Baguette Showdown [General]
2018 Aug 27
So the baguette tour of Summer 2018 is over (for now)! Maybe I should've logged it all with some pictures, oh well. The results are as follows (and are just my personal taste):
The locals:
True Loaf: If you're looking for a crusty baguette this is the one you're looking for. It's by far the crustiest I tasted from the bunch. I grabbed the first one from The Bagel Shop and the top was a bit burnt so I went to the source for another. The cross section is wonderfully airy and (again) the crust is quite thick. A big downside is that it can cracker quite quickly if you aren't careful while toasting it. But I'd kill to try one of these fresh out of the oven.
Art-Is-In: By far the tastiest of the bunch. Like a lot of their products, they're punchy with flavour and seasoning. The cross section is nice and airy but the overall crust is a bit soft, very "squeezable" in the package. In addition, a lot of times I've gone to the source at City Centre and they just don't have baguette, which makes me less likely to go out of my way to get one.
Bread By Us: This was the most wheaty of the bunch. A good solid baguette, but nothing remarkable unfortunately. Maybe I just got an off-batch or something? Anyway I did spot that focaccia which looks very good and I'll be returning for it.
The Newcomers (I mean expanding chains):
Mamie Clafoutis: A pleasant surprise. I think this was the best overall baguette for me. Everything was right about it: crusty, airy, soft on the inside, tasty. Part of me was hoping for a letdown as I'm always rooting for the locals, but I can't lie and say this wasn't my favourite and just edged True Loaf out.
Les Moulins La Fayette: Tried the larger "Baguette Parisienne". This was the biggest letdown of the bunch. It was crusty, but the cross section was dense/full and not so airy. It wasn't anything better than an Ace baguette or the current Whole Foods baguette.
The locals:
True Loaf: If you're looking for a crusty baguette this is the one you're looking for. It's by far the crustiest I tasted from the bunch. I grabbed the first one from The Bagel Shop and the top was a bit burnt so I went to the source for another. The cross section is wonderfully airy and (again) the crust is quite thick. A big downside is that it can cracker quite quickly if you aren't careful while toasting it. But I'd kill to try one of these fresh out of the oven.
Art-Is-In: By far the tastiest of the bunch. Like a lot of their products, they're punchy with flavour and seasoning. The cross section is nice and airy but the overall crust is a bit soft, very "squeezable" in the package. In addition, a lot of times I've gone to the source at City Centre and they just don't have baguette, which makes me less likely to go out of my way to get one.
Bread By Us: This was the most wheaty of the bunch. A good solid baguette, but nothing remarkable unfortunately. Maybe I just got an off-batch or something? Anyway I did spot that focaccia which looks very good and I'll be returning for it.
The Newcomers (I mean expanding chains):
Mamie Clafoutis: A pleasant surprise. I think this was the best overall baguette for me. Everything was right about it: crusty, airy, soft on the inside, tasty. Part of me was hoping for a letdown as I'm always rooting for the locals, but I can't lie and say this wasn't my favourite and just edged True Loaf out.
Les Moulins La Fayette: Tried the larger "Baguette Parisienne". This was the biggest letdown of the bunch. It was crusty, but the cross section was dense/full and not so airy. It wasn't anything better than an Ace baguette or the current Whole Foods baguette.
Dan_
I'd like to try out the new Mamie Clafoutis in Westboro and the Les Moulins La Fayette in Hintonburg to see how they stack up to the contenders, so if anyone has tried I'd like to know!