Day 16 – Please, pass the baguette

Thursday, and I have today and tomorrow to spend in Paris. How could I leave without trying to find another baking class, this time for delicious bread baking?

And I found it, just in time. Bread Baking course to learn how to make 250 gram (exactement) baguettes, buttery brioche, and French savory, flat bread called fougasse.

This school, Cook’n With Class, is located in the tip of the 18th arrondissement and my class was set for 2 p.m to 5 p.m which fit in with the week winding down. Arriving there early so I could avoid getting myself lost, I took a few minutes to walk down Rue Ordener where I found a patisserie which sold sandwiches (on baguettes, of course), savory tartlets, and quiche. So, knowing my time was limited, I happily ordered the Quiche Lorraine, chauffe, merci. I paid for my lunch went back out onto the street and found a bench near the school. Oh, divine eggs, cream, and cheese in a delicate, bready crust. I enjoyed enough to satisfy my hunger then wrapped the rest to have later.

Entering the school, Tara greeted me and introduced me to the other students. Six of us all together, a mother and daughter from Australia, a young couple from Charlotte, NC, and a sweet young woman from Saudi Arabia, we students were ready to learn the secrets of baking our own baguettes at home.

And we did! Chef Florian Guerin, a darling Frenchman, made the work fun. The kitchen classroom had all the necessary equipment: the all-important weigh scale to measure the exact amounts of ingredients, a wide table surface for us all, two convection ovens, a variety of baking sheets, tin pans, and tartlet tins, and plenty of flour. Flo taught us that Days 1 and 2 are the prep days to make the “starter” of yeast and to coax the mixture to frothy, billowy perfection to be ready for Day 3. So much kneading on Day 3, our baking day, that we wondered if all the physical work of kneading, slapping yeasty dough on the table (slam!), and struggling and fumbling our newly-learned techniques was worth it. But of course, the hot, crusty rewards at the end of the 3 hours made it all worth while. The white wine, cheese, sliced sausage, and the laughter we shared added to the afternoon pleasure of working with our hands.

Naturally, Denis and Adine were thrilled with the results that I brought back to Saint-Mande. And as soon as I return home, the next few weekends I will be busy practicing what I’ve learned from my Paris cooking classes. I’m so glad I enrolled in these courses to have the fun of hands-on practice of the basics. I’m sure I’ll be fine at home and I’ll remember this trip with even more love because of what I’ve experienced.

Bon Appetit!!