My family's been making easy, 4-ingredient baguettes for years, and I think everyone should know the recipe (2024)

FAQs

In what year did a decree require that a baguette be made of only four ingredients? ›

These doughs took less time to ferment and used more additives but had significantly less taste. They also began using pre-made dough and molds. The average consumption of bread fell from 600 grams/day in the early 1900s to 170 grams/day in 1986. In 1993, the French Parliament passed Le Décret Pain (The Bread Decree).

French Baguettes are so good

First and foremost, the flour used in France is of very high quality. But the major difference between French and an American baguette is the fermentation process. Most French bakers use a poolish process, which consists of a mix of yeast and water that's allowed to ferment overnight.

Six billion baguettes are produced each year

Anyone who has visited France won't be surprised to learn the baguette is an integral part of French daily life. Around 12 million people visit a bakery every day, and six billion baguettes are produced each year in France.

The French bread law

The law states that traditional baguettes have to be made on the premises they're sold and can only be made with four ingredients: wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. They can't be frozen at any stage or contain additives or preservatives, which also means they go stale within 24 hours.

The baguette: A construction story

Bakers invented a lighter bread, which could be torn instead of cut. In 1920, a new law came into being that said workers shouldn't have to get up before 4 am to go to work, which meant that bakers had to bake bread in a much shorter time frame.

Are baguettes healthier than bread? Baguettes are similar in nutritional value to traditional white bread. Both baguettes and white bread are high in calories and carbohydrates while remaining low in fat content. Baguettes tend to contain more protein and sodium than white bread.

Baking a great baguette isn't difficult, but to get the best possible result then it takes a little planning. I use two extended fermentation periods/proofs in this process. Both in my opinion are crucial for obtaining the best result. While these baguettes take a little planning, the handling time is very little.

Surprise: The answer isn't France. Although it seems like the quintessential French product, the baguette was said to have been invented by Vienna-born baker August Zang in 1839. Zang put in place France's steam oven, making it possible to produce bread with a brittle crust yet fluffy interior.

A fresh baguette is glorious when it's soft on the inside with a crusty exterior, but a hardened or stale baguette is unappetizing. The good news is that it's often possible to bring breads back to life when they're no longer fresh.

The French baguette has a rich and fascinating history that is closely tied to French culture and cuisine. From its humble origins as a simple way to transport bread, to its status as a symbol of resistance during World War II, the baguette has become an iconic part of French history.

Do you eat baguettes plain? ›

The French treat baguettes like sacred objects. And who can blame them? These light, crisp, chewy loaves are delicious unadorned. There's even a preferred way to eat them — breaking off the heel, or le quignon, to snack on as soon as you leave the bakery.

Based on various laws on making bread over the last century, the 1993 le Décret Pain French decree states that traditional French bread must be made only from four main ingredients - good quality water, salt, a rising agent and wheat flour containing no more than 2.8% (in total weight) of bean, soya or malted wheat ...

The result was the creation of the long, thin baguette that we know and love today. The first documented mention of the baguette comes from the 1920s, when it was known as a “pain de fantaisie” or fancy bread. However, it wasn't until the 1930s that the baguette became popular across France.

During the mid-1800s, bread was a stable food. Like today, there were many different types of bread and bread mixtures. Cornmeal, rye, potatoes, rice, hominy, buckwheat and other variant ingredients were used to make different kinds of bread.

French baguettes are not traditionally made with sourdough, but it is possible to make a sourdough French baguette. French baguettes are typically made with wheat flour, yeast, salt, and water. Baguettes have a notable thin and long-shaped loaf that has a crunchy outer crust.