This is a list of notable French breads, consisting of breads that originated in France.
Baguette – a long, thin type of bread of French origin.[1][2] The "baguette de tradition française" is made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and common salt. It may contain up to 2% broad bean flour, up to 0.5% soya flour, and up to 0.3% wheat malt flour.[3]
Boule de pain – a traditional shape of French bread resembling a squashed ball. It is traditionally prepared using only bread flour, salt, a leavening agent and water.[1]
Brioche – has a high egg and butter content, which gives it a rich, tender and tight crumb.[1]
Croissant – a buttery, flaky, French viennoiseriepastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl but using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough.[4] Croissants are named for their historical crescent shape, the dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded several times in succession, then rolled into a thin sheet, in a technique called laminating. The process results in a layered, flaky texture, similar to a puff pastry.[1]
Faluche – a pale white bread that is a traditional bread in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France and the Tournai region of southern Belgium.
Ficelle – a type of French bread loaf, made with yeast and similar to a baguette but much thinner.
Fougasse – typically associated with Provence but found (with variations) in other regions. Some versions are sculpted or slashed into a pattern resembling an ear of wheat.[1]
Pain aux noix – prepared using whole grain wheat flour and walnuts[1]
Pain brié – a traditional Normandy bread, its name comes from the pounding of the dough, as "brie" is derived from the Old Norman verb brier, meaning "to pound". It has a tight crumb and is a "fairly dense loaf".[1]
Pain complet – prepared using whole wheat flour, it is moist and has a tight crumb texture. It is sometimes prepard using a mix of wheat and white flour.[1]
Pain couronne – named "bread crown" in French for its shaping, it consists of small sourdough rolls that are torn off from the main loaf.[1]
Pain d’épices – French for "spice bread", this is a rye quick bread that includes spices such as cinnamon and honey.[1]
Pain de campagne – French for "country bread", and also called "French sourdough",[5] it is typically a large round loaf (miche) made from either natural leavening or baker's yeast. Most traditional versions of this bread are made with a combination of white flour with whole wheat flour and/or rye flour, water, leavening and salt.[1]
Pain de mie – a white or brown bread with a thin, soft crust. It is used as a sandwich bread at times.[1]
Pain de seigle – a rye bread with flavor notes of chocolate and malt[1]
