Every three years, the world's top bakers round up their best recipes and their rolling pins and head to Paris for an Olympic-style competition known as the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (the World Cup of Baking).
Twelve teams of master bakers have just 8 hours to mix, knead, shape and bake more than more than 300 absolutely perfect oven-fresh specimens.
NPR's Michele Norris talks with Bread Bakers Guild Team USA members Jory Downer, Jeffrey Yankellow and William Leaman as they prepare for the competition.
Following is one of the recipes used by the 2002 U.S. team, which took the silver at the 2002 Coupe du Monde. The recipe was developed for home use from formulas developed for the competition.
The 2005 team has developed its own formulas for the April 17-19 competition in Paris, but they remain a secret until after the Coupe du Monde.
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