The Village Baking Company "Boulangerie" (which is a fancy French way of saying it's a fancy French bakery) has opened a new retail storefront at 5531 E. University in what used to be a Whole Foods bakery. Inside, this small bakery has a whiff of quaint charm and looks like it's been overflowing with loaves of sourdough and pastries for decades.
The Village Baking Company delivers fresh bread to local restaurants, but their loyal following has been building at area farmers' markets in Coppell, Frisco, McKinney, Keller and the White Rock Local Market. The new storefront is an opportunity for customers to drop by at other times. For now they're only open Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (After you see the pictures on the next page, you'll agree only being opened three days a week is borderline criminal based on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment.)
This is a kouign amman (pronounced "queen ah-man"), and it tasted like the sunrise. No, seriously, it tasted like sunrise on a farm surrounded by lush green fields where fresh butter is churned daily. No, it wasn't about taste. It was about experiencing euphoria through food. These succulent muffin-shaped croissants with layers of butter-laced angel wings tucked inside are quite possibly the most amazing thing I've ever eaten.
Here's a more detailed description of the kouign amman provided by Jasmine at Village Baking Company:
"It is a round crusty salted-Carmel-butter cake made with a rich dough containing layers of salted butter and sugar folded in. The pastry is baked slowly until the buttery layers and the sugar caramelizes. The name comes from the Breton word for cake (kouign) and butter (amann). The specialty pastry originated from a town in the west of France, Douarnenez."
Meyer lemon and rosemary loaf still warm from the oven.
These laminated brioches have a flaky pastry-like dough inside with a slightly tougher exterior. Unwrapped, every inch of space is covered in sugar. And they're not for sharing.
The pain au chocolate pastries are glorious. I'm supposed to be impartial in these things. Apologies, but that's impossible right now. (And, honestly, I'm not sorry)
This was about noon on Friday and Jasmine at Village Baking Company told me the shelves weren't as full as they usually are, so imagine more. Or don't. Because it's amazing as it is.
Just a plain ol' loaf of whole wheat bread ($5). I pulled it out of the bag and laid it out on a platter so you could see the light texture throughout. This entire loaf was gone within twelve hours and it's about twice the size of a regular loaf - it was the basis of both dinner and breakfast. No, it doesn't have the sex-appeal of the pastries. But it's that very simplicity, a staple of life, so perfectly melded ... I'm out of words. It's just all that is holy and right in the world. Trust.
The only bit of bad news is that they don't open until Thursday at 8 a.m. See? Cruel and unusual punishment.
