[1] A basket of baguettes, made by Hewn Bread in Chicago. Baguette is the longest French loaf.
[2] Note how these French loaves are shorter than baguettes. On the top shelf, slender ficelles appear to the left of batards, which are wider than baguettes. On the lower shelf, smaller bâtons in the front are wider than ficelles, but narrower than baguettes (photo © Panderia Patrocinio).
[3] Boule is a round, crusty loaf, similar to peasant bread (photo courtesy Artisan Bread In Five).
[4] French rolls (photo © La Rose Noire).
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March 21st is National French Bread Day.
Every country makes a variety of different breads: harder and softer, rounder and flatter.
In France, the focus is on loaves (as opposed to flatbreads): different-shapes that have crusty exteriors and a chewy crumb.
In addition to the iconic baguette, other loaves—more wide or narrow, shorter or longer—include bâton, boule, ficelle and flûte.
It’s not easy for most of us to distinguish between French bread and Italian bread.
The situation is not helped by American supermarket breads, which often use generic labels like “French bread” and “Italian bread.”
Even with those labels, the actual loaf can be neither—i.e., a generic loaf.
Generic is not a pejorative title; it simply means that the features to not conform with the standards of a particular style of bread.
Consumers also can speak a generic language, seeking “French bread” when they mean “baguette,” or “Italian bread” when they mean a Sicilian-style loaf.
For National French Bread Day, we’re putting a toe in the water to provide some basic distinctions.
Thanks to Simmer & Zest for some of these distinctions.
Note that a discussion of every type of bread these two countries produce would take a vast amount of space. Our purpose is to provide a top line.
Below:
> The differences between French and Italian breads.
> The history of the baguette.
Elsewhere on The Nibble:
> The history of bread.
> The different types of bread: a photo glossary.
> The year’s 20+ bread holidays.
FRENCH BREAD VS. ITALIAN BREAD: THE DIFFERENCE
Geography
French bread styles tend to be available nationwide. While they may have originated in particular regions long ago, today’s bakeries offer most of them.
There are still regional specialties, such as fougasse from Provence, made with local ingredients such as olives or olive oil, sundried tomatoes, anchovies and/or herbs (similar to the Italian focaccia); and couronne, in the shape of a ring.
Italian loaves vary by region, from pane casareccio in Puglia and its cousin, pane genzano in Rome, both with crusty tops, to softer sesame-topped loaves from Sicily.
Ingredients
French bread is typically made from wheat flour, water, yeast and salt. By law in France, the long loaves and boules (round loaves) cannot have added oil or fat. Brioche, a soft loaf with a high egg and butter content, is considered a pastry.
Italian bread often contains a bit of milk or olive oil, and sometimes a bit of sugar.
Shape
French bread tends to be longer and narrower.
Italian bread loaves tend to be shorter and plumper.
Texture
French bread tends to be hard and crusty on the outside, with a light and soft crumb.
Italian bread can also have a hard crust, but the crumb tends to be denser.
Baking Method
French bread can be cooked in any oven.
Italian bread is traditionally baked in a flat stone oven. This can imbues the bread with a tiny amount of smoky flavor.
Now we’re going to the kitchen to butter a few slices!
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[5] the French baguette and the Italian stirato (Gemini Photo).
THE FRENCH BAGUETTE VS. THE ITALIAN STIRATO
In addition to the above, the difference between these two stick-shaped breads is largely in the shaping technique.
The baguette (French for “wand”) is shaped through a series of precise folds and rolls to create tension, then scored with a blade to control the rise.
The stirato (Italian for “stretched”) was inspired by the baguette but made from a wetter dough, often a ciabatta base. Instead of being rolled and scored, the dough is simply pulled and stretched into a long shape, resulting in a more rustic, irregular crumb.
THE HISTORY OF THE BAGUETTE
While it feels like an ancient symbol of France, the baguette as we know it is actually a relatively modern invention, achieving its current form only in the early 20th century. From culinary evolution to urban legend, it’s now strictly defined by French law.
Editor’s Note: The croissant, as well, is myth. It was created in the mid-19th century, and not following the siege of Vienna in 1683. Here’s more.
How The Croissant Got Its Long, Thin Shape
There are numerous theories. Here are three:
The Napoleonic “Leg”” Theory. One popular legend suggests that Napoleon Bonaparte’s bakers created the long, thin shape so that soldiers could easily carry their bread in a special pocket down the leg of their uniforms. This is likely a myth. A long, crusty loaf hitting a soldier’s leg while marching would be impractical, and the bread would likely shatter into pieces.
The Paris Métro Theory. Another story claims that during the construction of the Paris Métro around 1900, there were frequent violent disputes between workers from different regions. Because bread at the time was round and heavy, workers carried knives to slice it. The project manager allegedly asked bakers to create a bread that could be torn by hand, allowing him to confiscate the knives and prevent stabbings.
The Most Likely Origin: The Steam Oven & The Labor Law. The true “birth” of the baguette is a combination of technology and social reform: In 1839, August Zang, an Austrian officer, opened a bakery in Paris and introduced the Viennese steam oven. Steam allows the crust to expand before setting, creating that signature thin, crackly crust and airy interior.
A digression: Zang also brought with him the ancestor of both the French croissant and the Italian cornetto: the crescent-shaped kipferl, a sweet yeasted roll. His Viennese techniques led to the baguette and the croissant.
The 1920 French Law: A new law prohibited bakers from working between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. This made it impossible to bake traditional large, round loaves (which take hours to rise) in time for breakfast. The long, thin “wand” (the baguette) was the solution—its high surface-area-to-volume ratio allowed it to rise and bake much faster.
UNESCO Honors: In 2022, the artisanal craft and culture of the baguette was officially added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The Legal Definition Of A Baguette: Le Décret Pain
The baguette is so important to French identity that it is protected by law. In 1993, the French government passed the Décret Pain (Bread Decree), stating that a “baguette de tradition française” must follow strict rules:
Ingredients: Only four are allowed: wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast.
Additives: Absolutely no preservatives or chemical additives.
Freezing: It must never be frozen at any stage of the process.
How The Baguette Got Its Name
Before 1920 or so if you walked into a French bakery, you wouldn’t ask for a “wand.” You would ask for a pain (bread) or a boule (ball/round loaf).
The term “baguette” (French for wand or stick) only started to describe bread in the late 1800s, referring to the new “fancy” elongated breads. It wasn’t officially adopted as the standard name for the 2-foot-long iconic loaf until around 1920, right when those labor law took effect.
The term had other meanings before then:
Baguette de chef d’orchestre: A conductor’s baton.
Baguette magiques: A magician’s wand.
Baguette chinoises: Chopsticks.
Baguette de tambour: Drumsticks.
Baguette de direction: A dipstick for checking car oil.
Diamant baguette: Diamond-cut stones, a long, rectangular-shaped stone (the French simply call it une baguette).
A final naming note: While the French named their baguette after its wand shape, the Italians named their stirato based on the action used to make it, defined by tension and rolling, i.e., stretching.
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