Wednesday, February 07, 2007



Turns out I live right around the corner of the home of Poilane. A little more history about the great man - Lionel Poilâne (?? 1945October 31, 2002) was a French boulanger (artisan baker) and entrepreneur whose commitment to crafting quality bread earned him prestige throughout the world. His father Pierre Poilâne started a baking business in 1932, creating bread using stone-ground flour, natural fermentation and a wood-fired oven. Lionel took over the bakery in 1970, continuing the traditional methods. Poilâne is most famous for a round, two-kilogram sourdough country bread referred to as a miche or pain Poilâne.

Poilâne mastered his single product and trained his apprentices in the physical baking process, which he believed to be the most important aspect of his vision. He believed as much of the work as possible should be done by hand, by one person taking responsibility for their loaves from start to finish. Lionel Poilâne laid the basis of a concept he called "retro-innovation"; combining the best of traditional elements together with the best of modern developments. The only deviation from his father's original formula was machine kneading, saving hours of work for his bakers.

On October 31, 2002, Lionel Poilâne was killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the Bay of Cancale off the coast of Brittany. The passengers, Poilâne's wife Iréna and their dog, also died in the crash. Poilâne was survived by his daughter Apollonia who now runs the enterprise.

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