I'm trying to get an understanding of what, exactly, makes a traditional baguette. Most of the research I've done indicates that the ingredients must only be wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt, that there is a required length, and that the baking must be done by hand. That said, most of the recipes I've seen are more limited than what the rules allow for.
Is a baguette considered traditional if it has...
- A combination of white flour and whole wheat flour instead of just white flour, or must it be all white flour?
- Sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast?
Is there anything else I'm missing here?
Here is a link to the french bread law - that spells out all the details:
http://www.cooksinfo.com/french-bread-law-1993
Interesting. I thought that there would be more in there about the sizes and shapes of the different loaves. I guess that a baguette made with entirely whole wheat flour could still be called traditional.
You may get more information if you look up: traditional french stick
one link is wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguette
a short one: http://about-france.com/french-bread.htm