The Best Baguette in Paris

The baguette is practically a symbol of France.  Stroll down any street of Paris and you would be hard pressed not to see someone with a baguette tucked under his or her arm, or sticking out of a bag. Little baguette magnets are sold in souvenir shops, baguettes are served in bread baskets in many restaurants, and special linen or cotton bags are sold in stores to keep the iconic bread fresh. A few years ago when we rented a lovely apartment in Paris, the rental agency gifted us with a beautiful cotton baguette storage bag, which I still have. A fresh baguette de tradition is the first thing I buy upon arriving in Paris and nibble on as I continue with my grocery shopping.

In France, the history of bread is linked with the French Revolution.  Grain and bread riots started in 1724  and became increasingly common due to severe shortages, poor harvests, inadequate transportation systems, grain hoarding and increased prices. The nobility ate copious amounts of fine white bread while the common people faced shortages and ate bread that was barely edible, made with flour and fillers such as sawdust and hay.  The biggest protest, partially over the availability of bread, ended with the storming of the Bastille, (July 14, 1789) and thus playing a big role in the overthrow of the monarchy.  Everyone is familiar with the callous "let them eat cake" remark by Marie Antoinette when she was told that the peasants had no bread, a sentence she most likely never uttered.  A philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau attributed the line to an unnamed princess in his autobiography written in 1765 when Marie Antoinette was just nine years old. Following the Revolution, the availability of good quality bread to everyone was of the highest priority.

The development of steam ovens enabled bakers to produce loaves with a crisp crust and a nice airy inside, but it's difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the baguette, since long loaves, some six feet long, have been made since the time of King Louis XIV.  Napoleon passed a law that bread be made in long thin loaves in order to fit into a special pocket on the uniforms of his soldiers.  A law (1920) which prevented workers from starting work before 4 am, helped to create a long and thin bread that would bake fast enough for the morning rush.  That is also the time when the price of a baguette was regulated, thus ensuring the right to daily bread for every citizen.

There are two most popular types of baguettes:

Baguette ordinaire - made of quick-rising yeast and low-cost white flour.  Even the top boulangeries of today make these to comply with the law which sets the cost of a baguette.

Baguette de tradition, or ancienne, or de Campagne - made according to the Decret Pain, an official decree from 1993 stating that the baguette de tradition must be prepared with wheat  flour, salt, water and leavened with a mix of yeast and natural starter.  This is the superior baguette; it has a deep caramel color, good crunch, some elasticity, irregular holes (a sign of natural yeast), and a terrific taste.

The Decret Pain also states that in order for a place to call itself a Boulangerie (Bakery) it needs to knead its own dough and bake its loaves on premises.  This decree also regulates how bakeries take their vacations.  It is to ensure that each bakery gets their full month of vacation (July or August) but  also that each neighborhood has an open bakery at all times.  So basically half of Parisian bakeries stay open during July and half in August.  They are also compelled to close one day a week.  I usually don't fly home on a Wednesday since Gerard Mulot chose Wednesday to be his bakery's day off.  I like to go home with a couple of his baguettes resting comfortably in my carry on.

 The office of the Mayor of Paris holds an annual competition to choose the best baguette of the year.  On the day of the competition, some 200 bakers deliver their baguettes to a fourteen member jury comprised of bakers, chefs, journalists, and selected volunteers, (call me, I'm available).   Baguettes are immediately disqualified if they do not follow the strict measurements of 55-65cm in length and 250-300g in weight.  The qualifying baguettes are judged on their appearance, smell and flavor.  The winning bakery receives a cash prize of 4,000 euro, and they get to proudly display the sign of 1er Prix Meilleure Baguette, #1 Baguette in Paris.   They also receive enormous publicity as this is an important annual competition in Paris and the bakery becomes the official provider of baguettes for the Palais de L'Elysee, (their White House).  Therefore it is not only enjoyed by the President but also by every visiting foreign dignitary.

The winner for 2017 (2018 will be announced in the Spring) is Brun Boulangerie - 193 rue de Tolbiac (13th).

How to really judge a good baguette?  Well, it needs to have been scored, those are those deep cuts on top.  By scoring the baguette, the baker controls the direction in which the loaf expands while baked.  While being visually pleasing, the cuts can also, at times, be a "signature" of the baker.

The color of a good baguette is a rich dark caramel.

The bottom of the baguette needs to look like the one below, it cannot be marked by tiny dots - a sign of a baguette made in an industrial oven and from frozen dough.

The inside, the crumb - a good baguette will have irregular holes, moist and slightly chewy texture, and a lovely almost nutty flavor.  A crust lacking crunch with tiny regular air holes is an indication of a frozen dough, and mass production.  The mass produced baguette will be cotton-like, dry and tasteless.

Du Pain et des Idees, 34 rue Yves Toudic, is another bakery with very good quality baguettes, and superb Viennoiserie. 

My favorite baguette is from Gerard Mulot - 76 rue de Seine

You will always find a Gerard Mulot baguette in my NY freezer.  The baguette is reserved for either a very special occasion, or for when I need a pick-me-up.

Another really good choice is La Parisienne, 48, rue Madame - Winner in 2016 

Baguettes can be ordered well done - bien cuit or pas trop cuit - not well done, blondish in color

Below is an example of a mass produced baguette made from frozen dough:(

Dry and tasteless.  Yuck

Even some of the Parisian pigeons, those with more discerning taste, shun the ordinary baguette.

So head on over to your local bakery for some delicious baguettes.  

FYI, my favorite baguettes in NYC can be found at Maison Kayser, Breads Bakery, and Almondine in Brooklyn.

Joanna