Monday, July 17, 2017

Le Baguette

Oh, those baguettes. When I think of my time in Paris, I think of walking to the boulangerie a few blocks from my friend's apartment each morning, standing in line by cases of pastry, to get a fresh baguette to take along for the day's activities.


Our boulangerie was called "Victor's" on Rue Rambuteau. The cases were packed with wonderful delights but the fresh bread and the tartines were simply the best.


Victor's wasn't the only boulangerie in Paris, of course. There are many more famous and others more charming. We stopped here to pick up something for a later picnic at Place des Vosges.


Nothing like a picnic with soft, delicious cheese and that baguette with the perfect crust! (I enjoyed another picnic on the Seine, no less, with a great baguette playing a major role!)


And the obligatory bottle of a perfect Medoc to go with it!


My resident bread baker, Rick, took a baguette class a few years ago at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor and came back making wonderful baguettes. But he was able to cut his time down significantly -- and still make a baguette that was far better than any you get in any shop here using the recipe that Paul Hollywood shared on the Great British Baking Show masterclasses.


It's remarkably easy and really tastes fabulous. (American bakers, please note that Paul uses grams and weight of ingredients so a reliable scale might be in order or check conversion tables!)


Sharing this with Paris In July and Dreaming of France when links become available. You'll find loads of links to French-themed topics including books, movies, travel and more!

45 comments:

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

I love all that wonderful bread and cheese, but my hips don't LOL
Great post.

Mary

Anonymous said...

I too am a big fan of baguettes especially when they're warm and straight from the oven. I love seeing your pictures from Paris and hope to visit that beautiful city some day soon! Now I'm hungry for a baguette with prosciutto and mozzarella lol!

Mae Travels said...

Paris bread -- despite the decline of the bakers' craft and the intro of mass production -- can still be marvelous! Your photos really capture it.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Valerie-Jael said...

My mouth is watering just thinking about French baguettes! It is really easy to fall in love with Paris. Lucky you having Rick to bake your bread! Have a great day, hugs, Valerie

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I loved so many things about Paris but one was most certainly the bread! Fresh each day and amazing.

Deb said...

I would pass the sweets and head right for a loaf of that bread anytime.

Red Rose Alley said...

The baguettes in Paris looks delicious, Jeanie, and how charming is that shop Boulangerie. When the girls went to Paris, they said the baguettes and cheeses and pastries were so good. I bet Rick's homemade baguettes taste wonderful. Maybe I'll get to Paris one day, Jeanie. : )

~Sheri

Joyful said...

Yum! I love crusty breads like baguette and turkish flat bread. You make me want to visit France :-)

Pam said...

One of my all time weakness' BREAD and that looks like it would make some awesome sandwiches! Great pics

Tamara said...

This made my taste buds water, the memory of a great baguette. This is very French & tres Parisienne... im envious of you having a baker to make you bread..

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I don't eat much bread but I do love bakery bread like this! How fabulous with some cheese and a good bottle of wine! I'm off to look at some of the other posts in this linky party! Hugs, Diane

Marilyn Miller said...

Oh baguettes! How I do love them. Where we stay in Paris they have small baguettes with breakfast and we usually would bundle it up, stop and buy cheese and there you have it, a picnic. I do love seeing your picnic and knowing you visited to bakery in the morning for the baguette. How bread doth tempt me dearly and loves to settle right in my middle. I can almost smell it just from your pictures.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Oh be still my heart! That looks like the perfect meal. -Jenn

Pom Pom said...

Yummy! I think the French like to eat outdoors. It sounds lovely!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

This sounds SO wonderful, and I'm in awe of you in Paris. It's on my list of places to go, but for now, I'll just appreciate your photos and dream of baguettes.

Mel u said...

This looks truly wonderful. I can now add this to my fantasy trip to Paris.

BeachGypsy said...

Well, yum, JUST YUM!! LOL That looks like one amazing and memorable picnic for sure!

The Artful Diva said...

Now I feel the need to make some bread!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the homemade breads are yummy. Your sandwich and the cheese are fabulous for a picnic. I enjoyed this little visit to Paris, thanks for sharing. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day and the week ahead!

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, I am sitting here with my cup of coffee dreaming of a corner boulangerie and a crusty baguette! Does it get any better? Thanks for a little early morning dreaming!

Rita C at Panoply said...

Oh how I love bread!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

When I was in France, it was my dream come true. I would literally become secretly joyful, hiding my childlike enthusiasm under my smile over the fact that some of the clichés were actually REAL! People walking to work with a baguette under their arm, people walking POODLES on the streets of France, female shoppe owners in sleek back dresses wearing white, lacy aprons while sweeping the street in front of their shoppe, with an old-fashioned broom!

We need more iconic realities. We do.

The French Hutch said...

Jeanie, this post brings back my own sweet memories. Nothing like planning your lunch around a wonderful fresh baguette and bottle of wine. Oh I would love to have another trip there, lets go! How lucky for you Rick has learned how to make them.........

Joanne Huffman said...

mmmm...a baguette and cheese...

La Table De Nana said...

Rick is a master baker..I made Paul's and it didn't work well:( Yet I bake bread:)
Luckily for us..QC has great bread..nothing to envy ..the bread in Paris is like here:) Exactly.

Try http://www.paillard.ca/ when in QC..their boule..was great too!

Fun post:)

Danielle L Zecher said...

Your picnic plate looks delicious, and I love the china pattern.

I have yet to try any of the recipes from Master Class, but you're making me want to.

Marcia said...

I need to visit those links, Paris in July and Dreaming in France. Sounds fun.
Give me a loaf of bread, cheese, and tomatoes and I'm a happy girl. Looks divine, Jeanie.
Always good to visit with you, even when I take blogging breaks. I'm posting again, at TWO pages now. ;)
My usual photo page at https://aninspiredphotojournal.com/
and my new film food blog inspired by my children at: https://cineychocolate.wordpress.com/.
Hope you'll visit soon.
Happy summer, dear bloggy friend.
xo

Doodle T said...

Bread could/should be my middle name...your photos are swoon-worthy, Jeanie...now I am starving. :)

Jacqui Brown said...

I love Paris and I love a French boulangerie too. I don't live in Paris, but a small French village, with a boulangerie two doors away! #Dreamingoffrance

Victoria Zigler said...

Mmm... Baguette and cheese!

Sandra Cox said...

Oh my, the pastries look wondrous.
You must have had such a wonderful time!

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

A lot of very good wines are produced in a lot of different countries but the best baguettes and cheese are made in France. I wish the smell of fresh baguette would be available as an air freshener scent.
xo Julia

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

The biggest change in my life since I returned from France is baking a lot of bread. It's so easy, really.

https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/07/iconic-paris-amazing-flowers.html

Jenny Woolf said...

Looking at your picture of the Eiffel tower reminds me we were in Paris almost exactly this time of year once. There's nothing like a baguette for breakfast, specially with Bonne Mamam jam, don't you think?

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

Some of my favorite treats you have shared today and as I sit here at my desk I am wishing that I was in Paris!
Of course you had me hooked completely with your reference to the The Great British Bake Off!
Delightful Post, Jeanie!
Jemma

Kitty said...

I don't remember that I have had any of Rick's baguettes. Some day. I remember taking the girls to Monterey Aquarium in CA several years ago. We drove down the coast looking for a place to eat and there was nothing! Finally found a restaurant but entrees started at $19! But they had a little shop attached with bread and cheese, so we had a French lunch - sitting on the beach watching the dolphins jump. I doubt that I will ever get to Paris so it is great fun to travel vicariously through you writings. Thanks so much for all your sharing. Love to you both.

My name is Erika. said...

I really want to try more bread baking. I have that masterclass recorded on my DVR and I should rewatch it. I love seeing your views of a Paris boulangerie. :) Such yummy breads and food. Bringing back my memories ...Happy Wednesday. Hugs-Erika

Lynne said...

Love the pictures and thoughts of Paris.
And the baguette shops would entice me as well.
"Good For You Rick" for trying the recipe and producing the best baguette
Jeanie has found around here . . . anywhere!
I just might give the recipe a try !

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

My gluten free heart aches for a good crusty baguette! You just can't replicate that with gluten free bread since it's not very airy since the gluten is what makes for that airy texture. But I have good memories of eating lots of bread on my first trip to Paris before I knew I had Celiac. I had lots of take-away sandwiches from patisseries and boulangeries. They were so much better than any take-away sandwich you could get in the US as the quality of meats and cheese was so much better.

You are lucky to have your very own bread maker!!

Daniela said...

Thank you Dearie for sharing such lovely shots 'smelling' of Paris !

Wishing you a most lovely remainder of your week,
I'm sending blessings across the many miles

XOXO Dany

Tracy said...

Ooo... I've got my baking scale ready! My bread baking adventures continue... I'm not up to baguette, but working on it, so thank you for the recipe! Must say most French-style breads do seem to require a bit of time, so a short-cut sounds great. ;) Nothing so good as a good baguette...mmm.. My waistline is constantly complaining these days to go carb-less... I don't know if I can... LOL! Thanks for taking us back to Paris, Jeanie, and a little day dreaming... ((HUGS))

Paulita said...

Jeanie, Your pictures made me hungry! I love that your baker is filling the house with the aroma and your mouth with the crunchy soft bread. Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. I'm finally getting around to responding because we had to leave the house for a showing. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme

krishna said...

those picturesque houses are so , so beautiful..

Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

Sketchbook Wandering said...

The magic of Paris and her bakeries!! Your photos are lovely!

Ovenscooker said...

Thanks for sharing such informative post The best baguettes

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