For 5 days, cocoa addicts enjoyed one sweet treat after another at the Parc des Expos de la Porte de Versailles in Paris during the latest edition of the Salon du Chocolat. In addition to tastings and parades, the Salon du Chocolat was also an opportunity to award prizes. On October 30, the third edition of the Master national du meilleur pain au chocolat was held, organized by the Confédération nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie française.
For this new edition, some forty candidates were in the running, with one and the same objective: to win the 2024 prize for France's best pain au chocolat. To do so, they had to convince a jury made up of industry professionals and journalists. They judged not only the flakiness of the pain au chocolat, but also its taste, baking, shine, melt-in-the-mouth quality and visual appeal.
In addition, the 5 pains au chocolat presented by each candidate had to be"identical, pure butter and weigh between 55 and 65 grams (cooked weight)", as specified on the website of the Confédération nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie française. After deliberation, Fabrice Pottier, a baker based in Marcoussis, Essonne, came out on top, winning the coveted title.
AndÎle-de-France was very well represented this year, with Sophie Jullien of Victoire Boulangerie in Paris coming second in the national competition.
Last but not least, Ivan Stork of Aux Deux Epis bakery in Saint-Jean-les-Deux-Jumeaux, Seine-et-Marne, rounded off the top three, taking 3rd prize for France's best pain au chocolat.
Congratulations to the winner and to all the nominees!
Official website
boulangerie.org
