Quick French Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between French bread and a baguette? ›

A baguette is one of many styles of French bread, arguably the most iconic. Baguettes are made in a specific shape that is instantly recognizeable, but French bread can come in many shapes and sizes, from adorable little brioche a tetes, to large boules of pain de compagne.

Besides the obvious fact that French bread is typically longer and thinner than regular loaves, it tends to be less sweet and has a crispier crust. French bread is usually also made with very simple ingredients instead of sandwich bread, which can have many different additives.

Secret #1: The Right Flour

The French typically use Type 55 flour for their baguettes, which has a lower protein content than All-Purpose flour (usually 11.5% protein). I know that's not found in your standard supermarket, but you can buy it online from King Arthur Flour.

This percentage straddles the line between most American all-purpose flours and bread flours, but King Arthur all-purpose flour (the one in the red bag), with its higher-than-normal 11.7% protein, actually makes an excellent baguette flour.

Brioche (/ˈbriːoʊʃ/, also UK: /ˈbriːɒʃ, briːˈɒʃ/, US: /briːˈoʊʃ, ˈbriːɔːʃ, briːˈɔːʃ/, French: [bʁijɔʃ]) is a pastry of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb.

Baguette: The French baguette is among the most popular types of bread in French cuisine, known for its crackly, crispy crust and pillowy chew. The 26-inch long thin loaf first came into vogue in the late 1800s, and was officially defined by price, weight, and length by 1920.

A baguette (/bæˈɡɛt/; French: [baɡɛt]) is a long, thin type of bread 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.

The fat content and shape of bread can also impact your bread's shelf life. Lean doughs like a baguette, for example, will quickly go stale because of its narrow shape and the lack of fat. On the other hand, breads with a higher fat content, such as challah or brioche, will stay fresh longer.

Traditional French baguettes are typically made with a type of flour called "type 55" or "farine de tradition française". This is a wheat flour that has a moderate protein content of around 11-12% and a fine texture.

Why does French bread taste so good? ›

In France, bakers pay careful attention to where their flour is made and which grains are used in the milling process. The result is usually softer, heartier, and tastier bread than can be found in other parts of the world. French flour tends to be made with a lower ash content than the flour from other countries.

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.

While bread flour is more than adequate for everyday breads, some professional bakers use high-gluten flour with a 14% protein content to provide extra strength to dense, chewy doughs like bagels and pizza dough. High-gluten bread flour gives milk bread it's taut structure and compact (but tender) crumb.

Type 55 is the standard, hard-wheat white flour for baking, including puff pastries (“pâte feuilletée”). Type 45 is often called pastry flour, and is generally from a softer wheat (this corresponds to what older French texts call “farine de gruau”).

None of these are 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.

French bread loaves are larger and softer than baguettes with a tighter crumb and a thinner, softer crust. They are not very sweet although they often contain a bit of sugar and they are not an enriched dough meaning they do not contain egg or dairy.

Ficelle – a type of French bread loaf, made with yeast and similar to a baguette but much thinner.