Du Pain et Des Idées

I have never consistently had bread everyday…ever. Then, I came to Paris and fell in love with all the boulangeries and patisseries. I used to condemn carbs and kind of consider it morally wrong for my body if I consumed carbs on the daily. I was super picky about them. I mean, I still aim, but not in the sense that I will only have whole wheat or buckwheat, but in the sense that I am going to choose great carbs to munch on. Never mind that theres butter and white flour.

My friend introduced me to this place and I looked it up and saw multiple great reviews. So, the morning of our marketing class exam, we decided to venture to the 10th arrondissement and make our first carb trip together.

 

Du Pain et Des Idées became one of my favorite bakeries the second I took a bite out of their butter brioche. They call it La Mouna –  “brioche parfumée à la fleur d’oranger.” So soft and so light, this butter brioche is extremely satisfying (without feelings of guilt…at first). My friend tells me that brioches usually tastes really heavy due to the high egg and butter content, but this one was hands down the lightest and best one he has ever tasted. Well, I guess La Mouna just about spoiled my taste buds and ruined every other brioche I will have… 

Their famous Le Pain Des Amis is pretty incredible too. Even on display, I could tell that this bread was going to be soft and fluffy by how high the dough has risen and also the number of holes in it.

This bakery has its famous escargots the pistachio and chocolate flavored one. My pictures aren’t great, so I apologize. But if you go on their website and look at the picture of this particular pastry, you will see the thin and multiple layers of folding, giving it this great crispy look. Yes, it was just as crispy as it looked in the picture. Sound is never something you will usually use to describe something you eat, but you just know its good if you can hear that cracking sound when you bite into it. That’s what we heard when we took a bite into our delicious escargot.

Their le chausson à la pomme fraiche is equally amazing. Unlike other bakeries that fill it with apple confit, this chausson is filled with a half-baked apple. We waited a while to eat this, so it got a bit soggy, but the outer layer that remained crispy, was in fact, crispy. 

I will definitely miss the luxury of having fresh made bread in the morning when I go back to LA and Taiwan. Where am I going to find a croissant so cheap and tasty?? But while I’m still here…I am so glad I am not on a low-carb diet. If I were, I would have to move too. (David Lebovitz)

P.S. We finished everything in the picture above. That’s how great it was.