Polaine bread

[jerrysfriend]

During several trips to Paris, I have seen cafes have signs out front indicating that they use Polaine bread. I have eaten it; it is great; hearty, heavy and crusty. I have also been by the Polaine shop and looked in, but I never bought any of the huge loaves. I understand, however, that Barbara Streisand orders several loaves shipped over, per week, at $40-50 per loaf. Has anyone on the forum done this? Do they arrrive fresh? I cannot find anything on the web about how to order, but the address and phone number of the shop is at http://www.foodtourist.com/FTGuide/Content/I437.htm

 

[RJman]

Pain Poilane.  

Celebrity bakers.

I believe at one point it was shipped by Concorde.

There are better bakers in Paris, and more fashionable ones.  Poilane, like the confectioner Pierre Herme or the Berthillon ice cream, has gotten known abroad as a brand and thus is hunted down by American and Japanese tourists well after le tout Paris has moved on.

I've forgotten the names of other bakers to recommend -- can check with my friends over in Freedom if you like.

 

[auto90403]

balducci's carries poilane.

 

[romafan]

Lionel Poilane died in a helicopter crash Halloween 2002

 

[RJman]

Lionel Poilane died in a helicopter crash Halloween 2002

They say on dark nights you can hear him baking out at the old Poilane place.

 

[jekv12]

When in Paris, you can buy the bread by weight or, as I did, by using my hands to show how much I wanted - no need to buy a loaf. I haven't ordered for overseas delivery, but I read somewhere that to help meet the demand Poilane built a bakery, complete with several wood burning ovens, close to the airport, so freshness shouldn't be an issue. The aforementioned article appears here in Fast Company. Poilane's website is here - in several languages.

 

[Trilby]

After Lionel Poilane died, his daughter took over running the family business. Pretty amazing story. She is at college in the US (in Boston I think - either Harvard or BU). She commutes home to Paris on the weekends to manage the business.

 

[Trilby]

Poilane bread is also a key ingredient in what Gourmet magazine rated one of the best things to eat in London -- a grilled cheese sandwich from a street vendor at Borough Market.

 

[globetrotter]

Quote:

(romafan @ May 06 2005,09:25) Lionel Poilane died in a helicopter crash Halloween 2002

They say on dark nights you can hear him baking out at the old Poilane place.
ok, this gets my vote for funniest post

 

[jerrysfriend]

Twenty years ago, there was a 13 part French food series on PBS hosted by John Kennedy's former press secretary, Pierre Salinger, of French descent. He had traveled all over France to film it.
The two funniest episodes delt with the famous chef Jean Bardet, now of Tours (and his wife, Sophie) and M. Poilane. Sophie Bardet was shown calling the Limoges factory to order plates in a color which would match her husband's watercress sauce and a new frock she had bought; then she and her husband went to a cabbage farm to select out of thousands of cabbages in the field, the very best two for his restaurant. The very last part showed Bardet talking to his very plump daughter, encouraging her to eat all of the fat around some Ardennes ham, telling her that it was crunchy and very good for her.
Poilane was shown standing by his bread ovens, talking of how sexual bread was, such as the task of thrusting (the uncooked loaves) deep into a warm place, "buns", a "little something in the oven," etc.

 

[ernest]

During several trips to Paris, I have seen cafes have signs out front indicating that they use Polaine bread. I have eaten it; it is great; hearty, heavy and crusty. I have also been by the Polaine shop and looked in, but I never bought any of the huge loaves. I understand, however, that Barbara Streisand orders several loaves shipped over, per week, at $40-50 per loaf. Has anyone on the forum done this? Do they arrrive fresh? I cannot find anything on the web about how to order, but the address and phone number of the shop is at http://www.foodtourist.com/FTGuide/Content/I437.htm

Poilane is also the favorite bread of my girlfriend. I don't like it so much because it is acid. I thought Polaine was another bread but it seems you just made a mistake of spelling.

 

[RJman]

I don't like it so much because it is acid.

acide = sour

 

[faustian bargain]

Quote:

(RJMan @ May 06 2005,09:26)

Originally Posted by romafan,May 06 2005,09:25

Lionel Poilane died in a helicopter crash Halloween 2002

They say on dark nights you can hear him baking out at the old Poilane place.
ok, this gets my vote for funniest post
it was a good one. almost spit my diet coke on the keyboard.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Twenty years ago, there was a 13 part French food series on PBS hosted by John Kennedy's former press secretary, Pierre Salinger, of French descent. He had traveled all over France to film it.
The two funniest episodes delt with the famous chef Jean Bardet, now of Tours (and his wife, Sophie) and M. Polaine. Sophie Bardet was shown calling the Limoges factory to order plates in a color which would match her husband's watercress sauce and a new frock she had bought; then she and her husband went to a cabbage farm to select out of thousands of cabbages in the field, the very best two for his restaurant. The very last part showed Bardet talking to his very plump daughter, encouraging her to eat all of the fat around some Ardennes ham, telling her that it was crunchy and very good for her.
Polaine was shown standing by his bread ovens, talking of how sexual bread was, such as the task of thrusting (the uncooked loaves) deep into a warm place, "buns", a "little something in the oven," etc.

God I love the French...