Boulangerie

{May not look like much from the outside, but in our opinion, it may have the best bread here in the Toulon area}

        There are many French stereotypes that I have found to be a bit of a stretch..the hairy armpits, the berets, the awesome mustaches that curve up at the end are just to name a few. However, at any given time during the day, you are guaranteed to spot someone walking with a baguette on the streets or riding their bikes with one in their front or back basket. So that stereotype, I'll give you. Bread is a way of life here in France. I don't know how to describe it other than....well, you just have to experience it for yourself. Most stop daily at a Boulangerie (french bakery) to pick up bread for dinner or for a late lunch. While I find that most breads are good, there are some that are superior to others, and we have found our favorite. For the last 2 seasons, we have made an almost daily stop at La Fille du Boulanger for our daily bread fix. Some days only half the bread makes the 1 mile car ride home, other days, we barely use it. But, in our household, there is nothing worse (ok there are worse things but roll with me here) than not having bread at night for dinner, even if we only use half of it. Besides, the leftovers make great breadcrumbs. And don't get me started on the salted butter....it may be the one thing I am willing to smuggle in my bag on the way home and risk jail time for. It is that good. So, with our time coming to a close here in Toulon, I wanted to stop by La Fille du Boulanger and express our undying love for their bread and maybe take a few pics if they allowed me. Turns out, they were more than happy to indulge a crazy American with a bread fetish and her trusty side-kick Fatiha for some pictures and questions.

Here are some of the things I found out:

- La Fille du Boulanger translates into the Baker's Daughter and the business has been in the Levilly family for 7 generations.

-The location that we go to has been here for around 8 years but they have another across town, with both doing very well.

-They start baking their breads at around 4 in the morning.

{Huge oven}

-The first customers usually come in around 6 am, and they also provide bread for restaurants.

-They make over 20 types of breads, and that is just the breads, not the pastries. Some examples are traditional baguettes, Pain de campagne (country bread often made with whole wheat flour), banettes (similiar to regular baguettes but made with different flour), batards (half of a baguette), ficelles (thinner baguette which must be eaten semi-quick since it dries out faster), olive breads, brioches (sweet bread great for french toast), sesame breads, multi-grains and fougasse (similiar to Italian focaccia) sometimes stuffed with sausage and cheeses. Whew..that was a mouthful, sorry.

{Different types of bread...sesame, campagne etc.}

{Banettes (left) and traditional baguettes (right)}

{Ahhhh, sweet brioche}

{Multi-grains}

-They make around 200 baguettes a day.

-The traditional baguette is still the most popular.

-They make croutons with the un-sold (rarely happens) baguettes at the end of the day.

I am off to plot how I can successfully smuggle both the butter and this girl with all the baking secrets in my bag back to the US. I just might be willing to part with a few pairs of shoes so they can fit. In the meantime, here are some other mouth watering photos. Enjoy.

{Some of the many patisseries...}

{Buttery flaky croissants which make a mess in your car, on your clothes, on your face, in your hair...but worth every crumb}

{They almost look to pretty to eat...almost}

{What more do you need...sweet bread, creme filling....}