Vive La Baguette!
In my earliest visits to Paris, even in the cheapest hotels, I remember waking to the sound of a tray being carefully placed outside my door.
The intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee would have me springing out of bed to retrieve it.
There on the ‘plateau’ with the coffee pot and the large bowl of hot milk would be a third or even half a baguette.
It had been baked at a nearby boulangerie only a few hours ago, if that, sliced perfectly down the middle to expose its soft rich center begging for the accompanying sweet butter and jam.
If you are relating, you are reimagining as I am, taking that first bite of the crunchy exterior and letting your tongue sweep over the ambrosia of what is a most beloved morning French ritual.
To the baguette with love! Courtesy Pexels.com
Indeed, the French baguette is just not any loaf of bread.
It is so much more than that.
Humble though it may be, the baguette is a pillar of French culture and a symbol of equality available to all.
The perfectly cooked crust is the baguette’s primary feature.
What Exactly is a Baguette?
The baguette is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough. The dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law and is distinguishable by the baguette’s length and crisp crust.
A staggering 6 billion are consumed every year — that’s almost 100 per person!
A little goes a long way!/Vive La Baguette!
The French don’t just eat the baguette for breakfast. It is also cut up into smaller rounds to accompany every meal.
Still, how do they do it?
(On my first trip to France, I consumed half a baguette every day for breakfast with butter and strawberry jam, and a few months later was starting to look like Mama Cass (GOD bless her!) Just sayin’!)
I have since learned restraint, along with a few tricks about how to buy this ubiquitous French staple as not all baguettes are created equal.
La baguette is the most popular French bread but there are literally dozens of others to choose from and they vary from region to region.
Buying a Baguette at the French Bakery
Connoisseurs can choose between bread that is well done|bien cuite and not as well done | pas trop cuite (the difference is in the color and crunch of the crust). Worth a try just to see which you like best.
But honestly, you don’t need to get into all that. Just ask for une baguette classique, or my own personal preference, une baquette de tradition, or “une tradition s’il vous plait!”
The difference between these two is the ingredients. The latter is just slightly more expensive because it is guaranteed to have only four ingredients, flour, salt, water, and yeast, but absolutely no additives.
National French Bread Day
So with National Bread Day in France coming up on March 21st, you might want to celebrate with a baguette, a glass of red wine, and maybe some lovely French cheese.
(I hope you Paris Fan Club members are happily perusing the document I sent you about the best French cheeses to buy as this month’s contribution to your *Parisian Toolkit!)
There is no French pique-unique without a baguette!
Speaking of La BAGUETTE!
(See the BONUS OFFER INCLUDED BELOW)
Have YOU signed up for
our Paris Fan Club yet?
The Level ONE Membership
IS called BAGUETTE!
If you love Paris or just want to unleash your inner French persona, for as little as $5 a month or $50 dollars annually,
with the Baguette MEMBERSHIP, you get the following;
-
The Paris Workshop Series: Regular Online Interactive WORKSHOPS to Learn about and Participate in All Things French from tying a scarf to setting a French table
-
The Parisian Tool Kit*; Once a month, you will receive one specialized French-themed resource from top experts to be and feel more Parisian, such as how to put together the perfect travel wardrobe, how to buy lingerie or great wine, cheese, or champagne in France or wherever you live.
- Diana’s Paris Map; Highlighting the places that I personally visit and recommend when visiting Paris!
CLICK HERE for more details
See you next time!
Brought to you by www.womanofacertai
Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
After yearning for the crunch of a beautifully fresh baked baguette I thought of taking on the process of making my own…. only to learn that the process of this perfectly sumptuous bread is made from a pre-ferment sponge and takes up ten hours prior to making your dough .
Traditionally the loaf is 18” and should weigh one pound and was a round loaf. It was a traditional bread of Vienna, that became popular with the French government who had mandated that no bakers were to work before four am. Subsequently, bakers had to shape the baguette so it would bake faster for the Breakfast rush.
Over the years became a symbol of France. So savouring this balanced crumb and crust delight has been a much more sumptuous choice.
Well done Grace!
A true French Baguette is worth every penny to taste, savour and devour!!!
I’m booked to take a class in baking baguettes on my next trip to Paris in two weeks. Can’t wait. I can just imagine the tantalizing smells and then the heavenly taste.
How exciting Jo Anne — would you be open to taking some pictures to share with us when you get back? I would love to include them in my blog. Just a couple of you with your Baguette creation! Diana