French Bread

The baguette is perhaps the most famous of French symbols, an enduring icon of the best of French food. A few years ago, the true quality of its pale caramel crust, creamy irregular inside and characteristic nutty moist taste was seriously threatened by the spread of industrial production. It seemed that great, pale, spongy, tasteless pain and baguettes had invaded the country’s bakeries. The counter-attack came from a handful of passionate artisan bakers, led by famous boulangers Lionel Poilane and Jean-Luc Poujauran in Paris, who championed traditional techniques and had half of Paris queuing again for the best bread in France.