Bakery

Good French bakeries are charming, alluring places, filled with crunchy baguettes, buttery viennoiseries and decadent pastries. In France, with boulangeries on every street corner, each offering an abundance of esoteric breads, with rigorous service etiquette to follow, the bakery can quickly become overwhelming for non-French speakers. Here’s how to become a connaisseur du pain in no time. The French often say that the best bakery is the one closest to you. After trying bakeries in Paris and Lyon, I disagree. Not all bars serve great wine, not all restaurants serve the best food, and not all bakeries make excellent bread–even if they’re French. To be called a boulangerie, a French bakery must bake bread on the premises. Boulangeries often display a sticker on the storefront that says “Artisan Boulanger.” Here’s a list of product to turn your home into your local artisan bakery.