20221100 Bakehouse, Hong Kong
I own all five books written by Chef Grégoire Michaud, the owner and founder of Bakehouse in Hong Kong, but I didn't have his autograph. So when travel restrictions in Hong Kong are relaxed, I return to Hong Kong around Thanksgiving to visit family and ask Chef Michaud to sign my book.
I made several types of bread from his books, and they all turned out great. I am so excited to finally meet him (and his wife, Vianna)! We have a pleasant conversation about his family, his bakeries, how he connects his business to the local communities to sustain them, and his plans to expand it to Mainland. His dedication to maintaining high-quality baked goods and his enthusiasm for developing new products is admirable. He is such a nice guy that he invites us to the central bakehouse, his "playground" in Chai Wan, where his team prepares the dough and his pet starter, Roger, is kept. It is an eye-opening experience to see the entire production workflow - how the dough is prepared, fermented, baked, and dispatched. How I wish I could have some of the high-tech toys there! Did you know that some of the mega walk-in freezers there can freeze a human being to the core in under 30 minutes？ "Horrifying" deep freezers like these enable his team to flash-freeze shaped and proved croissant dough and deliver it to his bakeries, where bakers thaw and bake it fresh multiple times during business hours. As a result, customers can enjoy fresh croissants throughout the day.
In addition to Chef Michaud's central bakehouse, we visit his bakeries at various locations and have a romantic lunch "date" at the Wanchai location. Our visit to Chef Michaud's bakeries in Hong Kong is inspiring and much more enjoyable than the upsetting experience at a local Bay Area bakery I told you about last year. The fond memories of meeting Chef Michaud, one of my favorite bakers, will last a lifetime!
I look forward to having another date at Chef Michaud's bakery next time in Hong Kong!
The first course of a meal - desserts!!!
THAI TEA CRÈME BRÛLÉETapioca Bubbles
FROZEN EGG TART CUSTARD SUNDAEMara Strawberries, Caramelised Pecans
Bakehouse's best-selling items - SOURDOUGH EGG TART and CROISSANT
GRILLED PORTOBELLO SOURDOUGH TARTINEPorcini Cream, Poached Egg
It's that time of the year again - panettone time!
Stunning night view of Victoria Harbour
Best time to visit Hong Kong: around Thanksgiving
My must-visit authentic Hong Kong eateries:
Sheng Kee Porridge & Noodles - famous for its wonton noodles
on the Kowloon side
G/F, 11 Parkes Street, Jordan
MTR Jordan Station, C2 exit, ~ 2-minute walk
Tel: 23513018
Master Low-key Food Shop - famous for its bubble egg waffles
on the Hong Kong side
Shop B3, G/F, 76A Shau Kei Wan Main Street East, Shau Kei Wan
MTR Shau Kei Wan Station, B1 exit, ~ 2-minute walk
Tel: 69868500
When I'm not in Hong Kong and craving authentic Hong Kong desserts and cafe-style fare, I usually follow Jerry and Maggie's recipes to make my own.
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The following channels have done a much better job introducing Chef Michaud than I do:
Bakehouse Wanchai, where we have our lunch date, and the central bakehouse, where we meet Roger, the starter
Bakehouse Soho
Bakehouse Causeway Bay, where we try the November special - Tiramisu danish
Bakehouse Tsim Sha Tsui
Bakehouse Stanley
Bakehouse outreach 1 - making bread in an old-fashioned Hong Kong bakery
Bakehouse outreach 2 - making moon cake
Comments
Fabulous experience. Thanks for sharing your passion and adventure.
Gavin.
to share it with you guys!
Yippee
This is a super experience to have Yippee, thanks for sharing it with us. Is he French? Can he speak Cantonese? I hope to have a chance to visit Hong Kong someday in my lifetime.
Thanks for sharing these HK pictures and videos. I would love going again and waiting in these lines!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family Yippee! Wonderful to meet such an amazing chef. Of the cookbooks that you have of his, which would you recommend most to someone who isn’t familiar with his baking?
Benny
Your enthusiasm comes through so vividly in your post. What a wonderful experience! (The cover photo on his Layers book makes me want to learn how to do that!) –AG
Never Skip Desert! Now those are words to live by! Thanks for sharing
Don
@Ming (and Jo_en) - He's Swiss. He has lived in Hong Kong for over two decades and speaks fluent Cantonese with a lovely accent. I've updated my post to include some of my favorite restaurants. I hope you will try them if you're ever in Hong Kong.
@Benny - I'd recommend starting with his first book "Artisan Bread", which has an extensive collection of recipes for natural starter bread, "special bread" with quite a few of the ancient grains I've seen here, savory bread, sweet bread, croissants, and danishes.
@AG - A viennoiserie dough is cut into a shape that fits a cubical mold. Once proved in the mold, it's baked on a baking tray and baked without the mold for the last few minutes. Then apricot confit and vanilla cream are piped into the base. Finally, it is dusted with icing sugar and decorated with fruit jelly and gold.
@Don - Desserts
are the most important part of a meal!
Yippee
Do you know where his books might be available that would ship to the US? The recipes you have posted of his really look fantastic and I am wanting to learn more about what he does. I baked the fougasse as a simple boule (switching it up to use a stiff pre ferment) and was blown away by the flavor. I am going to try it again with Central millings Old World Bread flour and 74% hydration this time :) Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Arturo
Hi,
I bought his books about ten years ago. I believe they are out of print. However, Chef Michaud might be working on a new book. Follow him on Instagram to get the latest updates.
Yippee
P.S. What a great idea to bake the fougasse as a boule! I might try that too!
Just started following him, great suggestion
Arturo