The Bread

Pain bénit from the Boulangerie de l'Ile Barbe - Maison Jocteur

We go to the boulangerie (bakery) every day. The bread is absolutely perfect when you buy it; the crusts crisp, the insides soft and it melts in your mouth. Add jam, cheese or butter (or all of the above!) and you begin your morning perfectly. But after about a half a day, this fantastic culinary delight begins to harden and heads south. By the next morning, it’s fit mostly for toast and croutons.

So what makes it better than the bread we get in the States? While technique is a factor, I think it’s mainly the ingredients. I’ve been reading Julia Child’s memoirs, and one of the things she mentions is how the flour in France, due to the lack of preservatives, actually contains less fat than it’s more refined cousin in America. Furthermore, to get the same consistency when baking with our flour, you have to use much more butter in the US. And, speaking of butter, the version in France is purer as well. Like the bread, it has a shorter shelf-life, but tastes better and is better for you. And even though it contains more fat, you need to use less of it to bake.

So, should you come to visit us in Provence, save room in the extra luggage you’ll bring for shopping and pick up a bag of flour and a pound of butter. And when you are still fighting jetlag, see if you can make a perfect French baguette!

Bon appetit!

Bucky