Almond croissants from the new Le Petit Four Bakery in Wellesley.Romain Bernus
Sink your teeth into a croissant from the new Le Petit Four Bakery. When the crispy exterior shatters into delicate bits, the taste of the buttery layers inside, thin as tissue, is pure bliss. You may feel this one is as good as a Parisian croissant; in some instances, it’s better.
The pastry case at the Wellesley bakery is filled with exquisite and generously sized French pastries — brioche buns, pain au chocolat, kouign-amann, canelés, and more — but the plain croissants take center stage. Made with high-quality French butter and flour, you can’t leave without one (or a few). There are no hybrids here, no square-shaped croissants or unexpected fillings. “I like to be creative but also like authenticity,” says owner and pastry chef Valerie Coullet. She recently opened the shop with her son, Romain Bernus, 26, who manages the operations. Coullet was already well-known for her pastries, having spent nearly eight years baking from her professional home kitchen in Needham, selling her goods at farmers’ markets and through local stores like Captain Marden’s and Fells Market.
Plain croissants from the new Le Petit Four Bakery in Wellesley.Romain Bernus
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Coullet, who was born in France and lived in Provence, moved to the Boston area about a dozen years ago with her husband for his work and two children. Though she initially worked in the business world, her true passion was baking. To refine her craft, she honed her skills at the French Pastry School in Chicago and the San Francisco Baking Institute. Yet her artistry with butter-laden dough and the alchemy of yeast seems less like training and more instinctual. “You have to respect the dough — it’s a relationship,” says Coullet. “She tells you what you have to do.”
Now both longtime fans and new customers swarm the bakery — not just for its pastries but also for baguettes with thin, crackling crusts and soft, creamy interiors, quiches, and sandwiches — be prepared to wait. On a recent Saturday, a steady stream of customers filed in, leaving with white bags filled with treats. Some lingered over a pastry and coffee at one of the café tables by the picture window, while others sat on the lovely white upholstered couch nibbling on one of these beauties. 380 Washington St., Wellesley Hills, lepetitfourbakery.com.
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.