The baker in our village outside Saint-Aignan calls this bread, which he makes only on weekends, a
pain-gâteau. It's not sweet, though. It's a real bread, not a cake, and it looks like it's made with whole wheat flour.
Pain aux noix — bread baked from a dough with walnuts in it — is a standard product in France, but this one is fancier. It's a really big loaf that is sliced to order and priced by the kilogram.
The dough contains not only
fruits secs (another term for nuts), but other dried fruits (raisins, prunes, dried apricots, etc.) as well. I'm not sure what all goes into the mix, but to me this bread is very good with cheeses. We're lucky — all the breads our village baker makes are excellent.
The bread looks delicious! There hasn't been a real bakery in this area since Pecks in Jacksonville. I can only attest to their eclairs and cream puffs though. I was a teenager then. I do get a tinge of jealousy to you having such access to REAL bread bakers!
ReplyDeleteThere was a bakery in downtown Morehead a few years ago. Maybe it's still there. I can't vouch for it though.
DeleteIt looks like there are several bakeries in Morehead. Sugarloaf Bakery is downtown. The Franklin Baking Co. is out west of town, not far from Walmart and Panera breads. Here's a link.
DeleteI miss this.... our previous baker, who sold out at the end of '19, used to do it half-a-dozen times a year.... I used to buy a 4" wide'ish slice and then slice it across when I got back here.... a dozen slices plus the crust at each end. I'd then pack it in lots of four for the freezer... Pauline and I would eat the two crusts, buttered, immediately.... 'licious!!
ReplyDeleteThey called it "pain aux fruits".
If you've no objections, Ken, think I'll print out your photos and take them into the shop.... pictures speak French better than I.
And we used to eat it with cheese.... and foie gras!!
I don't think the Bouins let our new bakers know what went well!
No objections at all, Tim. I'll have to ask, the next time I go into the boulangerie, what all the ingredients are, or do they vary them from week to week.
DeleteThanks, Ken
DeleteAlmost like fruitcake bread, with the dried fruit. It's rustic like a bread de campagne. It looks great, yes I can imagine it with cheese.
ReplyDeleteToasted with cream cheese spread on it would be good for breakfast. I especially like it with soft, runny cheeses like Camembert, Brie, or fresh goat cheese — with a glass of good wine wine.
DeleteAccording to your description, I think I'd love this bread. With cheese, yes! But, to satisfy my sweett tooh, I'd butter a slice and eat it with some of your deliciois plum jam! Oh! so yummy!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had more of tht plum jam I made a few years back. I still have some plum jelly, but it's not as good as the jam. And there are no plums on the trees this spring. The May weather killed them all, I think.
DeleteI have good memories of that plum jam! This fruity nut bread looks so good.
DeleteLooks so delicious - and nutritious!
ReplyDeleteOn one of my tours we had a day to bring things to make a picnic so I found a bakery that did a walnut bread and at a market they had a cheese with walnuts in it - I still fondly remember that combination!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, what a treat!
ReplyDeleteWhat Judy said!!
ReplyDeleteNutty, fruity bread with cheese! Delicious to me, too! We have many good bakeries in town. Many with french accents (!)
ReplyDeleteI, too, thought that looked kind of fruitcake-ish. Warm, with butter or a runny cheese, delicious.
ReplyDelete