Auvergne Bread

I recently saw an episode of Chef at Large (on the Canadian Food Network) featuring ACE bakery (in Toronto) and they made a special order of breads called "Auvergne Bread". I'm intrigued and would like to have a recipe for them. They are ball shaped with a layer of dough placed on top of them (which bakes like a little "hat" on the bread). Can anyone help?
Thanks!

Link: http://patechinoisco.blogspot.com

[impeesa]

you can also check out this book, there is an entire section on bread from that area - Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman (Aug 17, 2007)

[cassis]

Look in "The Breads of France" by Bernard Clayton, or "Local Breads" by Daniel Leader. It's not so much the chignon shape that makes them special, as the natural yeast method and the small amount of rye flour.

[rainey]

How interesting!

I've never heard of Auvergne bread but my great aunt who lived in Maine back in the 50s and whose family migrated south from Eastern Canada probably two generations before her used to make her bread by putting two large balls of dough in a bread pan. Her finished loaf looked like a little tush mooning you.

I always remembered that and thought it was her eccentricity until I saw something in a travelogue or somewhere where someone was making a traditional Canadian bread (Quebecois, I think) in the same way.

My great aunt's dough was a rather conventional, if completely buttery and delicious, white bread. But it sounds a little like what you're describing minus the "hat". Of course, when I think "hat" I think eggy brioche.

[impeesa]

Auvergne is a region in France. Their breads tend to have alot of "light" Rye in them. The are could be called Frances bread basket as a lot of local wheat is grown there, many that are specific to that region and it's altitude

Sorry, I don't have a recipe - but Ace published a baking book, and it may have it in there!