A taste of France in the Highland Lakes
Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Jean Claude and Beatrice Walter, the bakery offers an authentic feel and taste of France from its homemade French bread and pastries to the fresh sandwiches they serve.
The bakery/restaurant is located at 809 Twelfth St. The name means “Flower of the Wheat” in English.
Each product is carefully prepared from scratch by the Walters — Jean Claude Walter focuses on the bread while his wife prepares the pastries.
And anyone who has dined at Fleur de Ble since its opening Aug. 15 knows the quality of the culinary offerings the Walters create.
“There are no frozen products here,” Jean Claude Walters said. “We make all the products.”
“There are no artificial ingredients and no butter or margarine in our bread,” added Beatrice Walter.
In fact, the Walters wake each morning at 1 a.m. and arrive at the bakery by 2 a.m. to prepare the day’s offerings.
“In the morning we decide what we want to produce, what kind of bread, pastries, coffees,” Beatrice Walter said.
Once their decision is made, the Walters begin to bake their bread and pastries, but not without plenty of planning.
“We have to calculate the weight of the dough for each bread so we know the amount of the flour, water, salt and yeast we will need,” Beatrice Walter said. “And everything depends on the weather. If it’s raining, add less water. If it’s dry, add more.”
She said it takes about three hours to make the bread from start to finish.
In addition to the tender but crusty bread there are also mini baguettes, croissants and mini rolls with assorted toppings.
The bakery offers an assortment of sandwiches including the popular Le Mediterranean, which is prosciutto, tomato, mozzarella cheese, olive oil and oregano on a mini baguette; a French breakfast, quiche and daily lunch specials, or “plat du jour,” which depends on “the market, the season and the cook’s mood.”
And then there are the pastries. Two of the Walters’ best sellers are the chocolate twist and Chausson aux pommes, or apple slipper.
“The apple filling is fresh,” she said. “No cinnamon. With apple it’s not necessary to use cinnamon.”
She said when the pastry is made with a good apple product, there is no reason to add other ingredients.
The Walters are not strangers to Marble Falls. They have visited the area during vacations several times and fell in love with the beauty of the Hill Country.
They moved here from Lyon, France, more than two years ago. Jean Claude Walter said the open spaces of the Hill Country lend to the quality of life he and his wife sought.
“It’s the serenity, the tranquility of the Hill Country,” Beatrice Walter said in French-accented English. “Marble Falls has everything I need for life.”
Since the patisserie’s doors opened, she and her husband have been busy running the business and trying to create a Gallic bakery similar to those found in France.
“We thought it would be a good idea to have a French bakery in town,” she said. “It’s a normal, simple usual bakery like you would find in France.”
“I would like to create in Marble Falls the same bakery you see in France, in Paris,” added her husband.
The result is very close, they said. Fleur de Ble’s French décor and ambiance, selection of imported French items, and fragrance of freshly baked goods gives customers a respite from the Central Texas heat, making them feel as if they are transported to France, if only for a short while.
The Walters want everyone to know that Fleur de Blé is a dine-in or carryout bakery. And for special occasions at home, customers can call ahead and order.
“Come in and see us,” Jean Claude Walter said. “We need to know exactly what you want for special orders.”
Contact with the townspeople also seems to inspire the couple.
Walter said he was surprised when some of his customers began to speak French with him.
“I was assured that the population in Marble Falls was open-minded,” he said. “Contact with the customers, it’s important. People react because we are French, and it’s a kind of happiness for them that we are here.”