The French now prefer a “very white” baguette, much to the displeasure of bakers. BN and a food sociologist explain how our habits have changed and why it’s unfortunate.
Is the team “well made” or “oversized”? While some swear by a golden and very crunchy baguette, baguettes with a whitish crust and plenty of crumb are proliferating on the market. However, artisan bakers are convinced that a well-baked baguette is the best. So why are the new generations avoiding it so much? Explanations with Meilleur Ouvrier de France baker Olivier Magne (1) and food sociologist Philippe Cardon (2).
For MOF Olivier Magne, a good baguette is “crispy and well-cooked, with a caramelized crust and a slightly moist and honeyed crumb, ie irregular bubbles.” The signature of bread from good fermentation and good breakdown of sugars during cooking. “A baguette made with love, what?” In contrast, an enthusiast describes an undercooked baguette as “tasteless, tasteless, rubbery and indigestible.” If Olivier Magne is so adamant about his preferences in terms of cooking, the undercooked baguette is becoming very popular in his Parisian bakery Farine & O; “The questions are non-stop. Two-thirds of my sales are baguettes that have not been successfully cooked, so I have to adjust my offer to the demand,” he regrets.
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“Squeaky, but not too much”
You don’t need to go to a bakery to witness this separation. After two baguettes side by side with very different preparations were published on social networks on Twitter, the debate about the national symbol is raging. In response, Internet users defend their preferences tooth and nail. “The bread is not cooked enough. Just better, crunchy but not too much, ideal for a sandwich”, “Better on the right side, no debate”, “Uncooked baguette is a baking distraction”, “Tired of white bread bread”, “Enjoy! baked bread”, we can read in the comments.
Industrialization set it apart
While no official study confirms the new preference for less baked bread, for food sociologist Philippe Cardon, this success can be attributed to industrialization. “It’s not from yesterday. Mechanization of flour mills took place in the 19th century, which accelerated in the 20th century. Then we started making bread with white flour, in the post-war period, white bread became the norm,” says the expert.
In the face of industrialization, there is a real struggle by bakers to define a good baguette.
Philippe Cardon, sociologist
In the 1980s, large retailers invaded the bakery space, selling less and less baked bread at more affordable prices, leading to a “bread war” between supermarkets and bakers. “Given industrialization, there’s a real struggle among bakers to define a good baguette,” explains Philippe Cardon. Olivier Magne shares this opinion. “It’s globalization, the Americanization of things. Children no longer want to eat very hard things. Look at all the sandwich breads in the supermarket that look like this.” The baker also places this phenomenon in the desolation of rural areas. “We still eat a well-baked baguette in the villages, where the habits remain unchanged, passed down from generation to generation.”
White bread is bad for your health
If an undercooked baguette is highly coveted at the moment, sociologist Philippe Cardon cautiously predicts a change in habits thanks to the medical profession: “Doctors talk a lot about the negative impact of white bread on health. Perhaps this discourse will slowly make its way to consumers. Baker MOF explains that when the baguette is not finished baking, the starch does not cook. Result? “In addition to a very soft baguette that doesn’t store well, the body will have a hard time digesting it.” They will understand: “a well-baked baguette, please” is the sentence we should utter during our next visit to the bakery.
(1) Flour & O 10 rue des Martyrs, 75009 Paris. Phone: 01.48.78.20.17
(2) Philippe Cardon lecturer at the University of Lille.
Source: Le Figaro
