Week One of the Olympics are underway, and for a taste of what the locals in Paris are experiencing, NBC Chicago's Food Guy Steve Dolinsky says look to Old Town's La Fournette Bakery.
That’s where a 12 year-old French bakery has been faithfully making two of the most important French baked goods since they opened.
You can’t experience French cuisine without trying a baguette or a croissant. And there’s one Strasbourg native in Chicago, who’s made it his mission to expose Chicagoans to the essence of his childhood.
There isn’t a day that goes by where Pierre Zimmermann isn’t tasting either a baguette or a croissant. And if you’ve ever bought bread at a local Whole Foods, you’ve probably tasted his work. As the owner of La Fournette Bakery, he oversees a massive wholesale operation from a West Side production facility.
“As a baker, baguette and croissant are the two main products in France,” said Pierre Zimmermann. “I grew up between baguettes and croissants. That’s the story of my life.”
Fortunately, he also has a retail location in Old Town, so carb fanatics can indulge seven days a week. He says the baguette is an all-purpose bread.
“It’s a base for breakfast with butter and jams; it’s used all day long,” he said.
That crusty exterior and tight interior crumb are polar opposites to the croissant – a light, flaky pastry.
“We start with the dough, it has to rest. Then we incorporate the butter…” he said.
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That would be 82% butterfat Plugra butter. The good stuff, cut and stacked, so it can be pressed into a thin, wide sheet that fits onto the dough, which continues to be folded and pressed thin after several passes through a dough sheeter.
“We give the turns – after that we roll it out. That’s the key of a beautiful croissant – is to build layers of butter and dough. The lamination has to be done at the right temperature, with the right equipment, so we don’t force the butter into the dough.”
From a surfboard-length dough sheet, they cut out triangles, and finally, hand-roll them into the classic shape. Baked for 16 minutes, they get a third rise in the oven, emerging lightly browned, tender and flaky, with a light, open-air crumb inside, thanks to those thin layers of butter and flour.
“And this is what makes it puff and look so beautiful after baking.”
Zimmermann doesn’t need much prodding to sing the praises of these two baked goods, but he’s glad the Olympics are reminding people where they come from.
“The croissants and the baguettes are such an identity to France, it’s great to promote that even a little bit more during the Olympics,” he said.
“Even though La Fournette produces about 500 croissants every day, there are other flavors to try as well, including chocolate and almond.
Here's where you can go:
1547 N. Wells St.
312-624-9430
