Baguette (aka French Bread [USA], Vienna Bread [France])
Food historians tell us bread was "invented" in 10,000BC.
Techniques spread throughout
the world and evolved according to custom, cuisine, and local grain. Baguette, the hard crusty loaf we currently associate with
France dates only to the
Industrial Revolution. Steam ovens, made possible by scientific advancement, are key in the
manufacture of this
particular bread. In fact? Baguette is not French at all...it was invented by the bakers of Vienna.
"A baguette is a long thin loaf of French bread of the type more commonly known in English as
'French stick', or more
vaguely still, as 'French loaf'. The term has become increasingly familiar in English since the
1960s. It means literally
'littlerod', and is a diminutive form derived ultimately from Latin 'baculum', 'stick staff'."
---An A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p.
15-6)
"Notes on French Bread. For nearly all English people who have ever set foot in France, the
words French bread' evoke
a golden-brown baguette or a long thin ficelle, the crust crisp and sweet with its characteristic
leaf-shaped surface cuts,
the crumb white and pitted with irregular holes, many of them very large. To us, the holes are a
part of the proper
character of this kind of bread...the French do use a good deal of soft flour, because that is what
is
produced from the
wheat grown in France. So they have long ago adapted their bread techniques to their flour. Or
rather, what they adapted
was the 'Vienna' technique, and this didn't happen until some time in the mid nineteenth cnetury; it
was the Viennese
oven, with its steam injectors and its sloping floor, or sole, which was mainly responsible for
creating the tradition of
French bread as we know it today. English bakers, and indeed many of the older French ones,
still call this type of bread
'Vienna' bread, the true French bread being the old round or cylindrical hand-shaped 'pain de
campagne' or pain de
menage', plump, and crossed with cuts to that when baked the crust is of many different shades,
gradations and textures
and the crumb rather open and coarse. It is this bread which is now enjoying something of a
revival in France, perhaps
because the Vienna type has not taken very kindly to the short-time dough maturing and the rapid
mechanical kneading
and moulding techniques of the 1970s, partly because a well made 'pain de campagne' keeps
much better than
baguette' loves, which is to day that it will stay moist for as long as two days, even three, whereas
the long, crusty, thin
loaf is, as we know, stale within an hour of emerging from the oven, and for the French three days
is a long time to keep
a loaf of bread."
---English Bread and Yeast Cookery, Elizabeth David [Penguin:Middlesex] 1979 (p.
363-4)
[NOTE: This book contains far more information on the history and evolution of French bread
than can be paraphrased
here. Ask your librarian to help you find a copy.]
A survey of 19th-20th century American cookbooks reveal some recipes for French bread but none
for baguette. This
might imply this is the provence of the professional baker. This professional baking text confirms:
"Remarks concerning hearth breads--Vienna bread, French bread, Hard crust rolls.
Vienna Bread which is made by either the Straight or Sponge-Dough method, differs in nearly
every shop, and in many
bakeries is far from being the genuine article. It requires a semi-tight dough and more age than for
Pan Bread. Likewise
for best results, a good supply of low pressure steam for the oven is indispensible. It was the
carefulness of the Vienna
baker, together with the good material employed, that made his loaf famous. It is chiefly care and
workmanship that give
Vienna bread its quality.
After the loaves are moulded, they are laid, smooth side down, on cloth-covered boards, with
the cloth pinched up
between the loaves, and allowed to rest until double in size; then cut and baked with a good
supply of steam. If no steam
is available, wash with water before cutting the loaves. Other bakers lay the loaves in boxes or on
boards in specially
built covers, dusting the boards with corn flour, rice polish, flour or finely ground bread crumbs,
setting the loaves far
enough apart to prevent sticking. If boxes or boards are used in this manner, loaves must be laid
smooth side
up....French Bread is handled in much the same manner, only it requires a softer dough. Hard
crust Rolls can be made to
good advantage from either French or Vienna dough."
---A Treatise on Baking, Julius E. Wilfahart [Fleischman Division, Standard Brands
Incorporated:New York]
1927 (p. 356-7)
[NOTE: (1) The 1907 edition of this book contains a brief reference to Vienna bread which is
greatly expanded in this
edition.]
There is a rumor that Napoleon ordered his bakers to make long, thin loaves so they could be
transported in his soldier's pants. According to the food historians this is not true:
"The baguette was said to have been invented during Napoleon's Russian campaign when he
ordered a new shape of bread that could be carried down his troops' trouser legs. In fact, it was
introduced in the 1920s after a new law banned bakers from working before 4am. They did not
have enough time to bake a fresh boule for breakfast, so they created the baguette."
---"Marching on its stomach," Sam Coates, The Times (London), August 19, 2004,
Home news; 6
"American hyperbole is selling French bread abroad and, as the subsequent article shows,
American beer even in Munich. UPON entering a boulangerie, the mastery of a good French
baker is mouth-wateringly apparent from the buttery croissants and pains au chocolat displayed at
child's-eye level. The baguettes are stacked high behind the counter, their crusts crackling softly
as the heat seeps out of them. Lately this has become a moveable feast. Boulangeries have
appeared in cities across the world: Au Bon Pain in the United States, D(acute)elifrance across
Asia as well as countless p(circumflex)atisseries in Europe. Of course, such establishments also
sell other breads, and cakes. But they deal chiefly in authenticity, wrapping themselves in the
tricolore, boasting in cute French phrases of baguettes made from French flour kneaded by
French hands. Sometimes they try even harder to establish their pedigree. The baguette was
invented during Napoleon's campaign in Russia, gushes the blurb of one. Traditional round
loaves took up space needed for extra clothes. Napoleon therefore ordered a new shape of bread
to be designed that could be carried down the soldiers' trouser-legs. What a load of old brioche.
The ingredients might come from France, but the marketing is straight from Madison Avenue.
The baguette is unmistakably French. It is also often delicious. But it is not that much more
traditional than the TGV express trains that slice their way through the French countryside. The
French word for baker is boulanger, he who makes boules, or round loaves, not a "baguettier"
who makes sticks. In fact the baguette dates back to the 1920s, and its progress has done to
traditional French baking what the white sliced has done to the British loaf. Changing technology
was partly responsible for the baguette's introduction. By the 1920s most French bakeries were
equipped with the steam ovens needed to caramelise the starch on the surface of the loaf to give it
a golden, slightly translucent crust. History also played a part. The first world war created a
shortage of manpower and traditional loaves prepared from a sourdough became too
labour-intensive for many bakers. But the coup de gr(circumflex)ace was legal. In October 1920 a
new
law came into force that prevented bakers from working before 4am, which meant that they did
not have time to bake a fresh boule for the breakfast table. They thus turned to the rapidly
prepared baguette. The baguette was a wow. Bakers liked it because it was convenient to make
and stayed fresh for only a few hours. Hence customers visited bakeries two or three times a day.
Consumers liked the baguette because it is whiter and sweeter than sourdough breads. As the
flour got whiter, the proving accelerated and the crumb became more like cotton-wool, France's
traditional breads, once almost as numerous as its cheeses, were forgotten. And yet, just as the
baguette is waging a campaign of Napoleonic proportions in international markets, at home there
has been something of a revival of traditional baking. Elizabeth David noted the trend as far back
as the late 1970s, in her classic book on bread and yeast cookery. In France itself, Lionel Poil
(circumflex) ane, a baker on the Left Bank in Paris, has built a career--and a business--baking
loaves in the traditional 19th-century way, with a rich, slightly sour flavour."
--- "French bread abroad. Sold with an American accent," The Economist, September 27,
1997, U.S. Edition, MOREOVER section
In 1993 the French government officially defined baguette. Details
in French here.
Brioche
"Let them eat cake!"
Food historians tell us the composition of brioche has evolved over time. The brioche referenced
by Marie Antoinette in her famous "Let them eat cake" phrase ("Qu'ils manget de la brioche") was
probably not the same light, flaky roll we enjoy today.
"Brioches originated as soft and light white loaves, enriched with butter and eggs, much much less
so than those we know today. They were baked without moulds. Looking at Chardin's beautiful
paintings of brioches you can see that he has quite clearly defined the notches round the base of
his cottage-loaf-shaped confections, which are handsome and tall but not tidy like a moulded
cake. So I think that in the eighteenth century, and at the time of that poor, foolish Marie
Antoinette is supposed to have said, when told that the people of Paris were rioting for bread,
qu'ils manget de al brioche', the composition of the cake must have been simply that of an
enriched bread much like that of our own Bath buns and Sally Lunns, so made at that period
without benefit of moulds or tins, although paper bands were sometimes wrapped round them for
baking. Certainly it would not be possible to bake today's liquid brioche mixture or crust for a
fillet of beef or a large sausage then the brioche mixture is made with fewer eggs and less butter,
or it would be impossible to handle."
---English Bread and Yeast Cookery, Elizabeth David [Penguin:Middlesex] 1977 (p.
497)
[NOTE: This book contains far more information than can be paraphrased here. Ask your librarian
to help you find a copy.]
"The word brioche originated as a derivative of the verb brier, a northern dialect variant of Old
French broyer, 'knead'; this was a Germanic loanword, related to Old High German brehhan,
break'."
---An A-Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 43)
"Brioche. A soft loaf or roll made from a yeast dough enriched with butter and eggs. The word
brioche first appeared in 1404, and for a long time its etymology was the subject of controversy.
Some maintained that the pastry originated in Brie, and Alexandre Dumas claimed that the dough
was originally kneaded with the dough was originally kneaded with cheese from Brie. It is now
considered that brioche is derived from the verb "brier," and old Norman form of the verb broyuer
meaning "to pound" (this is found in pain brie, a specialty of Normandy). This explanation is all
the more likely since the brioches from Gournay and Gisors in Normandy have always been highly
regarded."
---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 147)
"The word, which has been in use since at least the 15th century, is derived from the verb
"broyer," meaning to break up, and refers to the prolonged kneading of the dough. The brioche
may have originated in Normandy. In support of this theory is the fact that the quality of the
butter is what determines the quality of a brioche and that Normandy has been famed for its butter
since the Middle Ages. Whatever the truth, the brioche arrived in Paris in the 17th century...Since
some time in the 19th century it has been customary to bake a brioche in a deep, round, fluted tin,
narrow at the base and flaring widely at the top...Brioche is usually eaten at breakfast or teatime,
with coffee or hot chocolate; and in its modern form it consitutes a delicacy, slightly closer in
British eyes to cake than to bread. However, "Quils mangent de la brioche" (usually translated
into
English as "let them eat cake"), the statement attributed to Marie Antoinette on being told that the
people of Paris were rioting because they had no bread, has achieved more notoriety than it
deserves. Eighteenth-century brioche was only lightly enriched (by modest quantities of butter and
eggs) and not very far removed from a good white loaf of bread."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p.
107)
Compare these recipes:
[1828] Brioche paste
Take fifteen good fresh eggs, four pounds of very dry flour, and two pounds of fresh butter. Lay
the flour on the table after you have sifted it. Divide it into four equal parts, take one of them to
make the levian; make a hole in the centre, and use some yeast that has been well washed., What
we call wshing the yeast, is pouring some water over it, stirring it, and then letting it stand still.
When all the dregs are at the bottom of the vessel, you throw away all the water that is on the top,
and take about a large table-spoonful of the sediment which you put into the fourth part of the
flour. Then take some hot water, pour it gently over the yeast, and mix the paste directly, in order
to avail yourself of its strength. Do not make it too liquid; powder some flour in a little stew-pan,
put the yeast paste [what we call levain] into the pan, make slight slits over the paste: cover the
pan, and lay it before the fire; a quarter of an hour after, see whether the yeast has risen; if it has
swelled, dilute the brioche directly in the following manner:
Make a great hole in the remaining three fourths of the flour, put four small pinches of salt on as
many different places, with a good pinch of sugar to correct the bitter taste of the yeast, and a
little water to melt the salt. Then take two pounds of butter, which you break into small pieces
with your hand, and put in the middle of the flour: next break the eggs, and smell them
successively to ascertain if they are good: mix the whole well together, and then faisez the paste
as follows; spread it lengthways on the edge of the table, then with the palms of both hands, press
upon it, pushing it by degrees towards the middle of the table; when you have thus worked the
whole of the paste, bring it back again towards the edge, and fraisez it a second time, again bring
it near the edge of the table, andpour it back again towards the edge of the table, and pour the
yeast paste all over it; next divide the whole into small pieces, which you shift from one place to
another; this operation is to mix the yeast with the paste properly. Now fraisez the paste well
again twice, and gather the whole up together. Take a large sieve or an earthen pan, in which
spread a towel, powder a little flour over the towel, put the paste on it, and cover it with the
towel. In simmer time remove the paste to a cool place, and in the winter to a warm one. Observe
that the paste is better when made on the preceding day, and take care to break the paste several
times before you use it; then cut it into equal pieces, and shape them with the palms of your
hands; lay these on the less even size; shape off small balls which you turn also with your palms,
bursh them over with a beaten egg, then make a little hollow, put the small ball into it, brush twice
over with the egg, and bake it in a hot oven. Ifc you wish to make a large brioche, you must make
a very large round well-bittered paper-case; and them mould your paste accordingly. Make a head
the same as for the small one, and bake in a hot oven, but not so hot as is used for the small ones,
for the larger the articles on the pastries are, the less must be the heat of the oven. The borders of
the brioche, or pies, &c. Would burn before the middle part could hardly be heated. When you
perceive that the brioche has colour enough, if it should not be thoroughly baked, cover it with
paper without losing sight of the colour. This same paste may serve to make all sorts of little
entrements, such as Les petites nattes en gateaux de Nanterre; Les petits pains
sucres. The only difference is, that you must put some coarse sugar over these, and
sometimes currants inside.
If you make them of different shapes, you give them different names, and byt his means you maek
a multiplicity of entrements; however, you have already a sufficient number of them at
your disposal, without introducing many sorts of brioches, as they are too nourishing after dinner;
but they are very good for balls and routs. It is easy to make a great number of different dishes
with the brioche paste, by giving it different forms, and employing different means for the top;
sometimes use the dorure, sometimes use the white of egg, and sometimes coarse sugar
spread over without colour; put patper over them to prevent them from taking too much colour.
Sometimes you may use milk alone to colour it, sometimes the same paste. When you have given
several forms to the paste, and intend to give them several names, you may likewise change the
flavour by using a little saffron dissolved in a glass of malaga and sugar: make some of
one sort, with half of this paste, and with the remainder add a few black currants, and give to
these a different form still; by these means you will obtain a multiplicity of cakes, having all the
same originals, but possessing different flavours, and different appearances."
---The French Cook, Louis Eustache Ude, photoreprint of 1828 edition published by
Carey, Lea and Carey, Philadelphia [Arco Publishing Company:New York] 1978 (p. 403-5)
[1869] Brioche
"Take 1 lb. of sifted flour; put a fourth part of it on the paste-board to maek the sponge; make a
hollow in the centre of the flour, and put in it 1/2 oz. of German yeast dissolved in 1/2 gill of
warm water; mix as for puff paste, but rather softer; When the paste is made, gather it in a lump,
and put it to rise in a warm place, in a covered stewpan, with a little warm water in it; take the
remaining three parts of flour; make a hollow in the centre; then add:
1 pinch of salt,
1/2 oz. of sugar,
2 tablespoonfuls of water, to melt the sugar and salt,
10 oz. of butter,
4 eggs;
Mix the paste lightly; then add another egg; mix again, adding another egg, till 7 eggs in all have
been used in the paste,--which must be neither too soft, nor too hard. When the sponge has risen
to twice its original size, mix it lightly with the paste, and put the whole in a basin, in a warm
place, for four hourse; after which, put it on the board; roll and fold it, over and over again; put it
back int he basin, to rise again, for two hours; and repeat the folding and pressing down; then put
the paste in a very cold place, for two hours. After that time, form into a round lump, and put it
on to a baking-sheet; make a hole in the centre, and pull out the the paste till it forms a ring 12
inches in diameter; let it rest; egg it well with the paste brush; then make an incision all round the
inside of the ring, and open it well, to prevent its closing; put in a brisk oven for half an hour. I
advise giving the brioche this shape, as it will make it easier to bake; it can, however, be made up
into loaves, rolls, buns, or any fancy shape."
---The Royal Cookery Book, Jules Gouffe, translated from the French and adapted for
English use by Alphonse Gouffe [Sampson Low, Son, and Marston:London] 1869 (p. 199-200)
[1903] 4314 Brioche Paste
"Ingredients: 500g (1 lb 2 oz) sifted flour, 250g (9 oz) butter, 6 eggs, 12g (1/2 oz) yeast, 15g (1/2
oz) salt, 25g (1 oz) sugar, 1dl (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cup) lukewarm water.
Method:
1. Take a quarter of the flour and make a well in the centre; place in the yeast and dissolve it with
a little of the water. Add a little more water, mix into the flour and make it into a soft paste. Roll
in a ball, cut a cross on top, cover and allow to prove in a warm place until doubled in size.
2. Make a well in the remainder of the flour, place 2 tbs lukewarm water or milk and 4 of the eggs
in it and mix to a dough kneading and beating it vigorously on the table. Add the other eggs one
at a time continuing to knead the paste well. When it is very smooth and elastic add the salt and
sugar dissolved in a littel water, then spread on top the butter, softened to the same texture as the
paste; knead small portions of the paste and butter together and successively, then gradually
reassemble the whole together.
3. At this stage place the first dough which would be doubled in size on top of this paste and mix
in small amounts at a time until all is amalgamated. Place the paste in a basin, cover with a cloth
and keep in a fairly cool place to prove for 12 hours. After 5 or 6 hours arrest the fermentation of
the paste by beating itwith the palm of the hand then allow it to prove again for the remaining
time.
Note:
1. By increasing the amount of butter a finer paste can be obtained; up to 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) may be
used but usually 400g (14 oz) is sufficient.
2. The more butter there is in a brioche paste the less it must be kneaded.
3. This paste is used for certain fruit timbales. In this case it is placed to prove in a tall Charlotte
mould and cooked in the same mould."
---The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, A. Escoffier, translated by H.L.
Cracknell and R.J. Kaufmann [John Wiley & Sons:New York] 1979 (p. 513-4)
Related food? Kugelhopf.
Campaillou
Campaillou is a contemporary artisan French sourdough bread composed in the rustic style. The concept is ancient; the modern product is a brilliant marketing coup.
Back to (delicious!) basics. Campaillou is generally is described as "light rye sourdough." About sourdough.
Although Campaillou's concept is ancient, the earliest print references we find to breads with this name are from the early 1990s. This coincides with the birth of the
artisan (aka artisanal) bread movement. We find no references to Campaillou in Larousse Gastronomique (1938, 1961, 2001), Julia Child's
cookbooks,
Beard on Bread/James Beard or other bread history books.
Qu'est-ce que Campaillou? Descriptions & photos I &
II
Campaillou in the news:
""Maison Blanc started 10 years ago because we couldn't find decent French bread anywhere in Britain and we needed it for the restaurant," says Jenny Blanc, who
was then partner with her former husband, the chef Raymond Blanc. "When we started, there wasn't a part-baked frozen or ready-to-cook petit pain in the shops
and supermarkets didn't even sell croissants. Now you can buy them anywhere, albeit many are frightful. "Opening the bakery was something of a landmark. It
became so successful because it was the first real taste in Britain of a genuine French product." Until then, "French" loaves in Britain had been made with English or
Canadian flour by British bakers. The Blancs set out to import French flour. They could then offer authentic French bread made with French flour by French
bakers. "We still buy from our original suppliers. We were their first customer in the UK, now they have lots more. It wasn't difficult getting them to deliver, but we
had to take a large consignment, three or four months' supply. Now they've got a depot and an office and everything in this country and we get supplies weekly.
"Originally we ran the bakery more as a hobby, because our main interest was in the hotel and restaurant. Then, about two years ago, when the business was
divided, I decided to develop it because there is now such a demand for speciality breads."..."Baguettes are still our best sellers. In addition, everyone is looking for
something that says health and quality and looks rustic. The traditional French flours we use don't contain any additives." It is only the flours for the English breads
made at Maison Blanc that contain any improvers.Four bakers, under chef boulanger Olivier Bileau, make the 42 different types of loaves and rolls produced in the
bakery every night. They start work at about 7pm to make the bread doughs, prove, shape and then bake the loaves in one of three ovens. The speciality French
breads go into either a rack oven or a flat oven and the English tin and cob loaves in a standard baker's oven. The doughs are mixed by machine but every French
loaf, except the baguettes, is shaped by hand. A loaf from Maison Blanc takes about five hours to make. The paysan, cereale, Parisien, campagne, campailloum
seigle, tournesol, bavarois rye, pain de son, pain a l'oignon, country grain, marbre and various pains aux raisins and olives are more-or-less round or oval. The pain aux noix has a curious flat top, made by rolling a flat edge from the basic round and folding it back over the loaf. The tresse is a dextrously executed plait dressed with poppy seeds and the meule couronne a crown-shaped baguette. The rolls are in different shapes, including the Maison's mini Oxfordian which started life in the shape of a mortarboard but has now evolved into a plump roll with a cross cut in the top. There is also a hybrid flat ciabatta made with French flour but light golden, less floury than many and delicious. The baguettes - batard, couronne, Parisien, tresse - are made with meule flour, a coarsely stoneground unbleached white flour from the Beauce region. Cereale is a mix of four flours: rye, barley, oats and rice plus wheatgerm and rye. Campagne is a light white bread; marbre a marbled mix of doughs from rye and campagne flours; country grain contains rye, oats, rice, wheat, maize and buckwheat flours and sesame and sunflower seeds. Campaillou contains some sourdough starter along with the yeast and is crusty and moist. Tournesol is a wheat and rye flour with sunflower seeds; pain de son has added bran and is covered in crushed bran. "We've always had a core of French bakers, but we have had one or two good English bakers who have picked up the French techniques very well. Patisserie is another matter. It is many years of training, more difficult and all our patissiers are French," says Jenny Blanc. She has a cordon bleu training. "I spent several years cooking in my parents' hotel, the Rose Revived at Newbridge, a lovely little Cotswold hotel and restaurant on the river. But my experience is really on the business side and I don't cook now."---"Boom-time catering to the upper crust - Maison Blanc. (1 of 2)," By Janette Marshall, The Independent - London, 6 April 1991 (p. 35)
"Brakes has turned to traditional breadmaking methods to produce its new range of part-baked Artisan Breads aimed at providing a premium bread offering for
operators wanting to add variety, quality and a point of difference without the hassle or skill involved in making it from scratch. The breads are made using natural
and premium ingredients such as spelt, Campaillou and Camp Remy flours. Some are bulk-fermented for up to eight hours, a process which reduces the need for
yeast and allows the flavours to develop and spread throughout the dough. The dough is then stone-baked, which gives the bread a strong crust and unique
appearance. Those launched under the Real French brand are made in France from wheat grown a minimum of half-a-mile from any roads."
---"Daily bread," Caterer & Hotelkeeper 22 February 2007
"Euro doughs Traditional breadmaking methods are the mark of Brakes Premier Artisan Bread Range of part-baked breads that require just a few minutes in the
oven. They are bulk-fermented for up to eight hours to reduce the need for yeast and to allow the traditional flavours and ingredients to spread through the dough.
The dough is carefully handled to retain air, and stone-baked for a strong crust and deep flavour.Four lines under the Real French brand are made from wheat
grown a quarter-of-a-mile from any road. They include Pavé Rustique Pavé Rustique Multi-Cereals, with brown and yellow linseed, sesame and sunflower seeds
and an oat flake finish the hand-finished, chewy Baguette Artisan, made from rich Camp Rémy flour and the Artisan Bread Selection, which includes lines made
from a 50-year-old starter dough.Other breads include Focaccia, an Olive Bloomer, a hand-cut, Soil Association-certified Organic Bloomer, using organic and
malt wheat flour, and the Campagne Rye Boule, a blend of French wheat, light rye and Campaillou flour. Pack sizes range from 10 to 30 rolls."
---"Buy It: Baking sense," Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 26 June 2008
Have questions? Ask!