Fresh from the Oven!

Andrea here. The end-of-year holidays are upon us. And wherever and however family and friends gather, that usually means food. Lots of it! Sumptuous sweets abound (did someone say chocolate?) along with all manner of savory dishes and appetizers to tickle the tastebuds. But whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, one constant that always seems to be on the table, complementing both simple repasts and fancy feasts, is bread, the classic staff of life.

Now, as I happened to see an article this week saying that the classic French baguette had just been given UNESCO World Heritage status, and given that history and bread is a truly scrumptuous combination, I thought it might be fun to take a quick peek at the history of the baguette.

The bread has a simple but sublime elegance. It’s made of four ingredients—flour, water salt and yeast. Stick-shaped loaves were around in the early 18th century, but the baguette as we know it began to take shape around the time of the French Revolution. Bread, or rather the lack of a decent loaf, helped spark the uprising, and after the Republicans seized power, one of the new government’s decrees said, “There will no longer be a bread of wheat for the rich and a bread of bran for the poor. All bakers will be held, under the penalty of imprisonment, to make only one type of bread: The Bread of Equality.”

Several stories surrounding the baguette’s origins are likely apocryphal but fun. One states that Napoleon, ever efficient, gave orders that the stick-shaped loaf of bread be designed to fit into the regulation pocket of a French Army greatcoat, so that a soldier could easily carry his daily rations. (Baguettes were far easier to pack than a large round loaf.)

Another legend claims that during the 1870, when work began on constructing the Paris metro system, the workers came from all parts of France and were constantly getting into violent fights with each other. So the government asked bakers to create a bread that could be easily torn rather than cut so that knives could be banned in the workplace.

Getting back to the ingredients, what makes a real French baguette so distinctive? The crust should be crispy with a light, springy interior that has an uneven crumb. A breakthrough technology  affecting the development of the baguette was the steam oven, unveiled in Paris by August Zang in 1839. The steam delayed the hardening of the crust, allowing a higher rise, and thus a lighter bread.

Another milestone occurred right after WWI. With the French struggling to recover from the war, the government passed a law prohibiting bakers from starting work before 4am. The baguette, being a smaller loaf than the tradition heavy rounds, was quicker to bake, and thus was fresh from the oven by breakfast time. (Baguettes are not made to last. Traditional French bakeries turn out at least two batches a day so there will be fresh bread morning and night.)

In 1920 came a further refinement—a decree was issued (the French take their food seriously!) standardizing the baguette. It was required to have a minimum weight of 80g and a maximum length of 40cm. Today, over ten billion baguettes are sold each year in France!

Compared to the mushy, flabby sticks of dough that pass in most American grocery stores as “French bread”, the real deal is a revelation. I first discovered the bliss of an authentic French baguette as a teenager on a summer school program in Paris. Who knew bread could taste so good! The crisp crust, the chewy interior full of yeasty flavor—oh, fluttery sigh. One can use the baguette as a foundation for lots of great treats. Fill it with soft brie, toast it with ham and cheese for a croque monsieur. But I love it best at breakfast, with butter and strawberry jam.

I have a local bakery that makes a great traditional baguette (but I try not to indulge too often.) What about you? Are you an aficionado of French baguettes? Do you live somewhere where you can get an authentic baguette? What’s your favorite way to eat one?

Comments

[evelyne Guber]

Oh oui, j'aime mes baguettes de pain. eh oui WE French take their food seriously. De France Evelyne

[Lil Marek]

I envy you your local bakery! Once upon a time there was a market within driving distance that carried great baguettes, but, alas, it went out of business. I don't know that I have a favorite way to eat it, except just with butter. Or maybe as a picnic of bread, cheese, fruit and wine. I could happily live on that.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Andrea--I know baguettes are great, but didn't know about their wonderful history! Fresh baguettes are wonderful at any time, but hot and spread with butter or marmalade (I hope that's not a scandalous thought!) they make a delicious breakfast with strong, hot coffee.

[Andrea Penrose]

Tres bon!

[Andrea Penrose]

Lil, a baguette and butter, or a baguette with cheese is the BEST way (IMO) to enjoy a baguette. So sorry your bakery went out of business. Apparently, it's a big problem in France. too. Traditional bakers are disappearing, and the country is worried!

[Andrea Penrose]

That's absolutely my favorite way to eat a baguette (though with apricot of strawberry confiture!)

Aren't the stories fun? I especially like the Napoleon one about the bread fitting in a military pocket!

[Patricia Franzino]

Thank you, Andrea, for such a yummy post!

Here in Manhattan, there is a chain store, Paris Baguette, that has sandwiches already made each morning with my favorite bread and baguettes to be purchased without any filling. They even have a croissant loaf along with the individual croissants.

There is Julien's Boulangerie, another chain, with even larger baguettes they use for sandwiches, or buy baguettes separately. I also buy the longer and wider loaf of seeded sourdough rye that I can freeze.

[Teresa Broderick]

I gave up white bread a long time ago. But I did like baguettes or what passed for them as I see from a post here what we get in supermarkets is not the real thing. I would love to try the real french baguette with goat's cheese, which would be my ideal. Interesting post Andrea.

[Kareni]

What a fun post, Andrea, that now has me drooling. I was introduced to baguettes as a teen when I took a five week French course in Vichy. I was also introduced to croissants at the time... yum! (The least said about the sheep brains the better.) Brie on my baguette, please!

[Mary M.]

I love any kind of authentic national bread—you should see me rip through a "plate" of injeera with all the fixings! What I'm missing lately is true San Francisco sourdough. My late husband used to bring me a hefty loaf from the SFO airport at the end of his business trips. (Also live lobster from Boston, another endangered treat. I had some recently from a chain seafood place and it was ssaaaadd. The world changes, eh?) Glad to hear the baguette has been designated World Heritage, it surely deserves the honor.

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, thank you for this info, Patricia! I will look for them next time I'm in NYC. Sounds delicious!

[Andrea Penrose]

A real baguette with goat cheese wiould be a real revelation, Teresa. An authntic bagueete woud change your opinion of white bread. Granted, whole grain is healthier, and I usually choose that. But a good baguette has wonderful texture and taste.

[Andrea Penrose]

LOL on the sheep's brains. Im with you on that! As well as brie on a baguette. it does get any better than that!

[Andrea Penrose]

Mary, you right—it's so hard to get good bread these days. But thankfully there are artisanal bakers would still craft tradtional breads. A real sourdough is wonderful.Maybe try googling artisan bakers in yoyr area and see if you can find a bakery near you that makes a good laf?

[Karin]

I think French bread does deserve World Heritage status. It's funny that long ago the bran bread was saved for the peasants, and now we pay extra for the healthy stuff. Recently I wanted to make bran muffins, and had to visit about 4 grocery stores to find plain wheat bran! We do get some good bread here, but most of it is Italian and Portuguese varieties, also excellent. But my favorite breakfast when I was in France was pain au chocolate, a real indulgence.

[Constance]

Isn't it wonderful that people care enough about good bread to give it World Heritage status? (I am still waiting for Southern buttermilk biscuits to receive the same attention and respect!) When I was 19, a friend and I traveled through France with very little money and even less French - the only phrase we had down pat was "pain au jambon et fromage". It was our lunch every day, and sometimes every meal in a day - inexpensive, filling, and beyond delicious! The bakeries almost always made the sandwiches while you waited, and most bakers were surprised that I always wanted the end of the baguette rather than the middle, but the crust is the best part! Thanks for a tasty post, Andrea!

[Annette N]

I am a lover of any kind of bread. I have a place to get warm "French" bread. But, it is not the heavenly creation you have described.
Thank you for the lovely post....and exactly where is this wonderful bakery?

[Pat Dupuy]

We could get baguettes fresh from the oven when we lived in New Orleans. Totally spoiled us. One bakery had a sign which would start flashing as soon as fresh loaves came out of the oven.

[Karin]

Oh, the bakeries in New Orleans, how I miss them! I had a favorite, I think it was on Ursulines Ave. in the French Quarter.

[Christina Courtenay]

Fascinating stuff, Andrea! I'm lucky enough that my local supermarket makes lovely baguettes - after reading your post I'm heading there now!

[Andrea Penrose]

Totally agree that the baguette deserves World Heritage status! A real culinary reasure! And yes, how tastes change. That we all think of whole grain as desirable show how societies are constantly changing!

[Andrea Penrose]

SO true, Constance! And while I'm not a real biscuit lover, I agree that they are a great American culinary treasure.

A first visit to France is such a revelation regarding bread! And a baguette sandwich got many of us students through the day in style!

[Andrea Penrose]

It's in Fairfield, Connecticut, Annette.

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, what a great marketing idea! I get they didn't last long!

[Andrea Penrose]

Ha, ha! Enjoy!

[Anne Gracie]

Lovely post, Andrea. I go in search of a good baguette whenever I have visitors. Unfortunately my usual source has disappeared and I want one for Sunday lunch. Oh well. Have to risk it.

When I was last in Paris for more than a week, my favorite breakfast, sitting outdoors at my favorite cafe, was a pot of coffee (which came with a pot of hot milk, a chunk of a baguette, a pat of butter and a small dish of apricot jam. Delicious. From time to time I try to recreate that experience, and it's nice, but somehow it's not quite the same.

[Andrea Penrose]

Fresh coffee, a baguette with with butter and apricot jam is, for me, a perfect breakfast. But I agree, however nice, it's not quite the same without Paris as a backdrop!

[Anne H]

I am able to buy baguettes from a local bakery, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. I enjoy the bread best fresh, with butter, butter and a sour cherry jam or brie cheese (sometimes also with jam).