The Pain D’Avignon Baking Book

Uliks Fehmiu with Kathleen Hackett; Foreword by Chef Mario Carbone

Five-star bread and pastry recipes, and a tale of adventure, from an iconic East Coast bakery.A good loaf of bread has the power to bring-and keep-people together, wherever they may be. In a journey that started in Belgrade amid the beginnings of war, and continued in America, four friends tested this philosophy to the extreme: They began a new life and opened a tiny bakery together on Cape Cod. Working hectic, twenty-four-hour days, while living all together in a loft above their business and making it all up as they went along, the founders of Pain d'Avignon quickly became one of the first highly acclaimed purveyors of artisanal bread in the Northeast.For thirty years Pain d'Avignon has been pursuing an excellence in the art of the bread making inspired by the old-world methods while partnering with New York's top chefs to bring a five-star bread to our everyday life. As a baker who had an unorthodox bread education, Uliks Fehmiu has learned over time that practice and patience are the most important parts of the journey, and here he shares this important lesson with home bakers everywhere, while giving them an accessible, step-by-step primer on mastering the fundamentals. With 60 recipes, including their iconic Cape Cod-inspired Cranberry and Pecan Bread, Classic Sourdough, Thyme Baguette with a Touch of Lemon, and Plum Galette with Pistachio Paste, The Pain d'Avignon Baking Book is a tried-and-true collection of must-make breads and pastries, with extraordinary and immersive storytelling. It is a celebration of bread, of perseverance, and of baking with heart and purpose.

Top East Coast bakery: In addition to their bakery/restaurant in Cape Cod and their stand-alone café in NYC, Pain D'Avignon sells to Michelin-starred restaurants including Le Bernardin, and has been in on the ground floor of the hottest food halls in the city (Essex, Dekalb Market Hall, the Plaza Food Hall).Storytelling hook: The backstory of Pain D'Avignon is as good as a Hollywood script: a beautiful, sometimes hysterical, transcendent "American dream" journey about a group of immigrants who built a business from the ground up. The book also profiles other immigrants on their staff.Beautiful package: The book has a unique, eye-catching trim and is filled with 75 stunning 4-color photographs.Bread baking is on trend: Interest in bread baking skyrocketed during the pandemic and has given rise to a whole new generation of home bakers.