The baking world is a big, bountiful place, and there’s a lot of ground to cover. And French breads and pastries, of course, take up a lot of that space. I met Bryan Ford, the author of New World Sourdough, back in 2019. At the time, I didn’t realize (and likely neither did he!) that he’d be one of the bright spots of a global pandemic, teaching people the art of sourdough baking during worldwide lockdowns and confinements. Now Bryan is the host of his own television show, The Artisan’s Kitchen on Discovery+, and is working on a new book on Latin baking. Bryan raised some interesting points in an interview about how (and why) the world is captivated by European baking and croissants, and shared some observations about his Honduran heritage, that is worth reading. Since he was in town, I invited him into my Paris kitchen to talk about some breads that I gathered from my favorite local bakeries for a tasting during our podcast. Give it a listen! French breads from top: Grainy baguette from The French B******s, sourdough loaf from Ten Belles, gluten-free Five Grain bread from Chambelland, an all-butter (mostly-eaten) croissant from Boulangerie Utopie. Not shown: A sesame-curry baguette, which Bryan is holding, also from Boulangerie Utopie. Get full access to David Lebovitz Newsletter at davidlebovitz.substack.com/subscribe