Pane Francese

I first tasted a bread like this when I was a stagiaire (a kind of a low-level apprentice) in the town of Blois in France’s Loire Valley. Like most young, aspiring chefs, I rarely had the time or money to take advantage of being in such a legendary dining country. Most days I ate dinner with a local family who took in paying dinner guests. Breakfast was at the bakery, usually black tea and leftover brioche from the day before. That’s what our chef ate, so that’s what we ate. When I h