Does France really make the best bread in the world? As a baker, I’d say … maybe not
On the way home, a piece of bread gets torn off. This is a romantic tale, yet it hints at the importance of bread and bakers in France, which is what initially made me, a baker from England, so fascinated with the country.
In a blind test, you wouldn't be able to distinguish between frozen goods and their traditional, artisanal counterparts. Frozen pastries and sweets accounted for a notable 24% of all pastries consumed in France in 2021, a higher proportion than was seen in both the UK and Spain.
Even the romanticism surrounding the baguette, a symbol of national identity, becomes more complicated upon closer examination. Initially, this bread was enjoyed by the middle class in Paris, but its production process is relatively costly, even meagrely valued by weight. In addition, its larger oven space results in reduced efficiency compared to baking a larger loaf, and to achieve the perfect "glassy" crust, bakers must painstakingly shape it the very morning it is baked, often resulting in exhausting late shifts. (This isn't a new problem – in fact, the Paris Commune of 1871 implemented a law requiring bakers to stop working such night shifts immediately.) A significant number of workers in traditional bakeries are apprentices struggling to earn a modest income; shop owners often rely on these workers and exploit their low wages.
As crafted by a skilled artisan baker, you'll discover all breads are made and freshly baked on the premises, distinct from factory-produced, pre-frozen loaves. However, it does not confirm that bakers do not utilise pre-mixes and additives in their products, which is a prevalent practice.
There is a supposed link between the rise in type 2 diabetes, gluten intolerance, and digestive problems and a diet dominated by white, refined bread made with refined flour as opposed to more wholesome wholemeal bread. The special type of lactic acid fermentation that occurs during sourdough production, which breaks down gluten and makes nutrients more accessible, is absent from standard white bread made with commercial yeast.
I'm not trying to suggest that my homeland, Britain, is superior. In fact, France is a more agricultural country, with many people still connected to the land and familiar with crops such as wheat. You can still find small-scale "peasant" farmers in France working to cultivate heritage wheat varieties and "population" wheats, which offer a diverse range of flavours and help maintain the health of the soil. Organisations like the Peasant Seed Network and the Breadmakers have helped preserve and spread traditional seed varieties and growing methods, inspiring farmers and growers across the globe.
In the UK, we largely lost sight of our traditional wheat varieties following the industrial revolution, including those that our ancestors cultivated that had naturally adjusted to the local climate and soil conditions. However, in recent years, individuals such as plant-breeder Andy Forbes of Brockwell Bake in south London and historian John Letts of Lammas Fayre in Buckinghamshire, along with Andrew Whitley of Scotland the Bread, have worked tirelessly to rediscover these heritage varieties – they've accomplished this by "amplifying" from small quantities of wheat taken from seed banks, bringing to bakers varieties of wheat that have been dormant for generations. The UK has seen a significant increase in the number of small, independent bakeries specialising in sourdough bread, with bakers learning not only from international bakers (such as those in the US and France), but also through experimentation and mutual knowledge-sharing. In many respects, freed from the conventional rules and expectations of traditional bread-making, there is more exciting bread being crafted in the UK than in France.
France can still teach us a great deal – particularly, the value of universal access to something that brings us daily pleasure. Who wouldn't attest that a crispy, buttery baguette tastes one of life's greatest delights? Moreover, bread is about the baker themselves, someone who can sustain their community and nurture a direct connection between the people and the land.
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