Who does decent French bread?

[CoolHands]

Right I'm fked off with the doughy piece of st french bread I occasionally buy from morrisons. Does any supermarket make decent french bread? If so who - please tell. I'm willing to travel to any major supermarket!! And no, I can't and won't be making some myself!

[bigdom]

Waitrose have nice bread

[Johnnytheboy]

The French.

[Mobile Chicane]

Maison Blanc is the only place to get French bread that remotely resembles the real thing.

Of the supermarket offerings, Asda isn't too bad. Nice and light, with a good crust.

[CoolHands]

Mobile Chicane said:

Of the supermarket offerings, Asda isn't too bad. Nice and light, with a good crust.

thankyou just got back and it is a hundred times better than the morrisons one (see the short pale bit next to it). I will try a waitrose one in due course and report back!

Edited by CoolHands on Sunday 15th September 13:35

[dudleybloke]

asda and tesco both do a pretty good french bread.

[Johnnytheboy]

A lot of it depends on which branch you go to. I buy the little batons every day for my lunch. Tesco's in particular are very variable.

[smn159]

Tescos bread is invariably st in my local one - doughy and tasteless.

In the olden days I lived in a village with a proper baker - you need to find someone who makes the stuff on the premises rather than one that warms up some ready mix IMO.

[GTDNB]

Co-Op Parisien is the most authentic i've found.

[Gompo]

Johnnytheboy said:

A lot of it depends on which branch you go to. I buy the little batons every day for my lunch. Tesco's in particular are very variable.

Entirely agree, it can also just vary day to day at the same branch.

[Mobile Chicane]

CoolHands said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Of the supermarket offerings, Asda isn't too bad. Nice and light, with a good crust.

thankyou just got back and it is a hundred times better than the morrisons one (see the short pale bit next to it). I will try a waitrose one in due course and report back!

Edited by CoolHands on Sunday 15th September 13:35

I personally don't rate Waitrose French bread - it's too 'doughy'. However some stores stock Gail's sourdough which is lush. Shame it's £3 a loaf though...

[mcflurry]

GTDNB said:

Co-Op Parisien is the most authentic i've found.

+1

IMHO the CoOp do an awesome selection of breads in our local branch

[Puggit]

The OP's pics make it look like the part baked stuff you can buy to finish off at home! I'm assuming it's not...

[eskidavies]

Lidl bake bread in store the cheese top rolls are awsome, doupt they french loaf, maybe a german variant

[CoolHands]

Puggit said:

The OP's pics make it look like the part baked stuff you can buy to finish off at home! I'm assuming it's not...

I'd better check that - the missus bought it!

Unfortunately I don't think so though it was just really dense, doughy and generally yucky

[calibrax]

Asda & Sainsburys baguettes are lovely, if you eat them the same day you buy them. Tesco & Ocado baguettes are too hard and too skinny.

A good tip for refreshing baguettes that have started to go hard... rub water into the crust all over and put into a hot oven for 10 minutes or so. Take out and allow to cool for 10 minutes, and the bread will be like you'd just bought it fresh from the baker, warm inside and light & crisp outside.

[blueg33]

Johnnytheboy said:

The French.

This is the only correct answer

[bigburd]

Waitrose

Also look at the part bake breads

Anything that has little or no preservatives

[Wadeski]

calibrax said:

Asda & Sainsburys baguettes are lovely, if you eat them the same day you buy them.

Arent you always supposed to eat baguettes the same day you buy them?

[Mobile Chicane]

blueg33 said:

Johnnytheboy said:

The French.

This is the only correct answer

True, but it is increasingly possible to get crap bread in France. Bread in French supermarkets is as bad as it is here.