FOOD CRAVER: [Paris] Poilâne - My First taste of Poilane

[Paris] Poilâne - My First taste of Poilane

★★★★☆

Poilâne is said to be one of the bakery that should not be missed among the blogs that I have read. Poilâne is obviously famous for its pain poilâne, they also offers other pastries too but in a small range so to ensure the good quality. They do not offer baguette though which France is famous for. Many restaurants buy breads from them and some will even acknowledge Poilane on their menu.

According to Poilâne's website, they make their breads using stone-ground flour, Guérande salt, natural fermentation and a wood-fired oven. The flour used a grey flour of 85% extraction, so not all of the wheat bran is retained. They also use a piece of dough from the previous batch of the sourdough as a starter for the next batch.

I was surprised when I found the entrance of Poilâne. I was actually expecting some old shady bakery selling good breads, but apparently I was wrong, the shop was grand, cosy and cute. The staff at Poilâne was extremely nice and friendly. Although she only speaks limited English, she still tried to make conversation with me. I really like this place.

Pain Poilâne

Pain Poilâne is a round, huge two-kilogram sourdough. Probably because it was baked with a wood oven, it had a nice aroma with it. The poilâne was very chewy but the rim was a bit too hard for me. I had difficult time chewing them. I guess it is best to have the poilane as a sandwiches as suggested by Poilâne website. Below pictures are an extract from their website on how the bread can also be served.

Tartelette aux pomme (Apple Tart)

The apple tart was crispy on top with large air holes. With the apple sauce, it was also moist and chewy at the bottom. There was sprinkles of brown sugar on top of the bread, caramelised apple making the tart extremely aromatic and delicious.