Products from South Aveyron: (re)discover flaune, a traditional dessert from Millau

When we enter the store of Valérie and Philippe Colonges next to the market halls, we arrive in a bakery-pastry shop that smells of tradition.

Confirmation as soon as we start the discussion with the hostess: “We make all our breads with local floursit's important to us. These are not adulterated flours without additives and without improvers. They are pure. Today, it is more fashionable to go quickly to use prefabricated mixtures prepared by millers where you just have to add water. It is important for us to work the old way with natural leavenof the natural products not like it is done now where we prioritize speed over quality.”

It must also be said that flour department, Philippe Colonges knows a thing or two about it since grandson and son of a flour miller. Like Obelix with the magic potion, he's in the flour “thathe fell in when he was little“as his wife points out with a laugh.

Originally from Villefranche-de-Rouerguethe couple came to settle down in South Aveyron in Vezins in 2003 where he took over from Mr. Bertrand. It is in 2009 that the sign “Au bon pain du Lévezou” appears in Millau first under the halls. Four years later, the couple had the opportunity “to cross the street” to settle in a premises that he has just renovated at the corner of rue du Général-Sarret.

The real recipe for flaune

“It changed our lives a little since they were other opening hours but there was also the possibility of having a refrigerated display caseunderlines Valérie. We we were able to have savory and sweet tartssomething we didn't have under the Halles.” Et like for breadthe tradition was there including a very local specialty, the snow.

“It's the traditional dessert from Millau that we do not know for example in West Aveyron, we explain. We have started making it when we arrived in Millau since in Vezins, Grannies do it at home. On a searched for the traditional recipe what we do, we only add sheep's cheeseon ne met not flourwe perfume with orange blossom with eggs et sugar on a sweet dough.”

Valérie Colonges proposes two other Aveyron specialties including one very popular with gourmands, fouace with sheep's milk butter (see box).

Flour ground on a millstone and a label guaranteeing quality

For the pastry like breadTHE products offered “Good bread from Lévezou” are from here. Having made the choice to working with 100% organic products and to propose a varied range of breadsValérie sometimes gets annoyed by people's attitudes.

“Ils want everything quicklyall the time. This is not not possible. THE special breads for example, we do not can't make everythingevery day. We spread them out over the week. On ne only works with organic floursthey are ground on stone millstonethese are very tasty flours.”

A way of working that earns them the “Baker of France” label. “We are the only ones in Aveyronwe wanted to be controlled in our company by a independent certification body to prove to our customers that we do our job well. That is to say that thewe make everything ourselves. The painTHE special breadsTHE croissants we are the ones who make them, the same goes for them quiche dough.”

A way of doing things Who made recipe to a growing number of customers.