Baker Tharshan Selvarajah has made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to win the prestigious competition for best baguette in Paris. Since his victory, his bakery now produces 1,000 baguettes every day, supplying esteemed restaurants and clients — including the presidential palace. Each loaf involves a careful baking process, from selecting the finest flour to perfecting the kneading technique and the final bake. The result is a perfectly crunchy, traditional French baguette.
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00:00A traditional baguette is a French tradition.
00:04Normally, we prefer bread with this color.
00:08It's good.
00:09Because traditions are always well-cooked.
00:11It's good.
00:13It's well-cooked.
00:16It's always full of air.
00:18The bread is always very thin.
00:20Now I'm going to start working.
00:47It's for me.
00:50We're going to bake the baguettes soon.
00:53The first time we won a baguette, everyone was happy.
00:57Then we won the prizes.
00:59We delivered the restaurant plans, the lyceum, everything.
01:02We made 800,000 baguettes a day.
01:07The next day, in the morning, we open the shops.
01:11Oh, my God, there are a lot of people waiting for the baguettes.
01:14We don't make a lot of bread.
01:16In the afternoon, there are more baguettes.
01:19There are about 20 to 22 people working in both shops.
01:24Because we make everything at home.
01:29My favorite thing is kneading.
01:33Now we're going to bake the baguettes.
01:36We bake the baguettes before we check the temperature of the flour.
01:40Because sometimes the flour is hot up there.
01:43Here, it's not the same temperature.
01:45It's very important to look at the flour.
01:47Look at the temperature of the lab.
01:50Here, the temperature of the lab is about 19.7.
01:55But it's about 20.
01:57We look at all this and calculate it.
02:0028 liters of water.
02:02Today, we make 40 kilos of bread.
02:05It's about 200 traditional baguettes.
02:08Traditional baguettes and normal baguettes are not the same flour.
02:11These are normal baguettes.
02:13They don't have the same taste.
02:15Here, with a lot of dough, with normal baguettes.
02:18We make the tradition with 65.
02:21I've been working with Moulin Bourgeois for a long time.
02:24I know this flour really well.
02:26Because in the last three or five years,
02:29I've won all the first baguettes in Paris.
02:33This is the first tournée.
02:38Just flour with water.
02:40Mix well.
02:42We use the dough with the pestle.
02:45The dough is well rested in the first tournée.
02:48Maximum 14-15 hours.
02:50Minimum 3 hours.
02:52This is very important for a good tradition,
02:55for the taste, for the quality.
02:57Usually, the bread is good,
02:59but you can't get the real taste of the tradition.
03:02The 12th tournée with the Louvier salt.
03:04We never put the team's Louvain here.
03:07We don't make the bread.
03:09Always with the taste of the Louvain.
03:12One side with the salt, the other side with the Louvier.
03:15That way, it mixes well.
03:17It's the first tournée, 8 minutes.
03:19The second tournée, 12 minutes.
03:22Because the second tournée is not too long.
03:25It's not good for the dough.
03:27It breaks.
03:28More than 15 years, more than 17 years, the same job.
03:31Sometimes, I don't put the team's Louvain,
03:33because I just make the noise.
03:35I know right away if it's enough or not.
03:38At the end, we look at the temperature of the dough.
03:41Good tradition, 24 degrees is the right temperature.
03:45We make 40 kilos for tomorrow.
03:47That way, the dough sleeps well all night.
03:50We sleep well too.
03:52The dough sleeps well in the pan.
04:01We always look at the room temperature.
04:035, 7 degrees.
04:05That way, we leave the dough here with the room temperature.
04:07We let it rise slowly.
04:09If we leave it outside, it will rise too fast.
04:12It's not good.
04:16We take it out of the pan.
04:18This is 9 or 10 hours of resting time for the dough.
04:22When the dough is ready,
04:24the air bubbles come like this.
04:28In addition, the color of the dough also changes.
04:30Look, this is yellow.
04:33Always taste the dough a little.
04:35Check how the dough is.
04:37Is it salty enough?
04:39This is called a divider.
04:41Not too much flour.
04:43The dough is too dry.
04:457 kilos of dough, 20 pieces.
04:47That's 350 grams of dough.
04:52This is the swing.
04:54To divide the dough, we put it here.
04:56That way, the traditional dough rests well.
04:59Normally, it's a little bit for the hand.
05:01Sometimes we make large quantities with the machine.
05:05The dough is too dry.
05:07When we make it with our hands,
05:09look, it's not too dry.
05:11It's always good.
05:13You don't have to wait a long time to push it.
05:16Always put a little flour.
05:18Just for decoration.
05:20Different colors.
05:22That way, it's a very beautiful tradition.
05:24I came in 2006.
05:26I already worked in an Italian restaurant.
05:28One day, our restaurant was closed.
05:30I went to see the owner of the bakery one day.
05:34He always came to eat at our restaurant.
05:37He told me, if you are interested, come and see me.
05:41In addition, it is to make the dough,
05:43all that is artisanal.
05:45It's to change the job.
05:47I'm a little more interested.
05:52Here, about 60 minutes.
05:55Always wait for 20 minutes, 25 minutes,
05:59to push the dough a little bit.
06:01When we put it directly in the oven,
06:03the bread is not pushed enough.
06:05It's not good.
06:07Yes, the bread comes out right away.
06:09It's good.
06:11Half an hour later, it's hard.
06:13When we put it in the oven,
06:15a little cold, it's good.
06:17At first, it's really hard,
06:19because we don't speak French.
06:22I don't understand how to make it.
06:25Normally, tradition,
06:274-5 layers for tradition.
06:29It's well inflated, it's pretty.
06:31The baking time is 20 minutes.
06:33Normally, it's 1260 degrees.
06:35It's great.
06:39This is Thierry Ronin.
06:41He's my boss.
06:43He makes the bread.
06:45All the techniques,
06:47all the little tricks,
06:49Mr. Ronin explains everything.
06:51The student has exceeded the master,
06:53but I'm fine with it.
06:55I'm very happy for him.
06:57We always work,
06:59we never rest.
07:01This is the real bread of the competition.
07:05I like to work,
07:07I always smile.
07:11This is beautiful.
07:13This is beautiful.
07:15It's hot.
07:17Yes, it's hot.
07:19Sometimes, people think
07:21the bread is well cooked,
07:23it's not possible, it's hard to eat.
07:25Our bread has no problem.
07:27Look.
07:29It's easy to eat.
07:35It's very good.
07:37It's well cooked.
07:39At the end,
07:41we always want to eat
07:43at least 10 times
07:45the whole bread.
07:47With the charcuterie,
07:49the cheese, it's very good.
07:51Since 2016,
07:53we have won all the competitions.
07:55I thought
07:57we had to participate in a competition
07:59and win.
08:01It's good for our image,
08:03for our shop.
08:05In 2018,
08:07we won the 3rd prize.
08:09I thought
08:11the next time we participate,
08:13we will win the 12th or the 1st prize.
08:15It's not necessary to win the 4th or 5th prize.
08:17The recipe is the same.
08:19It's all about technique.
08:21The dough is well rested.
08:23It's well floured.
08:25It's beautiful.
08:27France has given me
08:29a good life.
08:31Everything is made here.
08:35The president listened to my bread.
08:37It's really great.
08:397 days of delivery.
08:41It's not just for the bread.
08:43It's also for nuts,
08:45special bread, gluten bread,
08:47small cereal balls.
08:49Let's go inside.
08:51First, I tested it.
08:53I liked the bread.
08:55Now, I continue to work with the cheese.
09:01Let's go.
09:03After winning,
09:05everyone knows me.
09:07There are a lot of invitations,
09:09a lot of interviews.
09:11Today,
09:13I am a big celebrity
09:15for France.
09:17Toreka showed me
09:19the kitchen.
09:21Now,
09:23let's go inside
09:25and taste it.
09:27Before winning the competition,
09:29I thought,
09:31why not open a brand
09:33and bring our bread.
09:35French bread,
09:37the same taste,
09:39a good bread.
09:41Everyone tasted it.
09:43It's a tradition of France.
09:45It's a tradition of France.
09:47It's a job.
09:49Everyone says,
09:51it's tiring,
09:53but it's a good job.
09:55Even at 4 or 5 a.m.,
09:57everyone drinks coffee,
09:59listens to music,
10:01talks, laughs.
10:031,305 bakeries
10:05participated in the competition.
10:07Always the same recipes,
10:09with water, yeast, salt.
10:11We are always happy.
10:13We are always smiling.
10:15That's our secret.
10:17What is the technique?
10:19Can you describe it?
10:21Don't tell us.
10:23It's in the hands.