Au Château: Balleure takes over the Boulangerie

Our story continues: the village baker has gone on vacation, but the ever-energetic Nicole, our châtelaine, has decided that the village of Balleure will take over and make bread for the commune.

It’s 7 am in Balleure, and Frédéric, our stand-in baker for the day, is stoking up the four á pain, the wood burning bread oven. It takes 3 hours for the fire to be the right temperature for the baguettes. The oven is ancient, in a tiny stone building that maybe four people can stand in, if they’re good friends (and, it’s hot). At 9:00 the volunteer work crew—residents of the hamlet of Balleure who are the boulangers du jour for the surrounding villages, start to straggle in. It’s a fine sunny day, and the sleepy staffers go right for the coffee. Nicole, clipboard in hand, has assigned tasks to everyone and has taken advance orders for the bread and the pizzas they’ll be making. There are already orders for 60 loaves and 70 pizzas, and that doesn’t include those who will be drawn in by the wonderful aromas wafting through the village.

Photo: Nicole gets the troops in order

By mid-morning the place is hopping and I, the self-appointed photographer for the event, have joined the festivities. On such a lovely day, all the commune has turned out, curious to see bread made the old way. The event has cooked up a party mood. The customers chat while kids dance around the long tables that have been set up for rolling dough. In the field just beside the four à pain, a couple of horses hang over the fence, curious at the proceedings and perhaps interested in a bite of fresh pain. Madame of a certain age makes her way to the table with her cane, to pick up the warm loaves she has ordered.

Photo: A basket of fresh bucherons, round country loaves, tempts even the horses.

Frédéric slides pizzas and baguettes into the oven, which in basically a hole in the wall with an arched opening and chimney, that starts at eye level. It is six feet deep and just as wide. He wields a big paddle to reach into the depths of le feu for his bread.

Photo: Frédéric works the four à pain

By noon Ron and I are in the garden, munching a freshly made pizza with a glass of crisp white wine. Maybe the baker should go on vacation more often…

An update: The baker came back, but the party goes on! One Saturday a month, the village gets together at the four à pain, and makes pizzas and bread to order, just for fun.

RECIPE: Pizza Margherita

I’m a pizza purist: My favorite pizza is the simplest one, Pizza Margherita, which is probably available in every pizza restaurant in France (and bien sûr, in Italy). It’s best with summer tomatoes, basil from the garden, and fresh mozzarella . Use ready made dough (just don’t tell Nicole) or do as they do at Balleure, and make your own.
For 2:

Dough for 1 pizza
2 T. olive oil, divided
¾ lb. good summer tomatoes, or plum tomatoes
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, well drained
A dozen large basil leaves, torn
1 t. dried herbs de Provence, or oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
A pizza stone, if you have one

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Slice tomatoes thinly, remove some seeds so they won’t be so juicy, and leave them in a colander to drain while you prepare pizza. Roll out dough and brush with 1 T. olive oil. Slice cheese as thinly as possible. Top dough with tomatoes, then with cheese and basil. Spinkle with sea salt, pepper, and herbs. Drizzle remaining oil over all and bake 20 to 30 minutes. If using a pizza stone, shorten cooking time and check at 15 minutes. And grazie to the Italians, who invented this lovely pizza!