Best of Tucson 1996: Best Bakery For Bread

Best Bakery For Bread

La Baguette Parisienne
7851 E. Broadway

La Baguette Bakery
1797 E. Prince Road
6470 N. Oracle Road

READERS' PICK--TIE: "Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse--and Thou." --Omar Khayyam, famous smooth talker

Eons ago some bright soul got tired of hunting and gathering and invented bread--that was the beginning of civilization. Some time later the French raised the baking of dough to an art: Crusty French bread, light and flaky croissants, tarts and pies all find their ultimate expression in the French bakery.

Weekly readers declared La Baguette as Tucson's best source for bread. But which La Baguette did they mean? The two stores of La Baguette Bakery, or La Baguette Parisienne on 7851 E. Broadway? Rather than call each and every one of you, we declared a tie. The perfect baguette is crusty but not crunchy on the outside, and soft, but not airy, on the inside. Both La Baguettes make excellent French breads. That of La Baguette Bakery comes in many shapes and sizes: The short, fat version suitable for sandwiches or picnics; and the substantial, two-foot dinner loaf are stand-outs.

La Baguette Parisienne has served the east side from its strip mall location for more than 12 years. In addition to baguettes, La Parisienne bakes a delicious white loaf with a texture best described as al dente. With just a hint of yeast flavor, this is the perfect bread for goat cheese spreads and other strongly flavored cheeses.

The Parisienne also makes terrific pastries, with buttery pastry dough that perfectly complements fresh fruit fillings.

For those with more decadent tastes, the chocolate-drizzled horn, coated in sugar, has bits of almond and is flakier than homemade could ever hope to be. A couple of tips: Go early if you expect to get a chocolate-filled croissant, and get two loaves of bread, one for you and one for your thou. You'll have to find your own thou, though.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: A New York-born friend of ours who recently relocated from Tucson to San Diego makes this plaintive plea every time we head to the Left Coast: "Bring a corn rye from Grossman's!" True enough, Grossman's Bake Shop, 3140 E. Fort Lowell Road, makes a corn rye that'd make your great aunt from Iowa say "Oy!" with a New York accent. While possibly a shade less inspired, the other freshly baked breads of Old World charm and the sinfully sweet desserts, which can put you into sugar shock at just a glance, make breaking bread among friends a communal experience not to be missed--even if you have to cross state lines to do it. See the Extended Pick on page 34 for more information.

STAFF PICK: Baked fresh daily for numerous stores and restaurants all over Tucson and greater Southern Arizona, Small Planet Bakery rises with distinction in our fiber-rich galaxy. This bakery's selection spans the bread spectrum, from essentials like white, wheat, sourdough and cinnamon raisin to the exotic (black Russian, curry, veggie and orange-date). Devoid of preservatives, Small Planet breads always taste fresh from the oven...if you eat them within the week-long lifespan nature intended. Stop by the aged warehouse space where Small Planet operates, 411 N. Seventh Ave., or pick up a loaf at your neighborhood grocery store.