January 20, 2005
Norlander Bread
When I step into a boulangerie, or admittedly when I simply walk by one, I always give the bread shelves a quick once-over, to see if anything looks particularly good and/or unusual. It is sometimes a bit of a challenge to glance behind the boulangère, her counter, and the other customers (some of whom seem to think I'm trying to skip the line and keep a hawklike eye on me), but I have years of training behind me, so I've had time to refine the technique.
What I am most specifically on the lookout for are pains spéciaux (specialty breads), these loaves of bread that involve alternate kinds of flour and possibly little nuggets of goodies -- dried fruits, nuts, olives, herbs, chocolate, anything small and tasty. The sweet ones make for a fabulous breakfast, the savory ones are perfect with a matching salad or soup.
Just the other day, in a boulangerie not far from my office (where they sell really good sandwiches), I spotted this loaf of bread, the label of which read "Norlander". I had never seen any bread go by that name, and the attendant explained that it was a German-inspired rye bread with sunflower seeds and nuts. They had a plain version, and one with raisins and candied orange rind. (Need I tell you which one I picked?)
I'm happy to report that it tastes as good as it sounded, and Mr Norlander has been a faithful breakfast companion for the past week -- cut in thin slices, toasted and spread with butter or jam. Of particular note are those deep ridges all along the loaf, which account for the pretty shape of the slices. And of course, as one might expect, said slices taste best along that crispy crinkled edge...
Christian Voiriot
61 rue de la Glacière
75013 Paris
01 45 35 34 91
(I recommend also their chicken sandwich with a blue cheese spread on sesame bread. Yum.)
More Entries Like This One:
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Comments (8)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Bread & Brioche
Clothilde, even though your Norlander bread is made with yeast, it looks like essene bread--full of nutty goodness and moistness.
Posted by Carolyn on January 20, 2005 10:51 PMAt first glance, glassesless :-), I thought it was a photo of florentines. Clotilde, you may not believe this, but I'm getting pretty good at tasting these daily snaps!..brandy snaps..now there's a crunch and a half!...Banana bread is on many breakfast menus here in Oz..I had some with scrumptious lime marmalade..
Posted by Joan on January 20, 2005 11:43 PMCela faisait une paie que je n'étais pas venu !!!
Et je n'ai pas pris mon petit dèj du coup là je suis comme le loup dans Tex Avery !
Merci pour le lien, c'est super sympa !
(Pour l'anecdote, mais peut-être te l'avais-je déjà dit, le grand père de ma femme est Claude Lebey, auteur su Guide du même nom ; du coup je baigne dans la cuisine depuis 5 ans ! Moi qui me nourrissais de grillados à l'oignon de chez Findus et de coquillettes, ça m'a fait un chox thermique à 8 kilos !)
Bravo pour ton blog qui, je le constate, ravit les gastronomes.
A +
Posted by 20/20 on January 21, 2005 12:21 PMIf you're interested, here is a tried-and-true recipe that sounds very similar to what you describe. The recipe is very flexible and would accomodate add-ins such as candied fruits. It is tried and true and sooo good toasted!
http://www.pbcc.edu/faculty/konopacs/vollkornbrot.html
Posted by dabney on January 21, 2005 7:28 PMI have not tried the Norlander of which Christian spoke of. However, it does look delicious. I bake bread in a different way than what is normal in the States. I add a little of what I think would be excellent to the tastebuds. I use a very simple bread recipe that I have used for many years and add all different kinds of fruit to it. If anyone has heard of English Sally Lund bread you know that it is very versitile. After it rises I sometimes add pinapple that I have thickened and added a tad bit of sugar to. My kids love the apple, cinnamon, walnut bread the best. If you would like the recipe you can email me and I will gladly share it with you. You can email me at annewhitefeather@sbcglobal.net and in the subject please ask for Bread Recipe. Thanks for reading my post. I love to try news things and I think I found a new bread.
Posted by Annie on January 23, 2005 3:40 AMI wish I'm in Paris now and taste all your recommendations.
I eat bread but I'm partial to wholewheat and also with lots of grains in it.
Posted by Jay on January 25, 2005 5:36 AMJust bought and tasted the Norlander bread today. Oh my, it is good and will be a perfect match for tonight's salad.
The 13th is not a tourist-y district in Paris, but if ever one of you C&Z's readers is lost Rive Gauche and ends up on Avenue d'Italie, I'd advise him/her to take the time to go and try Paul Soulabaille's bread (112 avenue d'Italie). Best. Baguette.Ever!
Thanks Clotilde for making me discover one more delicious bread in Paris!
Posted by Véro on September 28, 2006 6:13 PMI was searching for zucchini bread recipes when this popped up on my search screen. I had never heard of Norlander bread before. I found it especially interesting that it is described as a German bread; I have been told that Norlander is a Swedish name (I married into it).
Posted by K Norlander on July 5, 2007 11:16 PM