Bread Types & Names

[Dave Hatfield]

Just when I think I've learned most types of bread and their names I keep running into new ones.

Recently I found a delicious and very rustic loaf called a 'tintin', never seen it before despite buying bread all over France for many years. This is just a recent example, but there are many more types that keep cropping up.

Does anyone know of a really comprehensive guide (encyclopedia of bread perhaps?) to all the types and names of bread in France? Something way beyond the posters that one sees around.

All help appreciated.

[jackal10]

There are many, but I know of no comprehensive worldwide encylopedia. New ones are invented or renamed all the time

I have "The Bakery Book" by Emil Braun, 2 vols van Nostrand 1903 "profusely illustrated", but that is probably not what you meant.

"Special and Decorative breads" (Bilheux,Escoffier,Herve,Pouradier) 2 vols, 1987 is fairly comprehensive

Elizabthe David in in English Bread illustrates most English shapes

[Dave Hatfield]

There are many, but I know of no comprehensive worldwide encylopedia. New ones are invented or renamed all the time

I have "The Bakery Book" by Emil Braun, 2 vols van Nostrand 1903 "profusely illustrated", but that is probably not what you meant.

"Special and Decorative breads" (Bilheux,Escoffier,Herve,Pouradier) 2 vols, 1987 is fairly comprehensive

Elizabthe David in in English Bread illustrates most English shapes

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Thanks for the tips. I guess what I'm looking for is something that combines types with shapes.

For an easy example; our local boulangerie mainly makes pain de compagne (country bread) otherwise know as pain de levain (yeast bread).

They sell it as baguettes, an épi, a floute and a couronne in terms of size. So, one type four sizes.

A baker over in Villefranche sells a whole variety of 'Valantines'. These not only come in several sizes, they also are made of different doughs pain de seigle (rye bread) for instance.

As you visit more & more bakers it gets more and more complicated.

Probably your remark about new inventions & renaming is the real answer. Also, I'm sure there are a lot of regional variations for the same thing.

[Ptipois]

A tricky question since, to begin with, traditional bread shapes (which vary according to the regions) should be distinguished from the innumerable new bread shapes with alluring country-style names that are dictated by the flour companies' marketing departments to the boulangers all over France. It seems that there are new ones coming out every week. That makes the matter very complicated.

All in all, until we may go further into the investigation, please note that:

- The more "country"-like a bread sounds from its name (campaillette, campaillou, banette, pain bûcheron, pain du meunier, etc.), the more likely it is to be shaped by the perverse mind of the modern bread marketing industry.

- "Baguette de tradition" (so-called traditional baguette) is as far as it is possible to be from the true traditional baguette au levain, which disappeared sometime during the 1970s and was a completely different product. Baguette de tradition française was created according to government regulations in 1995 with the Décret Balladur (a good move, by the way, and a good product, but very different from the traditional baguette of which you may rarely find remnants in some country villages, especially in the Western regions). Modern traditional baguette is more chewy and less sour than true traditional baguette.

- "Pain de campagne" is not "pain au levain". Pain de campagne defines a shape, or a set of shapes, and levain is a special type of fermented dough, that may be translated as sourdough. Now a pain de campagne may be "au levain" and "pain au levain" may be made in any possible shape (baguette au levain for instance). It is better to choose pain au levain from a boulanger who uses only that type of dough and does not have a choice of non-levain and levain breads. Laurent Bonneau on rue d'Auteuil for instance keeps his liquid levain in a large milk tank at a constant temperature, which gives him a steady supply.

For traditional shapes of bread in France, the best reference book is Lionel Poilâne's Le Guide de l'amateur de pain, unfortunately out of print. He worked on another book, Le Pain, shortly before his death. The book was finished by his daughter Apollonia who takes care of the bakery now.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[Dave Hatfield]

Pti; Thanks for setting me straight and for your helpful information.

I'm searching for the book. No luck yet, but I'll keep trying.

I did, however, run across an obituary of M.Poilâne which you might find of interest.

Its here. Very nicely and lovingly written. This sounds like a man I would have loved to meet.

[Ptipois]

Pti; Thanks for setting me straight and for your helpful information.

I'm searching for the book. No luck yet, but I'll keep trying.

I did, however, run across an obituary of M.Poilâne which you might find of interest.

Its here. Very nicely and lovingly written. This sounds like a man I would have loved to meet.

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You're quite welcome.