Exceptional baguettes and more at Michette
Where to Michette, a tiny artisanal bakery in East Somerville that operates like a boulangerie in an old French village.
Why Because it’s hard to find a baguette this glorious and a Jambon Beurre Sandwich so perfect anywhere outside Paris. The bakery name is a play on the word “miche,” which is French for a big loaf of bread.
The Back Story French-born Thomas Ferté, 33, the owner and sole baker at Michette, opened the space in June. He was raised outside Paris, went to law school in New York, and then worked for a New York-based global firm practicing banking law. The hours were crazy, but not like they are now: Ferté starts baking at 3 a.m. “I have always been very passionate about food and bread,” he says. “In France or the US, you look at the list of ingredients and it can give you a headache.” He returned to his home country, went to the Auvergne, to a culinary school in that specialized in breads and patisserie, and did four apprenticeships in small and large boulangeries before starting his business. He insists that a fine bread can have only three ingredients — flour, water, and salt. His wheat comes from the family-owned, Aroostook County company Aurora Mills & Farm in Linneus, Maine. Their organic flour is delivered to Somerville in such large quantities that the only space for the extra sacks is in the front of the bakery, which just adds to its charm.
What to Eat Ferté has a magic touch. His baguettes, with their very crisp exterior and tender crumb, have remarkable flavor. When he cuts one lengthwise for the traditional French specialty Jambon Beurre Sandwich (it’s not just ham, there’s also cheese) with plenty of butter, he’s offering a flawless example of this popular café lunch. He’s also baking a large sourdough round. Rol de Guayaba looks like what we think of as Danish pastry, with a round of flaky dough, its hole filled with custard and nectarines. Cannelé de Bordeaux, a famous little confection made in tall, fluted molds, has a caramel exterior with a custard-y center. (As the story goes, cannelés were invented to use the egg yolks left when Bordeaux winemakers used the whites for clarifying wine.) Ferté's knockout chocolate chunk cookies (with Valrhona chocolate) are mixed with nutty buckwheat and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel de Guérande. He’s also making cookies with toasted oats and praline, a Basque cheesecake, and other delights.
What to Drink Mem teas and Counter Culture Coffee brews.
The Takeaway Michette is a little bit of France dropped into Somerville. The logo is two small, jolly characters in striped T-shirts marching along with a croissant lifted on their shoulders. The bakery is bare bones with a friendly staff and Ferté’s work is top quality. You can order online in advance; if you just appear at Michette, you run the risk of not finding what you want. When they sell out, a notice goes up on the door and you’re out of luck. Until Ferté can hire another baker, he says, which he’s expecting to do soon, “By myself, I cannot increase production or cut corners.” He defines artisanal.
164 Broadway, Somerville, https://eat.lunchbox.io/1991160603 Patisserie $3-$5; breads and savory items $4.15-$10.50.