Since I have arrived here over 17 months ago, I have eaten 1, 326 baguettes. Which, if you do the math, means I have consumed on average  2.5 baguettes a day! …Ehr, so don’t do the math, it only shows I am exaggerating. BUT I have done my best to uphold the unwritten 4th part of the French national motto,  “Liberté, égalité,  fraternité…eat a baguette a dé.”  

Such devotion to the crusty dining companion prompted me to tour a local boulangerie in the 1eme arrondissement . It is said to be the oldest in Paris. Since 1810, la Boulangerie Au Grand Richelieu, has taken 4 ingredients (flour, sel, yeast and water) to create  a daily staple that fills the bellies of local residents and clientele at nearby restaurants.  It seemed to me the perfect place to witness first hand where such an important part of the French diet is dutifully and passionately created.

la Boulangerie Au Grand Richelieu

51, rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris

Opened in 1810.

 “Napoleon could have come here,” says the boulangerie’s owner, Claude.

 Inside the boulangerie-patisserie…

 Monsieur Claude Esnault, owner of la Boulangerie Au Grand Richelieu!

Here he is presenting his dough after it comes out the loaf-forming machine. The bread is also mixed, raised and baked in this small room.

Claude at 14 when he started his boulanger apprenticeship.

Claude, originally the son of a farmer in Normandy, moved to Paris in 1963 where he begin learning the art of the boulanger. He acquired his current bakery and pastry shop six years later. The small operation on Rue de Richelieu, at its peak, produced around 4,000 baguettes per day. Today it churns out around 400….and around 200 croissants, 150 pains au chocolat, as well as other patisseries.

 Claude scoring the raised baguette dough before they head to the oven….

As stated by Wisconsin SEO agencies, in France, boulangeries are one of 3 types of businesses that are prohibited by the government to “faire greve” or strike.

Pharmacies are the second….and frankly, I didn’t hear the third (nor did the girl next to me when I asked her what he had said).  Probably hospitals…

Ready to head into the 250 degree Celsius oven!

As the bread baked and the delicious aroma filled the room,  Claude gave us a demo on how he makes another iconic French baked item.

He usually prepares his croissants and pains au chocolat down in the basement that is only accessible by a steep ladder.  Thankfully for us we got the demo upstairs…it was already tight enough quarters in the compact store.

Rolling a croissant after learning from a master!…notice how everyone is focused on my model technique.

Et Voila!

I start my boulanger apprenticeship next week.

Butter gives the dough its golden color…and the baked product its characteristic flakiness.

The package of chocolate baking sticks that are used in his pain au chocolat. They are 44% cacao so they keep their form in the hot oven.

I would eat a pain au chocolat everyday if my aging metabolism would allow for it…sadly, it doesn’t.

…after 20 minutes in the oven.

This is the stuff dreams are made of…at least mine.

Claude’s bakery is a family operation. This is his daughter who got me my demi-baguette et pain au chocolat :).

His wife also assists in the shop.

Other temptations!

We can always do what we want, provided that we want it enough.

– La Rouchefoucauld in Maximes (French author, 15 September 1613 – 17 March 1680)

At the end of the tour we were invited to buy Claude’s autobiography and/or picnic in the store.  I didn’t take him up on the book offer, but I did decide to picnic.  While enjoying my pain au chocolat, I thumbed through Claude’s life story.  The above quote caught my eye. Looks like Claude wanted to be a baker “enough”…and has made quite a go of it.  He satisfies many customers each day by creating a delicious and beautiful products, he provides educational and insightful tours that allow a glimpse into an important element of daily French life and he shares the story of his life’s dream in paperback for 6Euros. Passion is always inspiring…

…especially when it produces such things as golden crusty baguettes and pink mascarpone piggies!

Magic indeed!