French Bakeries Visiting a Boulanger in Aix-en-Provence
Susan and Sam Gish went on a magical tour of Au Pavé du Roy: Artisan Patissier Chocolatier Boulanger Glacier Traiteur in Aix-en-Provence. Our rendez-vous was with Mme Laurence Campanella, who is the 3rd generation owner of the shop. She invited us to come on a morning in October, and we were delighted to accept her kind invitation. Entering the atelier, my first impression was how clean the bakery was. Continue reading here for the details of their visit to this bakery. Au Pavé du Roy is one of only two places in Aix-en-Provence that make their croissants in-house.
French Baking Bread and More
It’s important to understand that one-stop shopping is not in your best interest regarding bread and baked goods in France. Many consumers are happy to buy their baguettes in one place, croissants in another and cakes in yet another. So, if you have the time, shop around and find your go-to bakery.
Equally important is understanding the terminology:
Boulanger is a bread baker working with yeast and dough.
Boulangerie is a bakery that sells bread, which must be baked on-site. They may sell pastries and other items, but those do not have to be made on the premises.
Chocolatier may seem obvious, but in fact, they do not make chocolate. Rather they make confections with chocolate. Interesting, it is common that a chocolatier may have apprenticed with a pastry chef.
Pâtisserie does double duty as the word to describe French pastries and the pastry shop.
Viennoiserie the culinary origin of these flaky breakfast pastries in Vienna, Austria. However, try to resist a hot croissant, pain au chocolat or pain aux raisins.
Bonnes Adresses: Bakeries in Aix-en-Provence
Please note this is not an extensive list, just a few of our recommendations.
Au Pavé du Roy
9bis Cours d’Orbitelle
13100 Aix-en-Provence
Farinoman Fou
5 rue Mignet
13100 Aix en Provence
Open Tuesday – Saturday
All the bread is delicious, but make sure to try the choco-sourire (chocolate smile)
La Fabrique à Pain
4 Rue Pierre de Coubertin
13100 Aix-en-Provence
For organic, naturally leavened bread.
For the love of bread! As many of you know, the baguette is as much part of French daily life as cheese, wine and small dogs. But not all baguettes are good. I have looked high and low, done my research, tried hundreds of versions from different boulangeries. And I have concluded I don’t like most of them. That’s correct, you heard me right. Discover the types of bread that you might find in a typical French bakery.
Candy might not be the reason you decide to visit Aix-en-Provence, but don’t leave town without sampling the famous Calisson d’Aix. These sweets, made with ground, local almonds (sweet and bitter) and a fruit paste blend of melon confit (preserved in sugar) and orange peel, were officially recognized as part of the heritage of the city in 1990. Traditional calisson have three layers; thin host paper on the bottom, the fruit-almond mixture and a light coating of royal icing on top. Typically, a soft-diamond shape calisson is similar in taste to marzipan, although not as sweet. Continue reading about calissons and where to find the authentic producers in Aix-en-Provence.
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