17/09/2025
Looking back at the summer, when I got to meet the one and only Nicolas Supiot, the baker who inspired me to make "living bread" - "le pain vivant". Or at least to get as close to it as possible!
Nicolas is one of the pioneers of a movement that has finally started to spread throughout France, Belgium and beyond. They call themselves "paysans boulangers", which means that they grow their own wheat and bake bread with it using traditional methods. But the wheat they cultivate is not just any wheat: through the Semences Paysannes network, they preserve old strains of wheat from the time of our grandparents and before. Before the agricultural giants took over and local strains of cereals were replaced by lab-grown ones for better yield and more gluten.
In the field, around 20 different strains co-exist, strengthening the group through their diversity. It's called "blés de population" - population wheat. They benefit from each other's strengths, thus avoiding the need for pesticides or the crutches that modern laboratory wheat requires.
Nicolas welcomed us like family, showed us around his "fournil", and of course we got to finally taste his amazing bread. La boucle était bouclée, I had gone full circle. From seeing his video 10 years ago, to being inspired to start my bakery (6 years ago now!) and finally being here with him... what a ride! 🔥
