The History and Art of French Patisserie and Bread Baking

  Dough ready for final proof Finished Baguettes

Today was the final day of my A-term and I was very sad it had to come to an end. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning the traditions and cultural importance of each of these pastries, and of course also getting to taste them all.  To close out this course, I ended with a bread that France has nominated for UNESCO heritage status: The baguette.  The baguette is the embodiment of French bread, a cultural icon. In France more than 25 million baguettes are sold and eaten daily! And they’re not even the biggest consumers. In Algeria close to 50 million baguettes are sold each day, while Morocco, Tunisia, and Vietnam are also baguette superspots. The baguette has literally been immersed into French culture. Inviting someone over for dinner? In France it’s considered rude not to have a fresh baguette to go with the meal. Eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Better run to the nearest bakery to pick up a baguette straight out of the oven. But what makes this bread so popular? And what makes a bague

  Bechamel Finished Soufflé

  Ah, the soufflé, what a classic and luxurious French dessert. Well, full disclaimer, I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a dessert soufflé, but I’m positive I’ve had at least one of the infinite variations to this sweet or savory treat. Soufflé’s are baked dishes made with a base of egg yolk folded with beaten egg whites, which expand in the oven and puff over the edge of the dish. They can be served individually (which is how they are done as desserts) or in a big dish (which is a more common way to find the savory version). After the eggs are whipped and combined with sugar, they are carefully combined into the base mixture, then baked. While baking, the air bubbles from the whipped egg whites expand causing them to poof up, in fact, that is where the name comes from. In French, the verb souffler means to blow or to puff, exactly like the soufflé does in the oven. Although they are quite impressive when done properly, they are a little finicky and will not rise if overmixed, and,

  Joconde sponge Outside of cake (How reflective!) Inside the cake

There’s nothing quite like cutting into a beautiful cake only to be delighted by the elegant and perfected layers inside. That is the experience I attempted to replicate with my Opera Cake today. Also known as a G âteau Opèra, this sponge cake alternates layers of joconde, French buttercream, and dark chocolate ganache. Then to top it all off it is covered in a chocolate glaze to give it a beautiful smooth finish.  This cake was created in 1955 by pastry chef Cyriaque Gavillion, who was employed at the Dalloyau shop in Paris, which to this day is a world renowned pastry shop. The goal of this cake was to create something where the entire cake could be tasted in one bite. The many layers give you this effect by providing a perfectly balanced combination of cream, chocolate and cake. When Gavillions wife saw it, she said it reminded her of the Paris Opera House, most likely because the alternating light and dark layers resemble the look of the balcony seats. Since then the name has stuck

Today it was time for me to attempt my first bread of the course! Unlike many of the other pastries I’ve been baking, bread is a very, very old practice. Bread baking began at least 10,000 years ago, in the form of flatbreads or other hard loaves. Modern bread examples were found in Egypt and Mesopotamia. In Rome, bread was thought of as more important than meat, and all over Europe bread became a very important part of society, and was a big determinant of the class of a person. The quality of bread was decided by its color: if a bread was darker, it was for the lower class, and if it was lighter, it was for the higher class. Why? Because the higher quality the flour, the brighter the bread would be, so the lighter loaves were more expensive. Bread became one of the driving forces behind the French revolution as the lower classes believed they should be able to get the same quality bread and grains as the nobles. There were also bread and grain shortages that led to riots, so overall

  Dough before first round of proofing Dough Shaped and ready to bake Fully baked brioche

  Finished Meringue Fresh baked shells Final Product!

Today I was ready to take on a challenge. I was prepared to create something that is all about visuals, and of course some taste too. I decided to bake, arguably, the pinnacle of French pastry: The Macaron.  Quick Clarification:  A macaron is pastry with a base of almond flour (I told you it was a popular ingredient), and egg whites, sandwiched with a jam, chocolate or other type of filling. A macaroon also has a base of egg whites, but is a coconut flavored cookie, often dipped in chocolate, and popular during holidays.  Although they are very different, the names often get mixed up, with many Americans calling macarons macaroons and vice versa.  Macarons are beautiful. They are elegant and dainty and shiny and basically perfect. They have a glossy smooth shell, with delicately developed feet (the little rough part on the bottom), and a rich filling to tie it all together.  There is some debate about the origin of the macaron, but most people would agree it actually came from Italy.

  Today I decided to take it back to a classic French pastry. But before I get into that, let’s talk about shoes. Actually that may be a little misleading. I’m going to talk about choux (which I’m pretty sure is pronounced the same). This extremely popular dough is used in a multitude of French pastries. It can be used for sweets such as profiteroles, eclairs, croquembouche, or beignets as well as savory hors d'oeuvres. It’s unique because it is baked, but before that also cooked on the stove.  The origin of Choux pastry, Pâte à choux in French, is believed to have come from a chef by the name of Pantenelli. He had been the head chef for Catherine de Medicci of Florence, but after moving to France in 1540 he created this thick, paste-like dough. It was called Choux (the french word for cabbage) because it spread quickly across France and took on the look of cabbage after baking.  Although it is used diversely, it is not necessarily what you would expect from a pastry. Instead of a

Piping the Choux Pastry Choux pastry out of the oven Filling the Pastry Fully assembled Paris-Brest

  Completed Tart!  Tart Assembly

     With all of the preparation work I did yesterday, creating the shell, cream, and jam for the tart, I decided it was probably best to learn about the history of this classy dessert and also the many variations.  First, what makes a tart a tart, and not a pie, for example? Well it turns out the difference between a pie and a tart is somewhat muddled, and depending on where you are in the world you will get a different answer. Tarts are generally shallow and open faced pastries. They only have the shell on the bottom or the sides, and the fillings are baked only lightly, if at all. Modern tarts are generally sweet with fillings of fruit or custard. When you get a savory tart, it would probably be classified as a quiche, which are almost always savory and tend to have an egg and milk based filling. Pies can have crusts on the top and bottom, just a lattice crust on top, or just a bottom crust and can be sweet or savory, ranging from an American classic like apple pie, to savory flavor