In France, Paris possesses the global reputation, but Lyon delivers the gastronomic goods. Many Lyon locals begin their day with a stop at a neighborhood boulangerie to indulge in the three Cs: a cigarette, a cup of coffee and a croissant.
Although croissants are made in many countries, they're crafted in Lyon by men (mostly) and women (in growing numbers) who willingly embrace the time-intensive techniques required to ensure the finished product is flaky, flavorful and airy.
When Alex and Stephanie Paniagua opened B. Boulangerie in Hayden on Jan. 7 after operating a cottage bakery out of their home in Coeur d'Alene since February 2024, the croissants were an instant hit.
Then one morning, a customer came in and politely complained about them.
"She said they were too much like bread," Alex recalls. "They were too dense. And they didn't have enough flavor."
It was a lot to take in about a product that was selling out regularly and quickly. But Alex listened and taste-tested a croissant.
"I had to agree with her," he recalls. "It was kind of bland. And I apologized to her."
Alex immediately began trying to figure out what he wasn't doing correctly. The flavor aspect was easily addressed by adjusting the salt. He already was using high-quality butter — three-and-a-half pounds for each 30 croissants. All that was left to consider was the technique.
A croissant's flakiness is determined, in large part, by the number of times the dough is folded before being shaped. The touch of the baker also can have an impact.
"I figured out that I was folding the dough too many times," Alex says.
Now, the croissants ($4.50-$5 each) — whether plain, pain au chocolate or almond — not only remain popular, but are comparable in texture and airiness to those made in the finest boulangeries of Lyon. On any given day, additional croissant flavors may include ham and Swiss, turkey and cheddar, Nutella, or cookie dough. Even kouign-amann ($2.50), a puff pastry-like croissant cousin, can be found on the menu.
That willingness to listen to a customer, consider their criticism with an open mind and ultimately adapt a recipe is a quality not all bakers or chefs possess. But if there's anything Alex learned at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, or that Stephanie picked up during her time in the culinary arts program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus in Punxsutawney, is that there's always something new to learn in baking or cooking.
The couple met in 2011 while Alex was on his college externship, serving as a garde manger (preparing salads and other cold dishes), and Stephanie was working in the pastry shop at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One evening, both were assigned to help staff a VIP function.
It didn't take long for them to click, given their similar experiences with and passion for food. They married in 2013 but would have to survive a series of odd jobs — some in the food world (including a year in New York, about which Stephanie says, "We loved working there, but didn't love living there") and some not — before they were able to make B. Boulangerie a reality.
Even then, they were limited by how much they could produce in a small space within their 900-square-foot home. That makes going to work at their 1,400-square-foot facility in the Hayden Creek Plaza such a pleasure.
"This is like a mansion to us," says Stephanie as she keeps a watchful eye on the lavender-flavored macarons baking in the oven.
While both were trained in classic French cooking, their distinct skill sets make them a formidable team.
In addition to the croissants, Alex makes the sponge cake for the tiramisu ($5.25 per slice), the hand pies (chicken or beef with root vegetables inside a flaky crust; $5.50), the quiche ($5.50) and the frangipane cream that defines the flavor of the almond croissants. Stephanie builds the tiramisu, makes the cream puffs ($3) and eclairs ($3.50), handcrafts chocolates ($2.50) with rotating ganache flavors and makes the macarons ($3.25). As they work together in the production area, Alex says they're constantly merging their skills, almost by osmosis, as they make everything from scratch.
Stephanie says that while she enjoys all aspects of the business they've created (except, perhaps, the long hours), she takes the greatest satisfaction in making custom cakes — for birthdays, weddings, baby showers and even gender reveals.
"I love it when a customer comes in with maybe a basic color scheme and says, 'You make it.' I love that creative freedom."
In return for that freedom, Alex says, Stephanie will go out of her way to research the history of a particular item or ingredient to ensure "the finished product is as authentic and enjoyable as possible."
By the French definition, B. Boulangerie is much more than a boulangerie, where croissants and baguettes are the specialties. Given its mix and number of sweet treats, it might more aptly be called a patisserie, where the accent is on "sweet." Further clouding the French connection, the Paniaguas also sell items with roots in places other than France. Tiramisu is an Italian dessert. Cinnamon rolls, which B. Boulangerie slathers with decadent cream cheese frosting ($5), are said to have originated in Sweden.
Heck, Alex once visited Paris and says he was "not impressed" by the culinary scene.
So, why did the couple decide to call their business a boulangerie? Alex says it was as a point of differentiation from "all the other bakeries in the area. There are so many of them. We wanted a name that shows we're making pastries using traditional methods — methods that sometimes take a lot of time."
And why the simple "B." for a name?
"We had been dating only a few months when we started calling each other 'Babe,'" Stephanie explains. "Before long, we just shortened it to 'B.'"
Although Alex considers Paris one and done, the couple say their "dream trip" would be to Provence in southeastern France. If and when that happens, Alex and Stephanie Paniagua will be easy to find. They'll be the ones hanging out in the neighborhood boulangeries, savoring at least one and perhaps two of the three Cs.
B. Boulangerie • 8214 N. Government Way, Hayden • Open Tue-Sat 7 am-3 pm or until sold out • 208-661-7501
