Michael Behzadi Supports Traditional Bakers in Effort to Preserve Artisan Baking

Many French bakeries are choosing to outsource the creation of dough by purchasing "industrial croissants," which consist of frozen dough. Michael Behzadi, a pastry chef, believes that the preservation of artisan baking and pastry making is essential

New York, New York (I-Newswire) September 6, 2012 - The culinary practices of a country largely define its culture. For example, France is known as a country that takes pride in its bread and bakes it fresh each day. In fact, the majority of French residents purchase fresh bread on a daily basis, according to NPR. Although baking is an art form that has shaped the culture of France, NPR reports that many boulangeries, or bakeries, are turning to "industrial croissants" instead of creating fresh croissants for their customers. Michael Behzadi, a pastry chef, is supporting the bakers who are working to preserve their culinary traditions by continuing to make their croissants from scratch each day.

According to the article, Boulangerie Cauvet is a bakery in Paris that is family-owned. Run by Esmeralda and Cyril Cauvet, the bakery sells an approximate 800 croissants and 3,500 baguettes per day. Pierre Gilbert, the head pastry chef, is proud of his work at Boulangerie Cauvet. He creates these croissants and baguettes from scratch, ensuring that they offer the quality and taste that customers have come to expect from a traditional French bakery.

But the process of creating so many croissants and baguettes, in addition to other pastries, from scratch is extremely time consuming. Gilbert explains the lengthy process of baking a fresh croissant: "The key to a good croissant is good ingredients and high quality dough. You have to knead it, let it rise, and roll it around a second time in butter. That's what gives a croissant its flaky quality."

While Gilbert and the Cauvets are happy to spend the time necessary to create traditional French baked goods, many of the bakeries in France are deciding to outsource the production of dough in an effort to cut costs and decrease production time. Called "industrial croissants," these pastry items are baked from frozen dough that was created by another company. By purchasing the frozen dough, these bakeries can skip the lengthy process of making it from scratch and simply put it in the oven.

Michael Behzadi, like other pastry professionals, is discouraged by this practice. "The value of baked goods—particularly those baked in France—is that they are fresh and made from the best ingredients. When someone walks into a boulangerie in Paris, they expect to purchase a croissant or baguette that has been created according to the world-famous French baking tradition. To purchase something made from frozen dough depletes that experience, making it less special."

Michael Behzadi supports the efforts of the bakers who are fighting to keep fresh baking practices alive and applauds their dedication to preserving their culinary culture.

ABOUT:

Michael Behzadi is a pastry chef at a leading culinary hot spot. Through his education and subsequent experience, Michael Behzadi has developed his culinary skills and emerged as a prominent pastry artist. Michael Behzadi is also interested in genre fiction, including comic books, and television shows. One of his favorites is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.