Asked what it takes to be a great baker, Jean-Luc Poujauran (himself at the top of the baking chain) reportedly answered “Il faut être grand, fort, et bête.” Translation? You must be big, strong and stupid. So goes the story, as told by another great baker, Ian Lowe. I love that thought. And also loved visiting Poujauran’s bakery in Paris.

Anyway I’m doing my best to be big and strong as a baker, the stupidity only coming along for the ride of inevitable mistakes. Honestly, those are part of the process. An old  blog entry from  The Fresh Loaf led me back to Poujauran. And it even offered a loaf to try. Below are photos of what came out of my oven.