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[CROWD NOISE]

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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APOLLONIA POILANE: Growing up,
I spent most of my Wednesdays

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and Saturdays in the bakehouse.

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When I saw the wood-fired oven
burning, I took it for granted

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that this was the way
we heat up an oven.

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When I started seeing the way
we work through our sourdough,

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I thought that every
bread was made that way.

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I learned how to count
in the bakehouse.

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And all of those
fostered my understanding

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of what would become
my craft, my job,

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and, essentially, my destiny.

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In 1932, my grandfather,
Pierre Poilane,

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started his very first bakery
on 8 Rue du Cherche-Midi

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in the heart of St.
Germain des Pres.

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Although the fashion at the
time was for whiter breads,

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my grandfather stuck to
what his gut instinct was.

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He sought to making these
old, traditional sourdough

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loaves he would've known
as a child in Normandy.

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Because, for
centuries, people used

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to eat these
country-style sourdough

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loaves, these big hugs of bread.

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And this style was
counterculture.

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But it proved him right.

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After 50 years, whereas there
was half a dozen bakeries

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in the immediate
vicinity of ours,

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we are the only
ones still standing.

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My father grew up in the bakery,
from one day to the next.

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School was over and down
he was in the bakehouse,

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working with an old master
baker to teach his craft.

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When my father took
over in the '70s Poilane

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was a burgeoning family bakery.

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He developed a network of
restaurants and retailers.

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And we started shipping
bread around the world.

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My father grew this company
into an international business

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and tried to show the
world that baking really

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is an essential and
beautiful craft.

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When I was 16, my
mother suggested

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that I start my apprenticeship.

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So instead of going on
holidays, I basically

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was working in the
bakehouse at Poilane

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with my master baker, Felix.

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While I was finishing
up my apprenticeship,

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my parents passed away
in a helicopter accident.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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The next day, instead of
going down to the bakehouse

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and working with Felix, I
went up to my father's desk.

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And here I was, in
charge of Poilane.

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I was 18 when I took
over the family business.

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I had little
business experience.

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But I also had the
grooming of my father,

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growing up in an environment
where he shared his love

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and passion with me daily.

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And that education
is priceless--

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18 years understanding
the beauty and wealth,

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the knowledge, the
richness of my craft.

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The business I took over grew
into a half a dozen shops

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between Paris and London, baking
between 3,000 and 5,000 loaves

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a day.

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For over 88 years, my
grandfather, my father, and I

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have nurtured a very
specific sourdough

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to create large
quantities of bread

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in a purely artisanal,
handmade way.

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And that is an object of pride.

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We have not changed the
way we bake breads to grow.

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And that is something
that sets Poilane apart.

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[UPBEAT MUSIC]

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In this class, I
will be teaching

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you breads that we
do at the bakery.

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You're going to learn
how to bake breads using

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sourdough, wheat,
rye, learning how

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to start your very own starter.

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We will be baking breads of the
East, pain de mie, corn breads,

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brioche, and also what
to do with breads,

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not only how to
bake bread, but how

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to use bread as an
ingredient, from its freshest

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to its stalest, from crust
to the very last crumb.

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The recipes I will teach
you are recipes that

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are adapted to a home kitchen.

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At the bakery, we bake
in wood-fired ovens, 30

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to 50 to 100 loaves at a time.

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We bake batches to
cater to a community.

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I want to give you
a sense and feel

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for what it is to bake in our
style and with our spirits.

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The most important
lesson I will teach you

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is how to attune your
five senses to what it

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is that makes the perfect loaf.

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Baking at home, putting
your hands in flour,

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getting a feel for the
dough, seeing your bread rise

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in a basket, and
bake in the oven

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is a one of a kind experience,
one you must do in a lifetime.