Differences Between French and Italian Bread
Two of the most famous types of bread on the globe are French and Italian bread. Despite their obvious different geographic origins, it’s worth knowing what makes these types of bread different from each other.
If you have been wondering what differentiates French from Italian bread, you’re at the right place.
In this article, we will talk about the differences between French and Italian bread.
What Is French Bread?
When we think of French bread, baguette usually comes to mind. Baguette is a long, thin, and crusty loaf. It is France’s most popular bread and is eaten by most of the citizens in various provinces in the country. However, baguette is not the only type of bread made in France.
French bread is made from white flour. It contains a typically strong and chewy crust. Oftentimes, because of the sourdough starters used to prepare the bread, its interior contains a lot of bubbles.
However, not all French bread is sourdough. The typical type of French loaf is shaped into a torpedo, batard, or baguette style. The standard form of the loaf in France is the baguette style.
France features a long history that impacted its culinary strategy. Due to this, French bread became one of their trademarks. French law states that in making this, the portions should contain only flour, water, yeast, and salt in varying amounts.
The origin of French bread can be traced back to Vienna in the 19th century. Prior to this period, people baked bread on a dry stove. This creates a portion on its surface that doesn’t look that good.
In addition, the invention and application of steam boilers in bread making provided a more precise way of controlling the temperature and preparation. This resulted in a better appearance of the bread. It had a delicate and smooth inside, with a thick and earthy outside.
An authentic French bread is long and slim. It contains a thick and lustrous outside that snaps when opened. In addition, its grayish insides should be springy in texture.
It should also feature various sizes of air holes scattered inside. The taste should be sweet and nutty with a rich fragrance as well.
What Is Italian Bread?
You might probably imagine images of the multi-textured loaf when you think of Italian bread. A bread with a crusty outside, and soft, fluffy inside. This becomes the perfect pair for cold cuts like salami and topped with a variety of herbs and spices, drizzled with vinegar or olive oil.
Italian bread is usually leavened using a sourdough or a commercial baker’s yeast. Typically, it contains a hard crust, chewy crumb, and grains.
In bread making, Italian Paesanos are well-known to allow the yeast to rise, over a duration of a few hours. This process results in a very thin-crusted loaf. The insides of Italian bread are usually moist and absorbent. It is usually better enjoyed with olive oil and tomatoes harvested from Caprese.
Italian bread is custom-made using advancements. Biga and sourdough frameworks are just some of the many examples.
They also have an enthusiasm for artisanship and the art of breadmaking. A few generations of families have used and taken care of sourdough frameworks for a long time, even up to a century.
Italians have strict requirements when it comes to their bread. They use yeast, which allows the dough to rise after being proofed for a couple of hours. This gives the bread a slender exterior.
In addition, Italians prefer their bread to be delicate and sodden inside because they love to have their bread with other flavorful ingredients. This may include olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes, and other garnishes.
French and Italian Bread: Geography
Italian Bread
Throughout history, Italians have developed various types of bread. Some of these types of bread are still being made and consumed by the public.
These types of bread are mostly produced in boutique furnaces, which reflects the Italian tradition. There are 190 industrial furnaces and 22,500 boutique furnaces in Italy, according to a study done by the International Association of Plant Bakeries in 2015.
Interestingly, boutique bakeries represent 85% of the Italian bread market. This means that Italians still prefer the traditional type of bread in their diet.
At present, there are more than 250 types of bread across Italy. This is because every region has its own traditional varieties of bread. Soft wheat flour is very common in Northern Italy, but in the region of Lombardy, you may find bread that is baked with a flour that is a mix of rice and wheat flour. In Emilia Romagna, some types of bread are baked with flour that has a mix of cornmeal.
Ciabatta, on the other hand, is a new type of bread that was invented in 1982 in Veneto. This bread was invented to counter the rising demand and popularity for the French baguette.
Pane Sciocco or Pane Toscano is baked without salt, which can be traced back to the Middle Ages. This type of bread usually gets paired with strong types of cheeses and cold cuts. This bread can be found mostly in the central regions of Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche.
French Bread
Meanwhile, it is undeniable that bread is an integral part of French cuisine. To this date, French people prefer to purchase their bread from bakeries, not grocery stores.
Bakeries in Paris make various types of flavored bread, using grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs. Some varieties of bread are baked with whole grain, rye, whole wheat, or wheat flour, depending on each bakery. Some of these types of bread are already delectable enough to be consumed by themselves.
Other than baguettes, France has a wide variety of bread to offer. Their ordinary white bread also varies in shape and size. It can be in a form of couronne (ring-shaped bread), via the flute (twice the ordinary baguette’s size), batard (half the size of the normal baguette), and the ficelle (long and very thin).
French vs. Italian Bread: Ingredients
In terms of ingredients, French bread usually gets made from basic baking ingredients like wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt.
Interestingly, making French bread is more controlled than making Italian bread. In France, there is a law where French bread in the variety of loaf and boules cannot have added oil, butter, or margarine.
French bread must only be made with the basic ingredients. French baguettes must only be made with water, flour, yeast, and salt.
Unlike French bread, Italian bread is more diverse when it comes to ingredients. Other than the basic ingredients like flour, water, salt, and yeast, Italian bread usually contains milk, olive oil, and even sugar.
Other ingredients get added to the bread for flavor. These ingredients may be baked with the bread or added as toppings. The most commonly used ingredients in Italian bread are semolina, olive oil, herbs, potato, tomato, and honey. With the addition of other ingredients, Italian bread tastes sweeter and more flavorful compared to French bread.
Although most of the ingredients the two types of bread are made with, the very evident difference between the two is the type of ingredients and how controlled they are made.
French and Italian Bread: Shape
In terms of shape, French bread is narrower and longer. It also has a round edge. Most people think of the French baguette when they hear anything about France. It symbolizes France’s staple food and has always been long and slim.
Other types of baguettes are baked in an oven with a length of more than 30 inches. Another type of French bread is Couronne, which is ring-shaped and uses rye or wheat dough.
Italian bread, on the other hand, tends to be shorter and plumper. It also comes in a round shape. It is usually thicker than French bread.
Italian bread is more flat and circular in nature. A good example of this is the Italian focaccia, which is a counterpart of baguette. Focaccia symbolizes Italy’s culinary prowess and is flat and round. This bread looks much like the dough of a pizza.
Italian piadina, which is a Romagna flatbread also differs in shape and size when compared to other French bread.
Although the bread from the two countries may vary in shape and size, they share the same characteristic of having a hard crust and soft inside.
French vs. Italian Bread: Texture
Texture-wise, French bread is hard and crusty on the outside while having a light and soft crumb. When consumed, the crust gives a strong and chewy feel. At the same time, the inside is springy.
On the other hand, Italian bread has a rich texture like a hard rustic. It also smells a bit of yeast when freshly made. Its inside is very moist and gives an absorbent feel to the mouth.
Much like French bread, Italian bread also has a hard crust. However, its crumb tends to be denser than that of French bread.
French and Italian Bread: Baking Method
The right kitchen tools & equipment, and any type of oven can be used to bake French bread. Mostly, people use electric convection ovens to bake this bread. This baking method gives the bread an overall soft texture.
Traditionally, Italian bread is baked in flat stone ovens. This gives the bread a bit of a smoky flavor. To this day, some Italian bakeries use this method to bake their bread.
Both French and Italian bread are baked at a temperature that’s enough to produce delectable bread.
French vs. Italian Bread: Summary
| Italian Bread | French Bread | |
| Geography | Originated in Italy | Originated in France |
| Ingredients | Contain more milk, olive oil, and sugar. May have added herbs and other flavorful ingredients into the bread itself or as toppings. | Cannot have added oil or fat. Some types of bread may have other ingredients, but only to a certain amount set by French law. |
| Shape | Plumper, shorter, and thicker. | Narrower, longer, and slimmer. |
| Texture | Has a hard outside, but the inside is moist and absorbent. Crumb tends to be denser. | Crusty with a soft, springy inside. Crust tends to be light. |
| Baking Method | Traditionally baked in a flat stone oven. | Can be baked in any type of oven (usually electric convection ovens). |
Which Is Better: French or Italian Bread?
The largest difference between French and Italian bread is the texture. French bread is lighter in nature and has a crusty surface due to the steam that is used in the baking process.
On the other hand, Italian bread is thicker and is given ample amount for proofing. Thus, its final product becomes more suitable for sandwiches or being dipped in sauces.
Italian bread tends to be flavorful, while French bread has a mild to sweet taste due to its set of controlled ingredients. While Italian bread is best consumed with dips and sandwiches, French bread is best consumed if paired with strong types of cheeses and cured meats.
However, authentic French and Italian bread are made without shortening in baking. Hence, the calorie count is possibly lower than a typical white bread of the same size.
Much like Italian bread, French bread can be eaten any time of the day. It can be consumed with meals or as a sandwich. Additionally, French people don’t really have a specific time or occasion set for the bread to be eaten. They even consume it while on a bus.
In terms of how it is served and consumed, Italian bread usually gets eaten as a sandwich or with meals. It can also be an antipasto starter or a course accompaniment. In addition, a lot of family meals in Italy have bread as an accompaniment.
Although there are a lot of differences in terms of the process, ingredients, and such, both countries make amazing bread. That’s one thing that unites both worlds.
Given these facts about Italian and French bread, we cannot tell you which bread is better. At the end of the day, it’s up to you which bread you like more.
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