My bud Sam Fromartz recently got back from Paris where he spent a week in a boulangerie, learning to make bread the classic French way. He’ll be writing about his experiences for the forthcoming Afar, an experiential travel magazine that launches this fall, so he couldn’t say much on the record. But he did something better: He made me a baguette this morning!
Well, it was a demi-baguette because a full-sized one doesn’t fit into Fromartz’s home oven, but it was damn fine nonetheless. Its deeply browned crust crackled under tooth, and its crumb was aromatic and pocked with these deep, irregularly sized holes. It was chewy and flavorful, and were not Fromartz my friend, I would have blackmailed him right there for the recipe.
Fromartz thought the baguette needed more salt.
The bad news for you, dear Y&H reader, is that Fromartz only makes baguettes for his friends. But so that this blog item is not a complete waste for you, let’s turn it into a game. Name the two obvious visual differences between Fromartz’s loaf and the loaves you buy in D.C. (It may help you press local breadmakers to improve their loaves.)
Write your answers in the comments field. I’ll chime in later this week for the answers.
