by Maria Bellotto @thecashmerediaries

Gou Gous: What is the fastest way to reach the home of baguettes, pain au chocolat and croissants? The plane? The TGV? Mais non! The Milanese boulangeries! Real places of worship where the Gou Gous do not disdain to even queue on Sunday mornings, bundled up in their coats, in the pouring rain or fanning themselves in the sun, to obtain their only object of desire.

Masterpieces of white art, eulogies to butter, monuments to baking, little examples of perfect gold sections. We are talking about francophone bakeries (and more) you can find in Milan!

A classic one, we know. But could we not mention, Égalité the famous bakery in Porta Venezia? Let yourself be seduced by the sweet call of the madeleines or the charm of the double quignon of the baguette molinarde (for connoisseurs!).

Here, between a baguette tradition, a quiche and a canelé, it is possible to take a real trip to France, escorted by none other than Delacroix’s Liberty, Napoleon (what charm!) or Marie Antoinette… let’s enjoy a pain au chocolat (the only pain you deserve in life!) and the news that they have opened a second store in Brera.

Égalité – Via Melzo 22, Milano; Piazza San Simpliciano 7, Milano

At Le Polveri, a delightful micro-bakery, bread is a serious matter. Serious, Gou Gous. So serious that it inspired an entire manifesto. After trying their loaves of bread with flours from ancient grains, flatbreads, croissants or cinnamon rolls… it will be hard not to return. Especially if you try the chocolate and peanut butter braid, perfect for sweetening even the most nihilistic Gou Gous (no worries, it’s a phase).

Listen to us, take a morning to visit, sit down at a small table, soak in the minimal-Scandinavian atmosphere of the place, and give in to the temptation to bite into a cardamom bun or a buttery pain au chocolat—what can I say, it’s worth a Stendhal syndrome.

Le Polveri – Via Ausonio 7, Milano; Via Vespri Siciliani 16, Milano

Davide Longoni’s bakeries are actually all over Milan, but we point out our favourite in the heart of Porta Romana. Davide Longoni’s bread is the kind you’d want to wrap in a linen napkin, shove in a basket with some Brie and a bottle of good wine, and scamper through the meadows for the perfect tree to perch in for a picnic.

Note to connoisseurs: don’t miss Tramvai, a raisin-baked milestone of Lombard tradition, the sole joy of entire generations of Gou Gous commuters who travelled (sic!) by streetcar to Milan from Monza.

Panificio Davide Longoni – Via Tiraboschi 19, Milano

Do you know what a Tone is? Good, because we are about to create for you a new need, a new culinary object of desire, right in Città Studi. Here, you will find Tone Lab, a small bakery equipped with precisely the Tone, the traditional Georgian oven.

Don’t miss the Kachapuri, a Georgian bread topped with fresh cheese and egg, or the hummus bread, made with chickpea flour, sesame, lemon zest and garlic. Whether it’s lunch break or a savoury snack, this wonder is well worth the trek to this somewhat hidden but decidedly gourmode bakery.

Tone Lab – Via Donatello 22, Milano

Gou Gous, you know it: leavened goods, in all their forms, we take them very seriously. They are the happy thoughts on a day of pouring rain, the perfect snack scampering up and down the city, the faithful companion of any out-of-town trip. They are a way to learn about a city, a culture, a way of life.

Treat yourself to a pilgrimage to the Milanese boulangeries in our cherry-pick selection, and you won’t regret it. If you don’t find enlightenment, it will certainly still be worth it!