Auroville,
located 10 kms from Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu, is an international-universal
city where residents from nearly fifty countries live and work to realise the
vision of human unity as envisaged by philosopher-yogi Sri Aurobindo and his
spiritual collaborator, Mira Alfassa, known as The Mother.
An indigo-blue wall-painted sign
in four languages indicates that we are at the Auroville Bakery. Originally
located in Kottakarai, it moved to
its current location in the Douceur Settlement in 1991. Since then the capacity
has been increased from baking 200 bread loaves a day to 600. The bakery is an
extension of the ethos of the community and functions primarily for residents, so
it does
not pander to the service standards that a casual visitor may expect. Nor does
it vie to fulfil one’s fantasies of melt-in-the-mouth confections from bakeries
with tenuous links to France.
However,
here’s what the Auroville Bakery has going for it -
wholesome, filling and - if I may use the word in a complimentary way -
‘rustic’ range of breads, savoury items and cakes. Catering to a large
international population, the bakery has been, for years, making the kind of breads
that have since come to be known as ‘artisanal’. The items are vegetarian with
the exception of egg, but in 2011, the bakery also began making vegan cakes.
A sweeping design element of red
brick forms the backdrop for a cane shelf, wooden racks and glass-fronted
displays that hold the items for sale. There is no price list and few items are
labelled. Besides, there is no place to eat here near the display, with easy
access to second helpings.
I carry an assortment
of baked items in their paper wrapper to the modest cafe in the backyard where
the resident cat sidles up, hoping to get fed. A larger cafe is scheduled to open soon with a menu that will include
breakfast, lunch, dinner.
THE FOOD
The breads come in varieties like
multigrain, ragi, corn, raisin and sourdough. They even have pumpernickel and
baguettes. One of the customers tells me that she usually picks up a loaf
of bread and freezes it. When required, she simply pops a slice directly from
the freezer into the toaster.
I give the breads a miss, and
being too early for the first batch of cake, dive straight into a self-assembled
platter of croissants. All the
varieties are, without exception fluffy and yield easily to the touch. They are
kneaded in an air-conditioned room where blocks of butter
are compressed to sheets to be better incorporated into the dough. The Cheese
Croissant has amazing depth of flavour from the grated cheese encrusted on the
outer folds. The filling seems too little for me, but then again, one can never
have enough of cheese in one’s croissant. I bring back a Chocolate Croissant
and reheat it to find that the hard bits of chocolate have melted to a lovely
gooey consistency spilling out of the encasing pastry. The apple croissant has
too little apple.
The only way to taste the Spinach
Pie is when it’s warm. Sadly, the bakery does not reheat items. The filling is
moist without being eggy and the base is just firm. Since there is no cutlery
and I have to eat the pie off the wrapper, it’s a messy experience.
The disk-like RiniAmericans are more
biscuit than sweet pie. The blend of flavours - the sourness of the lemon curd icing
with the cinnamon - is a revelation. I especially liked the flavour best on the
thin outer edges that are slightly more browned than the middle.
The muffin is a hefty chunk and I
tear off bits and eat it all day, making it an endless treat. The crust tastes
nutty and the centre is dense and soft, with streaks of chocolate. After
tasting this wholesome version, I’m never going back to demure muffins in
frilled paper.
The vegan brownie is less moist
than a regular one, but it is crumbly and less sweet, making chocolate the dominant
flavour.
The bakery also
retails peanut butter, cashew butter and jams in flavours like pineapple, grape
and apple, but these are sourced.
WHAT TO DRINK: The cafe serves coffee
and tea dispensed from containers. We try a hibiscus flower beverage, also
called Power Syrup locally, which I find refreshing in the humidity.
INSIDER TIP:
Items fly off the shelves even as
they are being stacked, so turn up for savoury bakes at 8 a.m., breads at 10.30
a.m. and cakes at noon. The optimum time is between 11 a.m. and noon. Also, the
items can be very filling and it makes sense to take away some for later.
BESTSELLERS
Undoubtedly, the
croissants.
DETAILS
Auroville Bakery, Douceur,
Auroville – 606101. Ph : 0413 2622159
Timings - 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Mon – Sat.
Pies and Croissants from Rs. 30,
Riniamericans – Rs. 25, Muffins – Rs. 20, Hibiscus Juice – Rs. 25.
Ratings:
QUALITY 8/10
CHOICE (How many varieties are
there on the menu?) 7/10*
ATMOSPHERE 6/10
VALUE 8/10
*depends
on time of day
(An edited version of this article was published in the December 2014 Issue of Good Food Magazine India)
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