Tour of France of breads

How many of these breads have you tested

Le Subrot (Alsace)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Sübrot (Alsace)

This bread has a unique shape: two overlapping diamonds. It's a light and crusty bread that is sold cheaply. Its name comes from its low price, with "Sü" being an old word for a shilling, and "brot" meaning bread. It was invented in the 18th century for city bread-buyers, before slowly spreading to the villages.  

La Couronne Bordelaise (Aquitaine)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Couronne Bordelaise (Aquitaine)

Also known as the Couronne des rois bordelaises, this crown-shaped bread is made up of eight or nine bread rolls connected by rolled out dough. This bread is made from farmhouse sourdough and rye flour.

Le Bougnat (Auvergne)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Bougnat (Auvergne)

Made of wheat and rye flour, the bougnat is a specialty bread of the Auvergne region that can last for a long time. It is often used to prepare sandwiches.

Le Bourguignon (Bourgogne)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Bourguignon (Bourgogne)

This bread's dough is made up of at least 10% rye and it is fermented using a sourdough starter or poolish. It can come in different shapes such as the bâtard or joko (a short stick), or the boulot, which is oval-shaped.

Le Floron (Bretagne)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Floron (Brittany)

Invented in 1989 by the Association des Boulangers Bretons Créateurs, this bread is made from three kinds of flour from the Brittany region: wheat, buckwheat and rye. The ermine, the symbol of Brittany, is cut into its crust.

L Amitchote (Franche-Comte)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Amitchote (Franche-Comté)

The Amitchote is a recent bread invention, created in 2002. It is made up of two types of bread that are baked into one another: a farmhouse and an aromatic bread. Its shape represents the logo of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.

La Baguette Parisienne de Tradition Francaise (Ile-de-France)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Baguette Parisienne de Tradition Française (Ile-de-France)

It is made from wheat flour, salt, yeast, and water, is between 21.7 and 26.6 inches (55–65 cm) long, and weighs between 8.8 and 10.6 ounces (250–300g). 

Le Pain Paillasse de Lodeve (Languedoc-Roussilon)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pain Paillasse de Lodève (Languedoc-Roussillon)

This bread disappeared in 1889 before making a comeback in 1949. It is connected to Saint Fulcran, the Patron Saint of Lodève. It owes its name to the paillasse (the straw basket that's used while making it). It isn't weighed or shaped, and has a somewhat earthy taste.

Le Cramique (Nord Pas-de-Calais)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Cramique (Nord Pas-de-Calais)

Made with a milk base and sometimes sprinkled with granulated sugar, this brioche bread is also known as a craquelin or couque. It dates back to the 17th century.  It can be found in the north of France as well as in Belgium.

Le Pain Tourne (Limousin)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pain Tourné (Limousin)

An elaborate twisted bread made from wheat flour. It is said to date back to the start of the 20th century. The author Pierre L'Escurol mentions twisted bread being made in an article from 1909. It is usually just under 30 inches (75 cm) long and weighs around 1 pound (400–500 g).

Le Pain Brie (Normandie)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pain Brié (Normandy)

Pain Brié, with its aromas of wheat, originates from Spain and was introduced into Normandy in 1588 after the shipwreck of the Calvador vessel. It takes its name from the brie, which is a tool used during the kneading process of this bread.  It has a blonde crust and a dense texture.

Le Pain de Meteil (Pays de la Loire)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pain de Méteil (Pays de la Loire)

A dark bread that was originally made from a flour of milled meslin (a mixture of common wheat and rye). It is often used to make pain surprise (party-style, surprise sandwiches tucked in an empty loaf) and sandwiches.

Le Pain de Tradition Picarde (Picardie)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pain de Tradition Picarde (Picardy)

This bread is made from spelt flour, sometimes from a poolish (a liquid sourdough starter with a base of flour, water, and yeast).

Le Souflame (Poitou-Charentes)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Souflame (Poitou-Charentes)

It's a kind of soft fougasse that weighs between 10.6 ounces and 17.6 ounces (300–500 g), made by cooking the leftover bits of bread dough over charcoal and ash.

La Fougasse (Provence-Alpes-Cote-d Azur)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Fougasse (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)

A specialty of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in the south of France that was originally used to help the baker check the temperature of their oven and serve a snack to their apprentices. From then on, Fougasse began to be sold in boulangeries.

La Couronne Lyonnaise (Rhones-Alpes)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Couronne Lyonnaise (Rhône-Alpes)

This crown-shaped white bread is sprinkled with flour before being baked in the oven. The baker first shapes the dough into a ball before piercing the center with the palm of their hand and then turning it enlarge the hole.

La Tradi Poire du Loiret (Centre)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Tradi Poire du Loiret (Center)

This bread was created in 2003 by the 5th Salon National de la Boulangerie. It has a distinctive orange color due to the addition of turmeric. A piece of Tradi Poire du Loiret goes perfectly with Sancerre goat's cheese.

Macatia (Réunion)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Le Macatia (Ile de la Réunion)

This bread comes from Réunion Island. According to the historian Prosper Ève, it symbolizes the bread eaten by slaves. It's a sugary bread that can be garnished with chocolate, banana, or coconut. Savory versions also exist topped with bacon, ham, cheese, etc. 

Le Pomme-Cannelle (Guadeloupe)Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie et Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française

Pomme-Cannelle (Guadeloupe)

This apple, cinnamon and sometimes honey-flavored brioche bread originally comes from Guadeloupe. It is made in the shape of a pomme-cannelle (sugar apple), a fruit native to Guadeloupe.

Credits: Story

Photo credit: © Ilan Waiche - EPI

Articles inspired by Espace Pain Information (EPI)

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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