This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
He may be as old as the world, but he hasn’t aged a bit, on the contrary. Bread, to which we will pay tribute across the planet on October 16, still constitutes a solid basis of our diet, here as elsewhere. But it does much more than feed us. It is associated with our childhood, with unforgettable memories and unparalleled moments of indulgence. It therefore deserves attention to the artisans who make it, whatever their school of thought.
When we ask Frédéric Lalos, named Best Bakery Worker in France in 1997, to talk about his relationship with bread, his eyes immediately sparkle. “Good bread is not just a support, it is an emotion,” he answers. A bit like a memorable dish, we will remember it, something magical will happen. »
Indeed, good bread is never an accessory, even when it accompanies a dish. The farmers of the village of Sainte-Famille, on the island of Orléans, know this well. Their porridge, a very important dish for them, is eaten with household bread. And if we transpose ourselves a century ago, the importance of bread was even greater at their table. From 1917, moreover, the local grocer-baker, Mr. Blouin, left every week to tour the farms with a team of three carts: one with grocery products, one with feed for the animals and a last one with some kinds of bread, which we bought with coupons of different colors.
In the 1950s, the Blouin bakery, now independent of its grocery store side, grew in Quebec while keeping the delivery formula that had made it known. It was also at this time that the recipes for its most popular breads were developed. These are not country breads, even less baguettes. No, the great specialty of this bakery is Canadian breads; in other words loaf, butt, household, sandwich breads and baked on the hearth.
“These breads are part of our culture. I would even say our heritage, our roots”, indicates Jérôme Lajeunesse, who in 2011 took over the moribund bakery which had given him his first “jobine”. from the age of 10 to the age of 16. “It was important to me that she did not die,” he continues, “because she fed people, and also made many of them work. »
Even if he developed the range of commercial products, Mr. Lajeunesse wanted to ensure that typical Canadian breads kept a special place in his production. The same recipes without additives and the same methods as before — including cooking in ovens more than 70 years old — are respected to the letter.
“I believe that, when you are convinced of the quality of your product, and you respect it, it will have its audience,” explains the entrepreneur. Our customers, even young families, are looking for these breads. They come to see us just for themselves, sometimes from afar, and they are very attached to it. »
Baker cook
Those who know know. The baker’s know-how can, in many ways, be compared to that, full of precision and techniques, of the pastry chef. “Every day, we start the counter at zero. The slightest error, the slightest difference in temperature, and the quality of the bread suffers,” confirms Mr. Lalos.
Which doesn’t stop several bakers from pushing the boundaries of their art. This is the case, for example, of Albert Elbilia, who arrived like a meteorite on the Quebec gourmet scene 10 years ago with a book, Bakery and foodwhich showed us that bread could be a fantastic playground.
A year later, the baking enthusiast set up with his wife, Johanne Martineau, Merci la vie, a concept since located in Piedmont which combines bakery, pastry and catering. On site, the “artist” Elbilia began to juggle flours, unleavened fermentations (which he pushes for up to 72 hours for some of his products, like his potato bread or his walnut bread), and unexpected ingredients, such as carrot, sweet potato and squash purees integrated into the dough of its Winter Potager bread.
“I’m not a traditional baker,” he admits. I am more of a cook in search of flavors and combinations. I want, like waffle dough, which is left to rest for 24 hours to facilitate the symbiosis of the ingredients, my breads taste like everything I add to them. »
Faithful to this approach, the baker creates each of his breads (and pastries) with a precise dough and worked ingredients, as one would for a dish. “It takes more time, but it’s this depth that the people who come to Merci la vie appreciate,” he says. The slogan of this bakery, “nourishing the body and the soul”, therefore takes on its full meaning.
Good bakeries to discover in Quebec
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Dutyrelating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.