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As a baker, it's always exciting when you can find new uses for your favorite doughs.  In my case, it's our tangy, nutty, sourdough wheat dough that I love to repurpose.  This time, I decided to create a traditional cinnamon bun but with a sweet & savory twist.

After allowing the dough to ferment and slowly build flavor for about 4 hours, I rolled it out into a thin sheet and spread some of my favorite things on top of it to create the Sourdough Buns.  

The savory buns received a layer of our organic Les Moulins Mahjoub olive paste and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.  The sweet buns were covered with a bit of butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and organic Rawnola (a delicious mixture of sprouted grains, seeds & fruit).  Then the roulades were rolled, sliced and baked to create these delicious Sourdough Buns.

Anna, Head Baker

Bleecker Street Bakery

New York

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Every Sunday morning I attend the Newport Beach Farmers Market to stock up on fresh produce, meat and eggs, etc. for the week ahead.  I really enjoy this market because compared to the Union Square Farmers market in New York City, it is smaller and more relaxed, which allows me to talk to all of the vendors and take my time selecting what I want and need for the upcoming week.  I usually go a bit overboard because everything always looks so good.  So much so that I have gotten comments from people like, “wow, you eat a lot,” “no one goes hungry in your house,” and “do you need help carrying all of that?” 

  Several weeks ago while talking to the manager of the market it came up that I was a baker and she asked if I would be interested a doing a demo using produce from the different farms that attend the market.  Since it would be a little bit difficult to relocate our 12,000lb Bongard oven to the farmers market I decided to make some grilled pizza.  Using what was available at the market I prepared two different pizzas.  The first pizza was topped with goat cheese, red onions, grilled nectarines, basil, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey.  The second pizza was topped with goat cheese, grilled zucchini, tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of olive oil.        

  It was a relatively hot and humid day for Newport Beach this past Sunday, but it did not stop people from eating all of the pizzas that I made.  I had a great time feeding everyone and meeting new people.  I am looking forward to doing it again soon.

Jonathan, Head Baker

Fashion Island Bakery

Newport Beach, CA

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Try the recipe for Devil's Chocolate Speculoos Cookie.  A decadent chocolate cookie with a hint of spice from Le Pain Quotidien's Belgian Speculoos Spread.

Tweet us your photos @le_pain_q_ny!

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Devil's Chocolate Speculoos Cookies

Inspired by Belgian National Day on July 21st and one of the bakers' favorite Belgian treats here at Bleecker Street Bakery - Speculoos Spread - I created a decadent cookie sandwich to share with you. Two rich dark chocolate cookies are spread with a thin layer of Speculoos spread to give them a hint of spice and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Try the recipe for Devil's Chocolate Speculoos Cookie and Tweet your photos to @le_pain_q_ny.

Anna, Bleecker Street Bakery

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Levain, I love it.

Do you know why Le Pain Quotidien's breads have more elasticity and our slices of bread are easy to cut without breaking the crumb?

Do you know why it’s possible to eat a tartine with your hands without dropping the food?

Do you know why the taste of food on our tartines is more flavorful in comparison with typical breads?

Do you know why Le Pain Quotidien bread has a thicker, darker, tastier crust?

Do you know why you don’t get the feeling of, “I ate too much,” after a lunch at Le Pain Quotidien?

Do you know the one ingredient that is 100% natural, gives freshness, color, elasticity, better digestion and such a good taste to our bread? 

Do you know one ingredient that the industry can’t copy?

It's fresh Levain and I love it.

  Maarten, Bellona Bakery, Belgium

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We are going international!  We are thrilled that Le Pain Quotidien bakers from around the world will now be contributing to Bake.Bread.Blog.  Want to see what our bakers in Belgium love?  Or what local delicacy we bake in India or Turkey? 

Keep reading and we'll take you around the world with Le Pain Quotidien!

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Our daily loaves of Organic Sourdough Whole Wheat rise slowly in their banneton (linen-lined baskets).  Our baker's patience is rewarded with a complex and flavorful loaf to serve with your favorite Le Pain Quotidien tartine, salad or soup.

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Daniel's Raisin Bread

Daniel has been hard at work here at Bleecker Street Bakery testing and tweaking his recipe for the annual bread baking competition sponsored by California Raisins - America's Best Raisin Bread.  As you may remember, I competed last year in the competition and had such a wonderful experience I urged the other bakers to develop a recipe to submit.

And what a delicious bread Daniel has created!  His sourdough spiced raisin bread is laced with chocolate, golden raisins and a subtle hint of cardamon.  Keep your fingers crossed that he'll win a spot in the competition and be off to Manhattan, Kansas in the fall!  Good luck, Daniel!

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This past weekend Team Le Pain Quotidien participated in the New York City Triathlon and after months of training our athletes did phenomenally well!  To help revive the racers post-triathlon, the bakers at Bleecker Street decided that nothing would be better than some tasty carbs (as is always the baker's answer).  Joe & Daniel baked dozens upon dozens of pretzel sticks that were enjoyed by all after their hard work was done.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!

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As the school year ends, it seems as though our classes here at Le Pain Quotidien are just getting started.  We had another delightful evening in Central Park with Murray's Cheese as part of our Mineral Springs Summer Series on Tuesday.  Sascha & I led the class through a round of pairings from baguettes to chocolate honey rolls, fresh goat cheese to pungent blue cheese, and all were delicious.

Jonathan taught the inaugural Biscuits & Scones class at Fashion Island Bakery to a group of enthusiastic home bakers.  They learned the techniques and ingredients that go into making shortbreads and left with warm vanilla shortbread cookies, cream biscuits and currant scones. We also had a delightful group visit Bleecker Street Bakery from a French language camp run by the New York Interschool.  Joe led the classes in French and taught the children how to make classic French breads like the baguette and brioche. Les élèves etaient heureux!

Anna Boisture, Head Baker, Bleecker Street Bakery

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A fantastic evening was had by all yesterday in Central Park as we kicked off our Mineral Springs Summer Series! The class began with Dan Carr from Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and his traveling bee hive.  Students participated in extracting honey and tasted both their fresh spring honey (straight from the tap) and last fall's honey.  Both of which were delicious but quite different in flavor, aroma and texture.

Afterwards, the tasting began and we dove into a selection of local breads from our Bleecker Street Bakery, local beers from Top Hops and local cheeses from Murray's Cheese.  Every student had their favorite pairing but all left happily full as the sunset in Central Park.

Is your mouth watering? Sign up for one of these delectable classes today!

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These are some of the essential tools that we, the bakers, rely on every day in the bakery.  The bench knives that help us to divide and shape the dough.  The wicker baskets lined with baker's linen that help our loaves to keep their shape while fermenting.  And the peel that retrieves our hot bread from the oven (saving our arms from burns).

They may look simple but their tasks are not.  Come see them in action at Bleecker Street or Fashion Island or better yet... use them yourself in one of our classes!

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Some of our hard working co-workers here at Le Pain took the night off to try their hand in the bakery this week.  They sculpted olive knots and chocolate butter rolls and enjoyed creating artisan pizzas.

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Looking for a new cookie recipe to try? Jonathan has developed this fantastic savory Olive Shortbread Cookie.  Read the full article in OC Weekly for more details & the recipe.

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"I have met a lot of great people through the classes. Some people come because they want to improve upon their existing skills and some just want an activity for the afternoon, but I am always happy when people appreciate how much work goes into making bread." - Jonathan Eng, Head Baker, Fashion Island

OC Weekly: On the Line

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Summer Classes in Central Park

Le Pain Quotidien and Bleecker Street Bakery are thrilled to announce our Mineral Springs Summer Series!  This series of classes and tastings will be held every Tuesday evening from June 19th to August 7th at our Mineral Springs store in the heart of Central Park.

Our wonderful breads will be the centerpiece of these unique events held at our alfresco communal table and will bring together eager students to learn from New York's culinary pros.

June 19th – Bee-ing Local with Stone Barns Center (in conjunction with National Pollinators Week with proceeds going to benefit Stone Barns Center)

June 26th – Classic Pairings in the Park: Bread & Cheese (with Murray’s Cheese)

July 10th – Grain & Grape: Organic Breads & Wines (with Astor Wines & Spirits)

July 17th – A Tour of Belgium: Bread & Beer (with Chris Munsey of 61 Local & in conjunction with Belgian Restaurant Week)

July 24th – Le Pain et Le Fromage: An Exploration of France (with Murray’s Cheese)

July 31st – Botanical Picnic in the Park (with The Regal Vegan)

August 7th – Spirit of the Grain: Bread & Spirits (with Tuthilltown Spirits)

For more information and to purchase tickets to the classes visit: www.skillshare.com/lpq.

In partnership with:

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The June & July calendar has been posted with more Bread Baking Basics classes and a new class - Biscuits & Scones!  Spaces fill quickly so don't wait to register for a bread baking class with Jonathan.