Bressane tart | ADT Ain

More than a pie, a childhood memory

As its name suggests, tarte bressane can only be found in Bresse. Formerly shared on Sundays, after mass or at the end of a meal with coffee, tarte bressane can be found in good bakeries. A purely local product, this pastry is rich… very rich indeed, but for the keen cook, it’s easy enough to prepare with a little patience.

The famous Lyonnais cook, Mère Brazier, who served the world’s greats between the wars, reserved a special place for it in her memoirs, in memory of her childhood spent working on the farm in exchange for room and board.

Culinary traditions of the Ain

Imagine a brioche dough as soft as a cloud, covered with a caramelized crust made from cream and sugar…

A shared tradition

Tarte bressane is a brioche base filled with local sweet cream. The cream may come from Étrez or Foissiat, but it has to be from Bresse… And it has to be thick, with butter applied before the traditional baking process.

Each artisan has his own recipe, his own little tricks, but the fundamentals remain the same for all: some whip up the cream a little like chantilly, others add nuggets of Lyon pralines, at the risk of upsetting tradition and angering purists.

Most bakers in the region bake their Bresse tarts in an electric oven. Pure wood-fired baking is now only used occasionally. Only local associations are allowed to bake in village ovens, which come to life for a weekend for a good cause.

GOOD TO KNOW

THE recipe for tarte bressane

Ingredients

For the brioche dough: 125 g flour – 2.5 g salt – 10 g sugar – 2.5 g yeast – 1 egg – 50 g Bresse PDO butter
For the filling: 180 g sugar – 120 g Bresse PDO cream

Preparation

Knead all brioche dough ingredients except butter for 15 to 18 minutes, then add cold butter. When the butter is well incorporated, check the temperature of the dough (24°C) before placing it in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, roll out the dough into a pie. Leave to rise for 2 hours before spreading the filling (mixed sugar and cream).
Preheat the oven to 160°C, then bake the tart for 20-22 minutes.

Tip: let cool before serving!