Baguette
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A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of
bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter of about and a usual length of about , but can be up to long. In November 2018, documentation surrounding the "craftsmanship and culture" of making this bread was added to the
French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2022, the artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread was inscribed to the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...
.


History

Much of the history of the baguette is speculation; however, some facts can be established. Long, stick-like breads in France became more popular during the 18th century, French bakers started using " ''gruau''," a highly refined Hungarian high-milled flour in the early 19th century, Viennese steam oven baking was introduced to Paris in 1839 by
August Zang August Zang (; 2 August 1807 – 4 March 1888) was an Austrian entrepreneur who founded the Viennese daily '' Die Presse''. He also had a major influence on French baking methods. Soldier and baker The son of Christophe Boniface Zang, a Vienn ...
, and the Austrian 's compact yeast in 1867 at the
Universal Exposition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
. Finally, the word "baguette" appears to define a particular type of bread in a regulation of the department of the Seine in August 1920: "The baguette, having a minimum weight of and a maximum length of , may not be sold for a price higher than 0.35 francs apiece". No one of these events constitutes "the invention of the baguette," but together they define the modern "baguette." In summary, "the bread which became known as the baguette first appeared in its most primitive form in the eighteenth century, then experienced several refinements and variations before being (officially) given that name in 1920." The word ''baguette'' means "wand," "baton," or "stick," as in ''baguette magique'' (magic wand), ''baguettes chinoises'' (chopsticks), or ''baguette de direction'' (conductor's baton). It was first recorded as a kind of bread in 1920. Outside France, the baguette is often considered a symbol of French culture, but the association of France with long loaves long predates it. Long, wide loaves had been made since the time of King Louis XIV, long thin ones since the mid-18th century, and by the 19th century, some were far longer than today's baguette: "... loaves of bread long that look like crowbars!" " Housemaids were hurrying homewards with their purchases for various Gallic breakfasts, and the long sticks of bread, a
yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English units, English unit of length in both the British imperial units, imperial and US United States customary units, customary systems of measurement equalling 3 foot (unit), feet or 36 inches. Sinc ...
or two to in length, carried under their arms, made an odd impression upon me." A less direct link can be made with deck or steam ovens. These combine a traditional gas-fired oven and a brick oven, a thick "deck" of stone or firebrick heated by natural gas instead of wood. The first steam oven was brought to Paris in the early 19th century by
August Zang August Zang (; 2 August 1807 – 4 March 1888) was an Austrian entrepreneur who founded the Viennese daily '' Die Presse''. He also had a major influence on French baking methods. Soldier and baker The son of Christophe Boniface Zang, a Vienn ...
, who also introduced Vienna bread (''pain viennois'') and the
croissant A croissant (, ) is a French cuisine, French pastry in a crescent shape made from a laminated yeast dough similar to puff pastry. It is a buttery, flaky, ''viennoiserie'' pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian cuisine, Austrian ''Kifli, ...
, and whom some French sources thus credit with originating the baguette. Deck ovens heated to over use steam injection to allow the crust to expand before setting, thus creating a lighter, airier loaf, and to melt the
dextrose Glucose is a sugar with the molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water an ...
on the bread's surface, giving a slightly glazed effect. In April 1944, a competition called began in France to determine who made the best baguettes. Nearly 200 bakers compete each year in front of a 14-judge panel following strict guidelines. They are judged based on baking, appearance, smell, taste, and crumb. The winner receives €4000 and supplies France's president with their daily bread for that year until a new winner is chosen. Following the World Wars, French bakers began baking a whiter, softer baguette that contrasted with the darker loaves produced because of rationing during the wars. 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 The French Parliament (, ) is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of the French Fifth Republic, consisting of the Senate (France), Senate (), and the National Assembly (France), National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessi ...
passed ''Le Décret Pain'' (The Bread Decree). ''Le Décret Pain'' states that breads under the name of ''pain maison'' (homemade bread) must be "fully kneaded, shaped, and baked at their place of sale." This decree also placed strict guidelines on what ''pain traditionnel français'' (traditional French bread) is allowed to be made of, banning pre-made dough from being used for traditional French baguettes. Since 1994, the city of Paris awards the Grand prix de la baguette de tradition française de la ville de Paris for the best baguette in the city.


Origin myths

Because the history of the French baguette is not completely known, several myths have spread about the origins of this type of bread. Some say
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, in essence, created the French baguette to allow soldiers to more easily carry bread with them. Since the round shape of other breads took up a lot of space, Bonaparte requested they be made into the skinny stick shape with specific measurements to slide into the soldiers' uniform. Other stories credit baguettes as being an invention to stop French metro workers from having to carry knives that they used to cut their bread. The workers often fought, so the management did not want them to carry knives and requested that bread be easily ripped apart, ending the need for knives. The skinny, easily rippable shape of a baguette would have been the response to this. Some believe baguettes were the "Bread of Equality" following a decree post-French Revolution requiring a type of bread to be made accessible to the rich and poor. Another account states that in October 1920, a law prevented bakers from working before 4 am, making it impossible to make traditional round loaves in time for customers' breakfasts. Switching from the round loaf to the previously less-common, slender shape of the baguette solved the problem because it could be prepared and baked much more quickly. The law in question appears to be one from March 1919, though some say it took effect in October 1920:
It is forbidden to employ workers at bread and pastry making between ten in the evening and four in the morning.


Manufacture and styles

The "baguette de tradition française" is made from wheat flour, water, yeast (as the
leavening agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...
), and common salt. It may contain up to 2% broad bean flour, up to 0.5% soya flour, and up to 0.3% wheat
malt Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as "malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar, ...
flour. Standard baguettes, ''baguettes ordinaires'', are made with
baker's yeast Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentable ...
, and artisan-style loaves are usually made with a pre-ferment (''poolish'') to increase flavor complexity and other characteristics. They may include whole-wheat flour or other grains such as
rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...
. Baguettes are also sometimes referred to as either "Classique" (typically mass produced and made with yeast as well as additives), and "tradition" regulated to 4 ingredients (flour, water, leavening, and salt) often using a sourdough starter as the leavening agent Baguettes are closely connected to France, though they are made worldwide. In France, not all long loaves are baguettes; for example, a short, almost rugby ball-shaped loaf is a ''bâtard'' (literally, bastard); its origin is variously explained but undocumented. Another tubular-shaped loaf is known as a ''flûte'', also known in the United States as a ''parisienne''. Flûtes closely resemble baguettes but are about twice the size. A thinner loaf is called a '' ficelle'' (string). A short baguette is sometimes known as a ''baton'' (stick), or in the UK, referred to using the English translation ''French stick''. None of these is officially defined, either legally or, for instance, in major dictionaries, any more than the baguette. French breads are also made in forms such as a '' miche'', which is a large pan loaf, and a '' boule'', literally ball in French, a large round loaf. Sandwich-sized loaves are sometimes known as ''demi-baguettes'' or ''tiers''. Italian baguettes, or ''baguette italienne'', involve more spices and a denser texture, giving the baguette a slightly different, more Italian taste. ''Pain viennois'' is much sweeter and softer than the standard baguette. In France, a baguette typically weighs around , a bâtard and a ficelle ; no legal text establishes any of these weights, which can vary throughout the country. Baguettes, either relatively short single-serving size or cut from a longer loaf, are very often used for
sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...
es, usually of the
submarine sandwich A submarine sandwich, commonly known as a sub, is a type of American cold or hot sandwich made from a submarine roll (an elongated bread roll) that is split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. Although "subma ...
type, but also a panini. They are often sliced and served with
pâté Pâté ( , , ) is a forcemeat. Originally, the dish was cooked in a pastry case; in more recent times it is more usually cooked without pastry in a terrine. Various ingredients are used, which may include meat from pork, poultry, fish or bee ...
or
cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
. As part of the traditional continental breakfast in France, slices of baguette, known as ''tartines'', are spread with
butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
and jam and sometimes dunked in bowls of
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
or
hot chocolate Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984. Their hits include " You Sexy Thing", a UK number two which also made ...
. Baguettes are generally made as partially free-form loaves, with the loaf formed with a series of folding and rolling motions, raised in cloth-lined baskets or in rows on a flour-impregnated towel, called a couche, and baked either directly on the hearth of a deck oven or in special perforated pans designed to hold the shape of the baguette while allowing heat through the perforations. American-style "French bread" is generally much fatter and is not baked in deck ovens but in convection ovens. As of the 2000s, there is increasing customer demand in France for only partially baked baguettes. In 2004, the bakery chain Marie Blachère introduced the option to select three varieties of baguettes distinguished by baking time: ''bien cuite'' (well done), ''dorée'' (golden) and ''blanche'' (white). Outside France, baguettes are also made with other doughs. For example, the Vietnamese '' bánh mì'' uses a high proportion of
rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...
, while many North American
bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...
make whole wheat, multigrain, and
sourdough Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread its dis ...
baguettes alongside French-style loaves. In Cambodia, it is found in the form of a hot sandwich filled called num pang. In addition, even classic French-style recipes vary from place to place, with some recipes adding small amounts of
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
, butter,
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
, or
malt extract Malt is any cereal grain that has been made to germinate by soaking in water and then stopped from germinating further by drying with hot air, a process known as " malting". Malted grain is used to make beer, whisky, malted milk, malt vinegar ...
, depending on the desired flavor and properties in the final loaf.


Consumption

Algeria consumes about 49 million baguettes per day, and France consumes about 30 million.


See also

* Bánh mì * Breakfast roll * Chicken fillet roll * Ciabatta *
Croissant A croissant (, ) is a French cuisine, French pastry in a crescent shape made from a laminated yeast dough similar to puff pastry. It is a buttery, flaky, ''viennoiserie'' pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian cuisine, Austrian ''Kifli, ...
* Cuban bread * Faluche (bread) * French roll * Hoagie roll * Mitraillette *
Submarine sandwich A submarine sandwich, commonly known as a sub, is a type of American cold or hot sandwich made from a submarine roll (an elongated bread roll) that is split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. Although "subma ...
*
Zapiekanka A ' (; plural: ', ) is a toasted open-face sandwich made of a sliced baguette or other long roll of bread, topped with sautéed Agaricus bisporus, white mushrooms, cheese and sometimes other ingredients such as ham. Served hot with ketchup, it ha ...
* Pandesal


References


Further reading

* Child, Julia. ''From Julia Child's Kitchen''. New York: Knopf, 1970. * Child, Julia and
Simone Beck Simone "Simca" Beck (7 July 1904 – 20 December 1991) was a French cookbook writer and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cuisine, French cooki ...
. ''Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 2''. New York: Knopf, 1970. * Rambali, Paul. ''Boulangerie''. New York: Macmillan, 1994, . * Reinhard, Peter. ''Crust and Crumb''. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1998, .


External links

*
About the Baguette
nbsp;– an investigation into the origin of the baguette {{Authority control French breads French cuisine