I am French– of course I have to have a blog dedicated just to breads–it’s in my blood and soul! I remember as a young girl growing up in Perpignan, in the South of France, one of my sisters or I had to go to the corner boulangerie every single day to pick up our baguettes–what a tough chore right?
I remember so vividly how perfectly crusty on the outside and light, airy and chewy on the inside those baguettes were! Invariably, they were still warm from the oven and oh the fragrant enticing smell when I walked into the store, hmmmmm!
The deal was, and I think this is one of those unwritten laws in the life of a French kid, that whoever was designated to pick up the bread that day had the prerogative to tear off a chunk and eat the crouton (the crusty top end of the bread) on the way back home. So yes, but of course (à la Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther), I couldn’t wait to write about bread for Cuisinicity!
Now let’s be honest, I do not pretend to have recipes that even compete with those crusty baguettes I remember so fondly. First of all, boulangeries have those perfect hot ovens for them, and secondly, let’s face it, French baguettes are not exactly nutritious! They are basically made of white flour, levin, salt and water. Don’t get me wrong, I still eat and LOVE my French baguettes, and I have instilled that love in all of my children (David is a Francophile and loved them all along). And, despite their lack of nutritional value, I am convinced they love me back… if only because savoring them makes me so happy!
So this week, because good bread and good food go hand in hand, I am offering my recipes for wholegrain breads, galettes–savory and sweet, and all things dough–from my “pâte sablée” tart crust to…my pizza dough! I made them as nutritious as I could possibly make them while satisfying my finicky French taste!
For my Soft Wheat Buns, I use a mixture of soft wheat flour (you will find it at the supermarket as whole wheat pastry flour), bread flour and wheat gluten . These are much lighter and fluffier in texture than my Whole Wheat Boule which is more chewy and dense.
My Pizza Dough is perfectly chewy on the inside yet crisp on the outside–and nutritious– I use mostly soft wheat flour. It is intentionally not 100% soft wheat–I have some plain bread flour in there too–because I find that it gives me the best result both in consistency and texture while still rich in fiber. This combination makes this dough so dependable and easy to handle–which is of course a must!
The sweet crust for my French Apple Tart is a nutritionally upgraded version of a classic “pâte sablée” which is typically made with white flour and lots of butter. The result is just delightful and surprisingly “buttery-tasting”
Galettes are the crusty free-form versions of those more sophisticated tarts or pies (such as my French Apple Tart). Galettes are more rustic and “rough around the edges” so you can just eat a slice with your hands–no need for forks here! I just love them! You can make them with a variety of fresh fruit (see my Rustic Strawberry Galette , Rustic Apple Cranberry Galette and Rustic Plum Galette).
I have a little video clip about one of my galettes from my kitchen to yours!
I also make savory Galettes such as My Fresh Tomato, Olive & Basil Galette , Galette with Caramelized Onion, Tomatoes & Goat Cheese, Pumpkin Goat Cheese & Pignoli Galette (there are countless other possibilities). The crust for these savory galettes is made with white wine, whole white wheat flour and olive oil. It is so quick and easy to make, you can whip it up in less than 5 minutes-really!
So, there you have it, a little piece of France in the form of a bread or a galette that I hope you will enjoy and bring to life in your cozy kitchen!
Bon appétit!
Isabelle Benavides says
May 12, 2015 at 3:14 amChère Catherine,
Quel bonheur cet article! Comme vous, francaise expatriée, je ressens la meme nostalgie. En Allemagne, où je vis, il y a une grande variété de pains complets délicieux, mais entre nous, rien n’égale notre irrésistible baguette. Bonne journée, je vous embrasse, Isabelle
Catherine Katz says
May 12, 2015 at 6:43 amVous êtes ADORABLE Isabelle!! Je suis tout à fait d’accord avec vous!! ahhhhh et ce crouton alors!!!!On se régale!
martine says
May 12, 2015 at 1:44 amBonjour Catherine, superbe photo et tout à fait française!!! les bonnes baguettes de pain oui mais…… comme vous le dîtes si bien , belles croustillantes , appétissantes mais très peu nutritionnelles…donc je fais mon pain !!!!!!! vos belles recettes sont juste comme je les aime et pour en avoir essayé quelques unes, je les adopte et les troque volontiers avec la baguette, The baguette!!! je vous en garde un quignon? belle journée qui sent bon le pain perpignanais de cuisinicity! …une excellent mélange finalement non? et …merci !!! Martine de France
Catherine Katz says
May 12, 2015 at 6:46 amMerci, charmante Martine de France! Le bon pain perpignanais, vous connaissez aussi??? WOW!!
martine says
November 25, 2014 at 10:13 amtrès joli !! en effet , , on continue à aller chercher son pain à la boulangerie d’à côté!! … mais les farines sont de plus en plus chimiques et maintenant , je préfère faire mon pain avec ma farine bio!!! j’ai donc le choix avec tous les pains que vous nous proposez !! les photos sont magnifiques et c’est encore comme ç aujourd’hui, ah! ma brav’ dame!!! ça sent déjà bon le pain chez moi !!! merci Catherine!!!
Joan Pyke says
November 24, 2014 at 12:42 pmWonderful blog with lots of wonderful. Your suggested tomato, olive and basil galette has my mouth watering to try it.
So glad you share your bits of such food joy!!
Catherine Katz says
November 24, 2014 at 2:37 pmHahaha!! Good I am glad Joan!!!!
Julie Zimmer says
November 24, 2014 at 12:37 pmMerci Catherine pour ces belles pensées, ces souvenirs et ces recettes typiquement françaises!
Julie
Catherine Katz says
November 24, 2014 at 2:39 pmAh Julie, que ça me fait plaisir de voir des commentaires en Français! un grand merci à vous pour votre gentil mot!
Catherine Katz says
November 24, 2014 at 11:00 amHaha Corinda, my sweetie, you ARE my bread fanatic aficionado!! I knew you’d love this post! I’ll make lots when you come home!
Corinda says
November 24, 2014 at 8:04 amThis was so great!!! As a bread fanatic I can say that your breads are SO delicious and satisfying.. love this & love you!
Nata Rose says
November 23, 2014 at 12:41 pmMerci Catherine , quel bonheur de pouvoir faire et déguster votre galette sans culpabilité de prendre du poids ….. Vous voir dans la video , nous donner les explications si encourageantes et voir vos gestes si précis avec tant de grâce me rapproche encore plus de vous en tant que française….
En outre, vos photos des pains et de la boulangerie reflètent les dernières boulangeries” résistantes “….des vrais villages français là où se dégage encore des bonnes odeurs des fournées matinales….
Merci , madame
Nata Rose
Catherine Katz says
November 23, 2014 at 12:53 pmMerci a vous, Nata Rose! Vous me faites revoir et ressentir ces beaux moments de mon enfance! Je vous remercie vraiment de vos si gentilles paroles! Elles me touchent beaucoup.