Baking Bread, the 'Paul' way

MFK Fisher famously said, "The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight."and he couldn't be more right.Since time immemorial, bread has been the staple food in many countries worldwide and in many cases the word 'bread' is actually a synonym for food per se. 

Welcome to Paul

Bread that looks fabulous, smells delicious and tastes superb!

The complimentary bread basket, butter and olive paste

Paul at the MGM Mall in Muscat

Having had a delightful working lunch at Paul in Champs Elysees, Paris this June and having enjoyed every moment as well as every bite of what we ate there, we decided to check out the recently opened Paul at the MGM Mall in Muscat . So glad we did for it has become the benchmark for what good food, service and a sense of 'joie de vivre' is really all about. From seating customers to bringing out the delightful and complimentary bread baskets along with the little bowls of unsalted butter and olive paste to taking the order and detailing what each dish is, the staff really do know how to meet and sometimes even exceed customer expectations!

That lunch over, I decided to learn more about what really makes this very popular restaurant tick as well as watch and learn how bread, pastry and cuisine are created and managed here. Exactly two days later, thanks to the very responsive and helpful marketing and operations staff, I had the opportunity to spend two mornings here. 

Did I learn something in these two mornings? I'd say, I probably learnt  more than one could normally learn in a whole week! The experiences were so many and varied, that I will probably have to write at least 4 blog posts , which will be interspersed with some others as I go along. 

Bread is the warmest, kindest of all words. Write it always with a capital letter, like your own name."(Cafe Sign)

This one is on bread, so lets begin...

 At Paul the philosophy is very simple-excellent bread depends on excellent methods and time honored methods of production.At Paul, a key value is a 'Passion for bread'. As they tell it. "Water, flour or yeast, a little sea salt, a some savoir faire, a lot of patience- our principles are timeless.Our commitment is an every day commitment, offering you a wide range of fresh quality bread." 

So  to give you that superb bread that is uniquely Paul, Chef Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed and his assistant start work as early as 3 am . In a temperature controlled environment of abt 23 deg C, the first lot of dough is prepared early on and work begins for the day.

The baking is done in stages and there is a period of 'resting' each loaf before the next stage. I was given to understand that each loaf that comes out to the table has been in production for a period of 6-7 hours. Now if that is not asking for perfection, nothing else is!

Chef Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed and his asst.

His assistant prepares the dough

Lovely golden brown loaves 

The aroma in that bakery was just something else and that was when a thought popped into my head- what if someone tried to pop this in a bottle? In today's world, I'm fairly sure that this 'perfume would have customers lining up for it!

Oh, that aroma

See that colour? he asks me

Now see this next lot?

That bread goes with the salads and soups

Yes, Chef Ibrahim is happy...

It had been a very interesting session and I was totally charged, I could have gone on and on, which is exactly what I did- Heading to the Pastry section where Chef Mohammed Kessrwani gave me a very special demo of a Vanilla Millelefois, followed by the strawberry version.

But that is another whole story for yet another day...