Every time I visit Paris I try a new bakery or pastry shop and this time it was Blé Sucré, an acclaimed pâtisserie and boulangerie in the edgy 12th arrondissement. I heard Blé Sucré (which translates to “sweet wheat”) had some of the best madeleines in Paris (which essentially amounts to the best madeleines in the world) as well as many other sweet and savory brioche-based and pasty-dough-based creations. It’s a huge title to live up to, but the minute I walked into the charming little shop I could tell it was something special.

Rows and rows of golden butter croissants and crispy baguettes were lined up beside baked Kouign-amann, meticulously layered millefeuille, colorful macarons and mini Paris-Brest, not to mention