Our Story

Pain D’Avignon was founded in 1992, in Cape Cod Massachusetts just as a broader awareness and appreciation for quality artisan bread was blossoming on the East Coast.

Our goal was to recreate the Old World Traditions, using baking techniques and recipes  barely changed in centuries. The founding principle: fine breads deserve to be the center of the dining experience, not a mere afterthought.

At our bakery, the timeless art of bread making is both revered and respected. Every day, flour, salt and water are combined, like the bakers themselves, with a distinct European flavor and every day, with mutual effort, fresh bread is baked and delivered to customers with highest standards of service and integrity.

Pain D’Avignon does not rely on preservatives or artificial ingredients, but on high quality. We believe that bread is best enjoyed in its most simple and authentic form.

Bread and it’s important role in daily life goes back as far as 20,000 years. It was and still is a central element in religious ceremonies, festive occasions, in customs pertinent to hospitality and conviviality: bread as a symbol of the body of Christ, bread eaten by bride and groom as symbol of love, bread shared with one’s host as a pledge of friendship and loyalty…

Bread is something we all take for granted but, at the same time, we should not forget the importance of it. It is the one ingredient to our meal that is always present.  It is usually the first thing we taste in our homes or in a restaurant and it should be a flavor we enjoy and will not forget. Having this in mind we, at Pain D’Avignon, try our best every day to make a product you will love and appreciate and, at the same time, benefit from it’s nutritional values.

One of the most important elements of our baking process is the time which we take to complete it. Depending on the dough, some breads take up to 36 hours to produce.

Fermenting, retarding and balancing time, hydration and temperature before each loaf reaches our stone hearth ovens, is not only a trade, but art of creating flavors, textures and finest quality breads.

To quote Louis Bromfield: “Bread is the king of the table and everything else is merely the court that surrounds the king.”

This typifies the bakers dedication to Old World Values – dedication that has been recognized, amongst others, by The Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Magazine, Wine Spectator, Cape Cod Life, Saveur Magazine, Edible Cape Cod and Cape Cod Times and rewarded with loyalty from the finest restaurants, hotels, markets and private homes in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.