Pastries occupy a special place in the cultural and gastronomic heritage of France. At breakfast or snack time, crispy croissants and other soft chocolate breads never fail to bring their dose of comfort. In France, we value our pastries and we never forget to celebrate them through annual competitions which reward the best bakers and pastry chefs in the country. There is the prize for the best croissant in France, but also that for the best pain au chocolat (or “chocolatine”, depending on the region, we will not go into this debate). Distinctions that highlight the work of passionate artisans, who work every day to perpetuate the tradition. But then where can you taste the best pain au chocolat in France?
Where to taste the best pain au chocolat in France 2024?
Against all expectations, it is not in Paris, despite the abundance of very good bakeries in the capital. For a snack, you have to go to Brissac-Quincé, near Angers, where the bakery The Four and its craftsman Sylvain Belouin conquered the taste buds of the jury. On October 30, 2023, during the chocolate fair, Sylvain Belouin won the Master of pain au chocolat among 40 candidates from all over France, proving that our regions definitely have talent. This competition, organized by the national bakery and pastry confederation, aims to celebrate the exceptional know-how of pastry professionals.
What did Sylvain Belouin’s pain au chocolat have that was different from the others? According to the person concerned, it all lies in the technique and the use of quality local products. “In the dough, I put honey, it’s different from sugar, it’s light, it brings another taste, a little extra.”he explained to France Blue. As for the milk he uses, it comes from a farm located just two kilometers from his bakery. Enough to guarantee the freshness of its products. So many small details that may seem trivial, but which are in any case enough to make the difference.
“We went from 120 pain au chocolat per day to 800”
Since his victory in the Master of Pain au Chocolat, the reputation of Sylvain Belouin and his bakery has continued to grow. The number of customers has exploded: “We went from 120 loaves a day to 800”tells the craftsman to Ouest France. Lovers of pastries do not hesitate to travel dozens of kilometers and several minutes by road to taste its famous pain au chocolat, the recipe of which is exactly the same as that presented in the competition. This recognition even earned Sylvain an invitation to the Élysée, in the company of Nina Métayer, crowned best pastry chef in the world. “I only made a pain au chocolat. I didn’t invent anything. I just did my job.”confides Sylvain with humility, when asked about the way he approaches this growing success. And to the delight of his customers, he chose to keep the price of his pain au chocolat at 1,15 €the same for many years.
