France is renowned for the evolved variety of its breads, from Normandy’s Pain Brié to Alsace’s Bretzel d’Alsace. The famous baguette has even been added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list for the “artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread”.
However, as industry demand continues to rise across France, several traditional French bread recipes are at risk of disappearing, which would erase vital parts of cultural identity and regional heritage. These traditionally made loaves are now being replaced by standardised baguettes that are dominating supermarket shelves and bakeries across the country.
Despite this, an increasing number of small-scale heritage mills, bakers and businesses are quietly working to revive centuries-old regional breads. Using ancient grains and traditional baking methods, these bakers are combining breadmaking with proud regional identity, terroir and biodiversity while redefining the future of French bread.
How French Breadmaking has Evolved with Industrial Baking
French breadmaking changed fundamentally during the 20th century as industrial baking boomed. Preservatives, standardised flour, mechanised ovens and rapid-rise yeast replaced slower, generations-old fermenting methods of bread fermenting
In 1920, a new French law prevented bakers starting work shifts before 4am, leading to a need for a much quicker baking method that replaced leaven, a slow rising agent used to make dough, with yeast. Selling lots of traditionally fermented round loaves was no longer feasible once the baguette was born, which baked faster and on a much larger scale.
Shutterstock: Pain de Campagne, a regional bread from Northern France
Baking apprenticeships and training programmes on traditional baking methods slowly faded away, which raised concerns about the dwindling diversity of regional breads, the decline of fermented bread’s health benefits and the resulting agricultural and cultural loss. For decades, forgotten breads such as Auvergne’s Pain de Seigle and northern France’s Pain de Campagne survived through family recipes and isolated rural bakeries.
Revival of Heritage Grains and Traditional Breads
To revive the fading tradition of French breadmaking, some small mills, independent bakers, researchers and businesses have started to reintroduce ancient grains and make traditional breads.
France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) are working on bringing back ancient wheat varieties such as emmer, einkorn and heritage rye. Auset Shridevi, executive chef at Eating Love, said: “Épeautre and Poulard wheats are gaining popularity in organic farming. These grains have deeper, richer flavours, making mass produced wheat blander in comparison.”
Auvergne’s nutty Pain de Seigle, a dense rye bread baked in communal village ovens and prized for its long shelf life in mountainous regions, is being revived. Pain de campagne, originating in Northern France, is also being given a fresh chance to rise. Made with a combination of wholewheat, rye and white flour, it was once vital to rural communities before commercial bakeries took over.
Shutterstock: Fougasse, the regional bread of Provence
Fougasse, a soft, olive oil-rich flatbread flavoured with olives or herbs from Provence, is another regional bread being rediscovered. Bakers used to use these flatbreads to test the temperature of their ovens before baking other loaves.
Some bakeries have never strayed from traditional baking methods. The Parisian bakery Maison de Poilâne still creates its signature sourdough using a natural starter dating back to the 1930s. Alsace’s Moulin des Moines is also uses traditional stone milling practices for ancient organic grains such as spelt and einkorn.
The Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française (CNBPF) has highlighted the nutritional and cultural importance of these practices in the wider return to French regional pride and sustainable food production.
CNBPF also supports baking programmes which reintroduce longer fermentation and low-gluten flour handling methods. Many artisanal bakers now focus on sustainability by sourcing local grains, maintaining short supply chains and cultivating biodiversity to protect ecosystems and soils.
The terroir of ancient breads also weaves a story shaped by grain, soil, climate, humidity and more. While Auvergne’s Pain de Seigle uses its volcanic terrain to create a hardy rye, Provence’s Fougasse reflects its rolling hills of sun-kissed olive groves.
Breadmaking methods adapt accordingly, such as the stone milling which preserves natural oils found in regionally grown wheat and slow fermentation tailored to local temperatures.
“Regional bread terroir in France are not quite as varied as the wines, but they definitely have distinct characteristics such as the use of rye in the Alpine regions of France compared to Normandy’s Pain Brié which is a dense bread known for its long shelf-life,” says Ms Shridevi.
Rising Competition and Expensive Grains
Although some old regional breads are being reintroduced, many challenges remain. Heritage grains can often be too expensive for many artisanal bakers.
“[They] are harder to source in quantity, and stone-milling is difficult to scale up to be economically competitive. In addition, long fermentation, and other techniques slow production making it difficult to balance freshness with market demand,” says Ms Shridevi .
Rural apprenticeships are also becoming less common, as small bakers struggle to compete with larger city rivals’ salaries and opportunities. Rural bakeries are also facing rising transport and energy costs. Getting people to choose regional loaves over the industrialised white flour baguettes that have become synonymous with French culture is another challenge.
Shutterstock: Pain de Seigle, a regional bread from Betony
What’s next for France’s Regional Breads
Rediscovering traditional French breads is less about nostalgia and romanticism and more about balancing innovation and heritage. For a country like France, its bread diversity is akin to its regional diversity, local identity and pride. “It’s likely that mass produced bread may incorporate some heritage grains, which may reduce costs but still remain niche overall,” says Ms Shridevi.
For bakers and businesses, this revival is not just about celebrating the past, it’s about shaping a more resilient food future. By reconnecting with France’s terroir and artisan baking methods, these regional loaves are introducing centuries-old traditions to a new generation.
Lead photo credit : Shutterstock: Baguette
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