Le Fournil d'Andrea, a traditional micro-bakery

And the family baking history goes way back to the 90s. In fact Andréas' father set up his own business in 91, after working for many years in the village's only bakery, which had just closed. And the customers followed him in his new professional adventure.

So Andrea has always lived with sourdough, chosing the right cereals, understanding the texture of the flours...

Having a tasty chat

Le Fournil d'Andrea is an adventure, handed down from father to son, around a fundamental product in everyone's diet: bread.

Traditional bread, that is, a staple in the meals of almost every culture in the world. Carefully selected cereals, wood-fired ovens, natural leavening, fermentation... All an art for a gourmet, unique end product: bread.

You trained as a baker in Alès, at what is now the Purple school...

Yes, in fact, I did a year's training to get my baker's CAP as part of a career change, where I learnt all the techniques for making good bread. This, added to everything I'd learnt from my father and my 3 internships with professionals, particularly in Bagnols-sur-Cèze with a passionate professional, led me to set up my own bakery, respecting the products as much as possible, and always working with the best suppliers.

You started up in 2019, right?

Early 2019 to be exact. Although during my training I had met a partner to set up my bakery, I had to continue on my own because the collaboration didn't work out at the end...

My father took over, delighted to be sharing the pleasures of the trade once again! My mother joined the team shortly afterwards. In a way, bread is our heritage.

What is the DNA of good bread?

Good bread requires precise know-how and attention to detail to delight the taste buds of gourmets and meet the quality standards I set myself.

I make my own sourdough, as any traditional bakery should. It matures, develops, grows and acquires its own character. Each sourdough has its own particularity, its own signature.

There's also the judicious choice of flours (I work with Moulin Pichard in particular), made from ancient cereals that are little or not processed at all, such as Oberkülmer spelt (in collaboration with Les jardins de Sainte-Hildegarde), which retain all their properties.

As for the water, it is dynamised and charcoal-filtered.

The bread-making process starts at around 6pm and lasts until 11.30pm, when the baking begins. In all, it takes around 13 to 14 hours, from preparing the leaven to baking. Good bread is a lesson in patience.

Today, I offer 500g loaves and 3kg balls, which I sell on the premises, or deliver, between Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers, Uzès and Pont-des-Charrettes. I also make croutons, a special order from the Dandys dodus delicatessen in Uzès.

I also sell brioche (it took me about a week to create the perfect one), based on the Provençal recipe of the moist and raised 'Pompe à huile' (oil pump), without any butter or milk but with a delicate touch of olive oil. Finding the right measurements takes time and precision. I make it once a month. If you wish to taste my breads & brioches, you better order them!

Many thanks to Andréas for his warm welcome and his contribution to the Local products & recipes of the blog.

Headband photos©Sylvie Duplan.

The right address: Le Fournil d'Andrea, 12 chemin de Gravillo, 30330 La Bastide-d'Engras. Contact: Tel: 06 16 66 80 04, lefournildandrea@gmail.com and on Facebook Le Fournil d'Andrea. Bread to order, delivered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 12pm and from 3pm to 6pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. You can find Andrea's bread at Marcel et Fils in Uzès, and her croutons at the Dandys dodus delicatessen on de la Pélisserie.