Levain (sourdough in English) is the name of the 2-star Michelin and MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) Olivier Nasti. It’s located just around the corner where his restaurant “Chambard” is situated in the small village Kaysersberg in Alsace.
Levain – newly opened boulangerie by Olivier Nasti
The boulangerie opened one month ago, in mid-August, and as Parisbreakfast and I were in the area, in the village Niedermorschwihr we didn’t want to miss it. It is just about 10 minutes drive from Kaysersberg, so we decided to go there one early morning to explore this bakery.
After a scenic drive through hills covered with vines we arrived in Kaysersberg and the lovely smell from the bakery literally led us to it. The bakery is small but with an open space so you can see the bakers in action. See how the breads are put in the ovens and feel the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread. The walls are all in wood and makes a perfectly backdrop to the rustic bread that are placed in the wooden baskets.
Pastries by the pastry chef Jordan Gasco
In the display, you’ll find the classic croissants and pain au chocolate, but with a more sophisticated look. When you see all the layers you will understand. There are also cookies and roulé à la pistache for the ones who wish to have something sweet. Its the pastry chef Jordan Gasco who creates these beautiful and sweet treats.
Everything in the bakery is made on sourdough
The main highlight in this bakery is the bread. You will find different ones and they are all made on sourdough, just as its name “Levain” suggests. And its not only the bread that is made on sourdough, but also the pastries and viennoiseries. Olivier Nasti got his idea of opening the boulangerie after his encounter with the baker Luc Roux (Lulu) at his bakery “Miches de Lulu” in Digne les Bains Bas-Alpins.
Organic flour
The flour used in the breads is organic and they also use Khorasan wheat. Its a high fiber ancient wheat type with a nutty buttery taste. They have many different types of bread. Pain grillé, pain danois (Danish bread), pain de campagne, pain khorasan, pain aux céréales and pain de fruits to mention a few.
The traditional Kougelhopf
Just like in many other bakeries in this region of Alsace, at Levain you will also find the traditional “Kougelhopf” – in three different sizes, small, medium, and large. They are made by the head-baker of the boulangerie, Rémy, and as you can see in the image below they are topped with almond flakes and dusting sugar. In the bakery, you can also buy the kougelhopf mold if you fancy baking one yourself.
If you are in the area, do make sure to visit this boulangerie, you will not regret it. Make sure to come early in the morning to be sure to get what you want before they sell out. If you eat at the restaurant “Le Chambard” or stay at the hotel you can be sure of that you will get to try bread and pastries from this bakery.
The boulangerie is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 08.00-12.00 and 15.00-18.00.
Levain – boulangerie de Olivier NASTI
Rue de Tir – Kaysersberg (Alsace), France
Phone nr: +33 3 89 47 10 17
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