It's not easy to find good gluten-free bread. Sure, they're easy to find in supermarkets these days, but let's face it, the taste isn't exactly up to scratch. After several years of research, Nathaniel and Thomas, the founders of Chambelland, are now offering us breads that live up to our expectations, in a bakery/shop near Oberkampf.
To ensure quality bread and real traceability of raw products, the Chambelland team set about building their own... mill, located in the south of France, in Malijai. In this 300m² mill, they prepare their organic rice, buckwheat and chestnut flours, sourced from France and Italy. As Nathaniel assures us, there are no flour/beef mixes, just pure, flavorful flours just waiting to be kneaded!
Making bread with rice flour? Can't you? No, their breads made from rice and buckwheat flour, leavened with rice leaven, have been a success as far afield as the United States (yes, yes!). The recipe is also available with cereals, nuts... You can find them in "chambelline" versions, 200gr bars, and in rectangular loaves weighing over 2.3kg, sold for around 22€ (you can buy 1/4 for around 5€).
Of course, a gluten-free bread can't have a nice, airy, melt-in-your-mouth crumb, but you get close, and discover new textural games: the bread is compact, melt-in-your-mouth and not dry at all. The taste is pleasantly different from traditional bread. What's more, the bread keeps longer, between 4 and 5 days, and can even be frozen. So you can pick up a large loaf to slice and freeze for a week's supply.
Nathaniel is adamant that he doesn't want to attract the "gluten-free, lactose-free, ..." crowd, he just wants to show Parisians that you can enjoy good breads made with "something other than wheat". We embrace the vision, while enjoying a breakfast served at €8, consisting of bread with butter and jam, coffee/tea and fresh juice, which changes daily.
While Chambelland serves breakfasts and small pastries (approx. 3.5€), and prepares 60 sandwiches for lunchtime customers (count 10€ for a sandwich and lemonade), it has no intention of becoming the "meeting place of the gluten-free", and claims to be a bakery that sells good bread, bakery pastries and homemade flours!
In short, it's a tempting alternative to the wheat that's so ubiquitous in our diet. A wheat that has been modified over the years and now raises many questions and health concerns. So, would you like to discover bread in a different way?
Practical info:
Chambelland, gluten-free bakery
Location: 14 rue Ternaux, 75011 Paris
Opening hours: 9am-8pm, closed on Mondays
Prices: €1.2 for a 200gr loaf, approx. €22 for a 2.2kg loaf
Breakfast formula €8, lunch formula €10-12
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Location
Chambelland Bakery
14 Rue Ternaux
75011 Paris 11
Access
Metro Parmentier
Prices
la chambelline: €1.25
1/4 pain de 500gr: €5.5
petit-déjeuner: €8
formule déjeuner: €10
le pain de 2,3 kg: €22
More information
Opening hours: 9am-8pm, closed on Mondays
