Female bakers are a little bit unusual in France, and Véronique's bakery is where it is because that is where the big brick wood fired ovens built in 1804 are. She cannot dismantle the ovens and set up shop anywhere she likes. If she wants to bake in these rather special ovens, she must make the best of her location. The area is quite residential and centred on the Parc des Buttes Chaumont so it's not like she's out in some banlieue (suburb) but it is double digits (19eme arrondissement).
You can just get a glimpse of the ovens through the open door.
The flour she uses is organic and the oven fueled by oak and ash wood. She makes a wide variety of breads and pastries. On the day we were there in September the bread selection included marjoram, fig, pepper and olives, pain de mie, brioche, fouace (made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, walnuts, cinnamon and saffron), 100% spelt and black bread (made from rye flakes, rye sourdough and sunflower seeds) as well as the ubiquitous baguette. The bread is all sold by weight (the marjoram bread is €10.40/kg for instance).
***************
There is a Fungi Foray on Sunday 4 November in the Foret de Preuilly.
Meet at the Etang de Ribaloche at 2.00 pm. I am planning to be there and there will be expert
mycologists to identify all the mushrooms picked at the end of the
afternoon. The focus will be on fungi in general, not just foraging for edible varieties. €3 per person.
13 comments:
Right... that does it... I was thinking of getting some bread from the village... but with that lovely list... and todays terrible Toussaints tempests... where's the breadmaker?!
Just noticed the 100% spelt and sunflower... that uses rye and rye sourdough.... Hhun?
Tim: should I have used an Oxford comma? The 100% spelt and the black bread are two different breads.
No... an 'a' would have sufficed... the black bread sounds very nice though... as does all of the styles... NB... there is blue sky on its way.
You notice that I always use a series of dots... they indicate, and create, the pause that one would use when talking.
There would have been a pause in your voice if you were telling me that "there was an 100% epeautre.... and a black bread"... see what I mean.
I am now going back to bed!!
Tim: I come from a background where elipses and exclamation marks are banned...! It's a bit Mills and Boon for us Country Life readers :-)
Yes... but please take into account... I had to take English Language 'O'-level twice!!
If I have problems with English Gramma... just think of what nightmares French holdws for me!
A double-u has entered the last line... surely the French are more correct when they call it a double-v!
Oh... and what's Country Life?
Tim: Country Life magazine is an extra-ordinary mix of debutantes and serious architectural history. Some of my favourite people write for it, and I've spent quite a long time in their archive, which is how I happen to know that exclamation marks are banned.
Most peculiar!!!!!
Country Life have even used my brother's photographs in articles.... for some reason or another.
Possibly because they are damn good!
He has charged them Country Life prices though...
Would love to have come to the fungi foray but sadly we'll be on our way home. Another time...
Gaynor: Never mind -- another time.
Susan and Tim, just loved your dialogue!
beautiful spot. wish I could teleport in for a snack.
Post a Comment