It is not surprising when Le Pain owner-baker Im Tae-eon says his favorite bread at his bakery is his baguette.

Utterly crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, Le Pain’s baguette is something to pause over.

There is that crackle and snap of thin crust, akin to a potato chip in texture, that gives way to a nutty, slightly grainy, airy crumb.

“Spread some unsalted butter on and sprinkle a little salt over it,” Im, 39, divulged his own penchant for cutting a freshly-baked baguette and savoring that winning combination of “warm bread” and “soft butter.”

For Im, crafting a great baguette is a challenge he looks forward to.

“We are looking for evenly dispersed air pockets, no long striations of dough and a very thin crust,” he explained how this ensures a moist and chewy center and a crisp outside.

Water, salt and French T55 flour are the only ingredients used to craft Le Pain’s baguettes and pain de campagne, that and natural starters, of which Im has several different kinds, including one made with apples.

“I like natural starters made with apples for its clean flavor,” he said.

That natural starter is often used to make Le Pain’s pain de campagne, which is meatier than the slim baguette and boasts a wonderfully elastic yet moist crumb and an eggshell-thin crackly crust.

Then there is the potato bun, with its soft as air center and starchy, sweet flavor profile. 

These are breads that hinge on their utter no-frills straightforward goodness, on the rib-sticking heartiness and tastiness that can be created by a few ingredients and lovingly nurtured natural leavening.

This is the aesthetic that makes Le Pain a welcome addition to its new, second perch in the massive Seoul-based Lotte World Mall, a move that changes it from its hitherto beloved status as a neighborhood bakery near Seokchon Lake to a growing multi-outlet business.

“I wanted to spread our name,” Im said of the decision to open a second shop this year and of a forthcoming third outlet slated to open in Myeong-dong next week.

Im’s journey to owner-baker began when he, an office worker with childhood dreams of chefdom, embarked upon a new career in the realm of cuisine.

It was when he was working in desserts at an Italian restaurant that he then realized his passion for bread and pastries.

After learning bread and pastries at a professional school in France, Im returned to crafting desserts at an Italian restaurant before opening Le Pain near Songpa-gu’s Seokchon Lake in 2011.

This year, his second shop opened in Seoul’s newly-minted Lotte World Mall.

Sporting floor length windows and a wide variety of breads, Le Pain’s new location has already attracted a steady flow of customers.

Among crowd favorites is Le Pain’s yogurt bread, a granola-like, slightly sweet, dense bun packed with cranberries and toasted walnuts.

“We marinate our dried fruit in orange, red wine and cinnamon,” Im revealed.

As Im discusses his breads, breads he would like to make in the future, breads that he and his team are constantly ensuring come out just right, it is easy to understand how Le Pain made the leap from brand new, fledgling bakery to beloved Seokchon Lake fixture to growing multi-outlet business in less than three years.
 

Le Pain Lotte World Mall Store

1F, Lotte World Mall 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
(02) 3213-4180
Open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
Bread costs around 2,000 won to 4,000 won

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)