FavorFlavs #23

We all have them: favorite flavors, ingredients, and kitchen tools. FavorFlavs we keep reaching for time and again. These are ours.

Baguette

What is the appeal of a good baguette? Of the French baguette with diagonal or vertical cuts in its crisp, golden-brown crust?
Why can we never suppress the urge to tear off the end of that baguette and stuff it into our mouths while balancing on our bicycles, risking life and limb, long before we unpack our grocery bag on the kitchen counter?

Maillard reaction

That it has to do with the Maillard reaction, which causes the outside of the dough to turn golden brown during baking and, in one fell swoop, adds that addictive bread aroma, flavor, and crunch—we couldn’t care less. As long as it happens.
Because a baguette without a crisp crust and intoxicating aroma is like beer without a head. Wiser from experience, we always have the baker wrap an extra baguette in paper. For the journey, of course.

Available from any good artisan baker.