Bread and butter

I mentioned Au Pain Dore's 36 hour bread in the last post. It's a bread that is kept to rise for 36 hours before baking. The result is a more pronounced bread flavor that tastes a lot like a light sourdough bread. The crust is also different which makes this an all around good alternative to a "regular" baguette. Unfortunately for Au Pain Dore it's the only thing worth buying at the store as their competitors are much better at pastries, croissants and desserts.


To go with that bread I would suggest a nice tasting butter such as Lactantia's My Country butter. I am a fan of this brand since the 80s and even tried to have them ship it to me in California. Whenever there's a special at the market I buy 6 1-pound bricks to store in the freezer (each sealed in a plastic bag) so I never run out of it. I also use the half-salted butter with jams or to finish a sauce.

ArHoMa bakery

My friends who live in the  HOchelaga-MAisonneuve area has told me about this place before so I decided to drop by last weekend to have a sample. I found Philippe eating his breakfast there and he gave me a few of his recommendations. He made some of the art decorations in the store.


I tried a half-baguette which had a good crust. It wasn't bad but nothing extraordinary like the 36 hour baguette at Au Pain Doré. The magic came from the Ficelle Benedictine which is a soft baguette with blue cheese baked into the crust. This is like a super charged cheese croissant. I ate this with some prosciutto for lunch and it was heavenly.


Another specialty I also enjoyed is the croissant aux pistaches which is like an almond croissant but with pistachios instead. It's a little variation on a common theme that is quite interesting. This store also sells chocolates, jams, cheese and cakes. The desserts will be for another time.