7 Reliable Bakery-Pastry Favorites
The list is not exhaustive, but these seven products are undeniable best-sellers of the French bakery, both sweet and savory, as it strives to balance tradition and modernity in an increasingly competitive market. These products exemplify their success.
The list is not exhaustive, but these seven products are undeniable best-sellers of the French bakery, both sweet and savory, as it strives to balance tradition and modernity in an increasingly competitive market. These products exemplify their success.
1. The babka holds up well
Proof of openness to global inspirations: babka, a recipe for soft and crispy braided brioche from the East, which more and more bakers have been offering in all forms in recent years, from individual portions to XXL sharing formats. Well represented in the windows of delis and bakeries in trendy neighborhoods, the specialty even has its temple, Babka Zana, a Levantine bakery in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, which worked its incredibly soft brioche dough with the valuable advice of Benoît Castel. Excellent recipes can be found elsewhere, like here with the marbled chocolate version from the daring young bakers of Mamiche, a grandmother's cake with a modern twist.
Babka de Mamiche
By the cup
17,90€ thd kilo
45 rue Condorcet,
75009 Paris
Mamiche.fr
2. And here comes the New York Roll
Americans love the croissant. This passion led them to rave about the cronut and the cruffin before driving the entire world crazy over the New York Roll (originally The Supreme), a reinvented croissant that quickly gained fame in the summer of 2022. Croissant dough rolled into a ball, reminiscent of kouign-amann, crispy and caramelized, filled with cream, and topped with indulgent frosting and hazelnut pieces: the epitome of guilty pleasure. Pioneers of the New York Roll in France, Bo&Mie offers versions in vanilla, pistachio, caramel, and vanilla/chocolate.
New York Roll de Bo&Mie,
5,20 €
Boetmie.com
3. The Parisian flan is no joke
A true classic in the pantheon of bakery desserts, the flan parisien – without pastry for the pâtissier version. Its custard filling now adapts to all flavors, depending on the creativity of the baker-pâtissier, from vanilla, orange blossom, and coconut to matcha tea and chocolate... It gently trembles in its pastry shell, whether shortcrust or puff pastry, like here at Kreme Salon de Thé in Montrouge. With butter AOP puff pastry, a generous Madagascar vanilla custard without artificial flavoring, and a two-step baking process for the pastry to ensure perfect texture.
Flan de Krème
Tea salon
4€ (24€ the 6 person cake)
Kreme, 8, place Émile-Kresp,
92120 Montrouge
www.kreme.fr
4. Fruit pies
It is the French people's favorite pastry in 2023, according to an OpinionWay survey conducted in anticipation of the Salon de la Pâtisserie. The lemon tart thus holds the top spot on the list of favorite pastries among the French (16%), followed by fruit tart (13%) and fraisier (12%). For 40% of respondents who are fans of sweetness, it's a matter of the combination of the fruit's acidity and the cream's sweetness. This success is also explained by the sensation of freshness and the satisfaction of eating a healthy food that fruit provides, as well as the relentless emphasis on seasonality, a strong value among today's bakers and pastry chefs. The season is, among other things, for apples, such as those from Mamiche here.
Apple pie de Mamiche,
4,50€
45 rue Condorcet,
75009 Paris
Mamiche.fr
5. The cookie is cool
High on the list of French people's favorite pastries is the cookie, the world's most popular underbaked butter shortbread. At the height of the health crisis, Rémi Bouiller, the young pastry chef at Krème in Montrouge, thought of comfort and indulgence when he created the Coul’Kie, a hybrid dessert combining chocolate fondant and soft cookie, in pure American tradition (where they even eat raw dough). 'I wanted to combine the codes of pastry with a very simple and nostalgic recipe': organic 70% chocolate and a cookie dough that is both crunchy and melting. A quick 20-second spin in the microwave to get the gooey center. Pure delight.
Coul’kie,
6€
Kreme, 8, place Émile-Kresp,
92120 Montrouge
kreme.fr
6. The Chou(chou)
Chouquette, religieuse, éclair... The choux pastry is the common denominator of these childhood classics, the ones we used to bring back from the neighborhood bakery on Sunday mornings in a pretty cardboard box with a ribbon around it. Pastries appreciated for their combination of crispy and soft dough, filled with a sweet and comforting cream. Here, the vanilla choux is driving Parisian foodies wild, who have shared the good news about Mamiche bakeries. Each bite of this simple yet decadent dessert evokes nostalgia. Imagine small choux delicately sprinkled with sugar, containing a heart of Chantilly cream with mascarpone, subtly flavored with vanilla. A balance, dare we say, perfect.
Chou vanille de Mamiche,
1€ the piece
45 rue Condorcet,
75009 Paris
Mamiche.fr
7. Bagels are making their mark
A small bread made from a natural sourdough dough, briefly boiled before being baked, the bagel, which originated in Poland but passed through the United States before returning to conquer French snacking: an average of 400 million units are sold per year, far from the volumes of the baguette sandwich and burger, but showing a 14.3% increase compared to 2019. It’s the fast-good product that checks all the boxes. Weighing about half a baguette (115 g), it is typically made with healthy and balanced ingredients in bakeries. Here, the Delicatessen from Bo&Mie. A dense bagel with pumpkin seeds, coleslaw (white cabbage, onion), pastrami, sweet and sour pickles, Russian sauce (ketchup and mayo), and mustard.
Delicatessen de Bo&Mie,
7,50 €
Boetmie.com
