Crumbs! Britain’s priciest loaf of bread will set you back almost £25 in London but it’s good enough for Kourtney Kardashian and other people with loads of dough
Britain’s most expensive loaf of bread is being baked in London and it costs £24 a pop.
The decorated sourdough loaf is garnished with handmade decorations and is thought to be this country’s priciest. Baked by French bakery Poilane, it is one third sourdough and uses special Guérande salt, harvested by hand from the marshes of Pays de la Loire for thousands of years.
Poilane is run by third generation baker Apollonia Poilane and has had its signature outlet in Paris since 1932. It also runs a shop in London’s Belgravia, where customers can order the 2kg sourdough, which costs exactly £24.40.
The loaf is already loved by the super rich – last year Kourtney Kardashian ordered one with the words ‘Forever isn’t long enough’ emblazoned on the front – presumably an ode to husband Travis Barker.
A description of the loaf on Poilane’s website reads: “The decorated sourdough loaf is Poilâne’s signature loaf garnished with an entirely hand-made dough decoration.
“Each loaf is baked in our wood-fired stone ovens.
“This bread can be enjoyed toasted or plain, spread with butter, honey, jam, chocolate…a perfect accompaniment for foie gras, smoked salmon, sauces, charcuterie, cheeses…
“No additives, no preservatives.”
It is made from wheat, sourdough, water and Guerande salt.
The wheat grain is pesticide-free and stone-ground by Poilane’s own millers.
“Stone milling preserves more of the elements naturally present in the wheat grain than any other means of grinding,” it adds.
“This is especially true of the wheat germ, whose oil is rich in nutrients. This means that our flour, and therefore our bread, retains more of its nutritional value.
“The slightly tart flavor of our signature sourdough loaf at Poilâne comes from the long, natural fermentation of our sourdough starter.
“Its natural acidity stimulates your taste buds and like salt or pepper, enhances the flavor of the other ingredients, making them even more enjoyable.”
The only loaf that comes close to Poilane’s offering in price is Tom Herbert’s Shepherd’s loaf.
Tom, of Hobbs House Bakery in Cirencester, set about making the perfect loaf for a BBC documentary in 2010.
His dough used Cotswolds spring water, organic spelt flour from Somerset, and Cornish sea salt, with the bread taking two days to make.
It cost £12, or £21 if put in a gift box.
But the chain said this week that it had stopped making the bread, saying the ingredients are now too expensive and demand had died out.
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