Au Pétrin Moissagais, Bordeaux


Bakeries abound in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux. But one of them is very special. For over 250 years, the bakers Au Pétrin Moissagais have been making bread and baking it in a wood oven built in 1765 during the reign of King Louis XV.


The recipe remains unchanged as well. Following a Gascon tradition (Moissagais refers to residents of Moissac in Tarn et Garonne) of only buying bread every two weeks, the bread is made with a thick crust to keep it from drying out. They use their own yeast culture, adding no preservatives.


The stone-walled bakery is filled to the brim with loaves of every shape and size (walnuts, stone-ground grain, baguettes, large and small rounds). This is bread with flavour and body to savour on its own or with cheese and other toppings.


But it doesn’t end there. The bakery also sells croissants, cakes, and pastries of every possible variety. At the back of the bakery is the oven, which is still used to bake three-quarters of their products.


If you’re in Bordeaux, be sure to visit Au Pétrin Moissagais, 72 Cours de la Martinique. You won’t regret it.

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