about 10 feet long to reach to the back of the oven and when not in use sit across the ceiling beams. They are so large that when not overhead or propped against the metal bar, they stick outside the wrought iron window covering into the street. There are also two copper bowls with spigots underneath them, one on each side of the oven door. He pours a liter of water into each. The water injects into the oven, creating the steam which makes the outside of each loaf crusty.
The bread is brought from the cooler in large racks which he arranges close by to his side and back. Once the process starts, each loaf takes 20 minutes to bake, and to keep the process going without burning any of them requires an intricate choreography of removing loaves from the couches, placing them on floured paddles, slashing each four times with a straight-edge razor, and placing them in order in the oven. If the loaves are not slashed or placed seam side open, the dough cannot expand and the bread will not rise properly in the heat. The crumb (texture of the bread) will be too tight. At any one moment there are 75-80 loaves baking and they must be arranged from right to left in a pattern that permits him to remove baked loaves and put in raw ones over and again until the entire batch is done.
As each tray of loaves goes into the oven, he removes the couche they sat on and sets it on the rail to dry. As each batch of loaves bakes, Mr. Honorat extracts it by paddle and sets it into wicker baskets for sale.
The Assistants
Another baker makes the other types of breads and pastries sold here. Brioche, for example, which Mr. Honorat tells me they prepare much as I do, by mixing the dough, placing it in the refrigerator, and pulling off whatever is needed. The baguettes I think are far harder to do. He nods to a young man standing in the doorway and says that he is an apprentice and that he has told him that by Christmas he’ll have learned how to bake these baguettes. It is in this way that the traditional crafts survive to the good fortune of the residents and visitors alike.
Also in the shop are Mr. Honorat’s lovely wife and daughter who chat with the constant stream of customers, filling their orders with charm and grace. It is in these ordinary transactions everyday that the life of these towns and villages is so pleasant.
A beautiful recounting of what anyone who has lived in France remembers best — those incredible baguettes, those pains au chocolat, those croissants! Great photos too, I’m looking forward to the next installment on wine….
Love that photo of the oven!
What a fabulous trip. Thanks for sharing your experience and the great links. I’m somewhat intimidated by the baguette recipe, but will try Jim Lahey’s bread recipe. I’m looking forward to your report from wine country.
Start with that and you’ll find it’s so easy you’ll be addicted, Next thing you know you’ll be making brioche and fougasse. XOXO
Magnifique!
The effort of baking my own bread? Sure. I do that on a fairly regular basis, and new recipes are usually fun.
Converting the barbaric metric and Centigrade into civilized measurements? Not so much. The taint would linger.
I can smell and taste them now. And for that reason you have earned my undying hatred.
YUM!
I can almost smell the air and taste the wine!
What a great article.
I lived in San Francisco the first 35 years of my life, we would party on weekends and always end up at the early morning bake shops. This brought back some great memories.
More like this please.
1) Can’t eat too much bread anymore. Have to watch the carbs.
2) Great bread or not, this is France we are talking about. A place that hates America, hates Israel, loves failed Marxism, loves the Jihadists (who are taking over slowly but surely), and where Jews cannot walk the street safely. Why on earth would you admire or emulate ANYTHING from that sorry place?
there’s more hate from your side and from the bigots
Bulgaria anyone?
The Freanch will never forgive Americans for D-Day. Just like they never forgave the Pied-Noirs (French citizens born in North-AZfrica most of them of Italian or Spanish ascent) who gave their life at Cassino while the Gallics wer laughuing their a..s in their prisoners camps while others were doing what should have been their job.
Eric;
You are speaking of Paris and the official French government. I disliked DeGalle as much as anyone and never traveled to France while he was alive. However, I have spent many wonderful weekends and nights there whilst stationed in Stuttgart. Alsace is grand, but the south of France is simply wonderful. The food, the wine and the people make it what it is and not even the French government have ruined that.
we can say the same for your governments
I have visited Paris twice and Normandy once. I get the feeling that Parisians just don’t like people in general, but everywhere we went in Normandy last year, the locals were wonderful. Perhaps it’s because they are still mindful of what we did during the D-Day landings, or maybe they’re just nice in general.
So I wouldn’t judge an entire country by what a handful of their elites do, just like I hope we are not judged by what goes on in certain “centers of power” along the East Coast.
this has nothing to do with Dday,the Normans aren’t disturbed by 80 millions yearly visitors like the Parisians are, who ask 80 million times the same questions, who make the same reflexions and complains…
But not all the Parisians are rude
As arrogance and massacring Jews go, they’re nothing compared to the Roman Empire at its height. So why are you using the latter’s letters when you write?
Eric don’t put French rural areas in the same bag with Paris and big cities. These are Muslim-free and despite Paris and Commies best efforts usually not anti-american. And don’t forget those volunteer groups who flower american graces or those people who, from their own pockets (this could seem no big deal in America but in countries with high taxes and extended welfare donations are not usual so it was a big deal), funded a monument at Omaha Beach and fought teeth and nails when the govenrment tried to have it demolished.
Nice article, nicely done, and thanks for the links.
Why is that area called “The south of France,” and not “southern France”?
because, there’s no economical and political differences between the north and the south like there are in Italy, whereas the south is called “Mezzogiorno”
That’s the opposite of what I’d expect, then. After all, we call the US South “The South” because there ARE economical and political differences.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
US drought threatens price of food as hot weather fries corn. Parched fields drives up price of corn, with higher prices likely to be passed on in the cost of hamburgers, steak and bread.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/11/us-drought-threatens-food
Alas, several members of our family were diagnosed with Celiac Disease/Gluten Sensitivity a few years ago, so no wheat-based breads for us.
We do walk by bakeries and inhale deeply, though – my husband calls it “Food Porn”….
This all looks so delicious!