Where to Find the Best French Bread-from Paris to Provence

I’ve had a fondness for French bread and boulangeries since I first landed in Paris to study abroad some (ahem… shall I say quite a few?) years ago.  I lived in the 14th arrondissment in an old-fashioned building called La Maison des Etudiantes.  We were obliged to share a room with a native French speaker, which, truth be known, was a brilliant plan.

In the foyer of this building was an amazing vending machine with fresh- off- the- rack croissants and pains au chocolat for sale. Imagine walking past that several times a day en route to your room! For the grand price of 25 centimes (about 25 cents back then), keplunk, out popped a delectable if not fattening, snack. Those were the days…

Now I can eat far fewer pastries and keep a svelte figure but I still absolutely love French boulangeries. Imagine my delight to find the best one EVER right out the front door of my flat in Uzes, France, across the Boulevard des Allies, a few more steps and you’re at La Boulangerie Provençale.

I asked our local baker, Martial, if there was a secret behind his amazingly superior baked goods. “Ah Madame” he mischievously replied, “If  one has a secret, then one must not tell that, n’est-ce pas?”

Divine desserts in Uzes…

Imagine  having to work my way through many divine desserts,  croissants,  pain au chocolat,  pain au raisin and finally fougasse- a Provençale bread typically in the shape of wheat.

Someone’s gotta do it, right?  Check out www.sat-travel.com for your next Provence trip or cooking class…