Last year, The best bakery in France attracted an average of 2.2 million viewers each early evening. For this show launched in 2013, it is quite simply the best historical season in terms of audience. If the adage is to not change a recipe that works, some new ingredients have been added to the program of the ninth season which begins this Monday at 6:40 pm on M6.
A Tour de France … which passes through Italy and Belgium
Norbert Tarayre and Bruno Cormerais traveled 15,000 km during the fifteen weeks devoted to filming. The emblematic duo of hosts and jurors of the show thus “visited” thirteen regions of France, but not only… “We know that the heritage of bakery in France is unlimited, yet we needed to open borders and to be interested in expatriates in Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium. It’s very unusual and interesting to find these bakers who defend our heritage elsewhere, ”explains Matthieu Bayle, Endemol’s program director who produces the show. “We have seen that French bakery adapts to the requirements and dietary needs of each country,” says Norbert Tarayre. In Spain, it is the industrialist which dominates. The baker we met there brought his artisanal values to Barcelona with French baguettes which work very well. “
A spotlight on apprentices
This season 9 will highlight the apprentices. “We dedicated a whole week to them. This is an opportunity to look at the bakers of tomorrow, with extremely advanced talents, ”says the producer. Each of the episodes of this special week will have two apprentices compete in the bakeries that train them and, on Friday, a pair will be selected for the national final. Bruno Cormerais took this novelty to heart: “Apprentices are the basis of our profession. We have been given things, which I try to convey. These are the fundamentals for the sustainability of the profession. “” With the show, we are giving people back the desire to return to these professions by showing them that apprenticeship is not what it was twenty years ago. It is even more noble today to be a baker because it requires a lot of intellect. The methodology is reflected, it can be worked on and, believe me, the young people are of an excellent level ”, supports Norbert Tarayre.
A salvo of recipes from Norbert Tarayre
The audience of The best bakery in France is already familiar with “Bruno’s tutorials”. This season, Norbert’s recipes will also have to be reckoned with, as part of the “perfect match” challenge. The idea is to “show how to combine dishes with baked goods”, explains the chef. He contextualizes: “I wanted to do it. I told Matthieu Bayle that it would be nice if they saw me cooking a little. It does me good to put my hand in the bowl. We are sworn, we have legitimacy, but it’s important to show that we still have it under our feet. Norbet Tarayre’s recipes will focus on traditional dishes, depending on the regions visited. On the menu, among others, eggs meurette, escalope à la normande, Provençal stew or pike quenelles …
A wider variety of breads, up to gluten-free
To these new features imagined and validated by production, we must add those over which Endemol and M6 had no control. “With the events that we have experienced lately [comprendre : la crise sanitaire], we have sharper bakers, who have worked even more on certain products such as pastries. It’s in tune with the times, ”notes Norbert Tarayre. “The bakers also started to cook. There are very interesting snacking ranges, ”emphasizes Bruno Cormerais. “We have discovered bakers who know how to make the bread even better,” resumes his sidekick, referring to certain creations combining “the advance of technology in baking and more ancestral know-how in order to have a better result. possible. “Bruno Cormerais was particularly marked by a pumpernickel, also called” German bread “:” It is baked in a jar and, through technicality and fermentation, the baker has succeeded in bringing slightly sweet aromas. “” An apprentice made us a bread with rice flour and black sesame. It was fatal, really very very good, ”recalls Norbert Tarayre. The duo also found themselves faced with gluten-free breads. “I was very apprehensive about this phenomenon of consumption – even if it has existed for a long time, says the ex-candidate of Top chef. Lots of young bakers offered us gluten-free or vegan breads – and not in big cities: we’ve seen that in small villages. We did not expect that. “