What the decree actually says
Three things, in three articles. Bread called maison must be kneaded, shaped and baked on the premises where you buy it. Bread called pain de tradition française must be made from wheat flour, water and salt, raised with yeast or sourdough, contain no additives and never be frozen. And bread called au levain has to meet a measured standard of acidity: a pH of no more than 4.3 and at least 900 parts per million of acetic acid in the crumb. It is a short text. It reads like something written by people who were annoyed.
Why France needed a law about bread
Because by the early 1990s the word “baguette” had stopped guaranteeing anything. Industrial dough, frozen and shipped, could be baked off in a supermarket or a petrol station and sold under the same name as a loaf made that morning by a baker. The decree did not ban any of that. It did something more French: it reserved certain words. You may sell whatever bread you like. You may not call it tradition unless it is.
The part people get wrong
A plain baguette is not protected. The decree defines pain de tradition française, not “baguette,” so the ordinary one on the same shelf can legally contain additives and can come from frozen dough. This is why a French person at the counter does not ask for a baguette. They ask for une tradition. It costs a little more, it has a darker crust and an uneven crumb, and it is the one the law is talking about.
Three exceptions, each with a reason
The purists’ four ingredients come with a footnote. Up to 2% broad bean flour, 0.5% soya flour and 0.3% malted wheat flour are permitted. These are old bakers’ aids rather than modern additives, used to help the dough and the crust, and the decree wrote them in at fixed maximums rather than pretend they did not exist. He considers this a sign of a serious law: it knows what bakers actually do.
What he read on the American loaf
Flour, water, yeast and salt were all there, in among a good many other things: sugar, oil, preservatives, dough conditioners. Standard American sandwich bread commonly contains added sugar, which is why it tastes faintly of cake to anyone not raised on it. None of this is illegal or sinister. It is bread designed to stay soft for a week in a plastic bag, which a tradition is specifically designed not to do. A tradition is stale by evening. That is not a defect. That is why you buy another one tomorrow.
How much bread this is about
A commonly cited figure is that France gets through around thirty million baguettes a day. In 2022 UNESCO added “the artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread” to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The standard loaf is about 65 centimetres long and weighs around 250 grams. It is the only item of his national heritage that he will eat a third of in the car on the way home.
How to use this in an American bakery
Read the ingredients, which is the whole lesson of the decree. If a baguette lists flour, water, salt and yeast, you have found a good one, whatever the country. If the list runs to two lines, it is a different product with the same shape. Ask whether it was baked from dough made there. And buy it the day you will eat it. He keeps a short list of bakeries within driving distance that pass. He will not show it to me.
Two loaves, read from the label
| Pain de tradition française | Typical American sandwich loaf | |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Wheat flour, water, salt, yeast or sourdough | Those, plus sugar, oil and preservatives |
| Additives | None allowed | Common |
| Frozen dough | Forbidden | Permitted |
| Name protected by law | Yes, since 1993 | No |
| Designed to last | Until evening | About a week |
| Bought | Daily | Weekly |
Questions, answered
What is the French bread law?
It is Décret n° 93-1074 of 13 September 1993, known as the décret pain. It reserves the names “pain maison,” “pain de tradition française” and “pain au levain” for breads that meet defined standards of ingredients and method.
What ingredients are allowed in a baguette de tradition?
Wheat flour, water, salt and yeast or sourdough, with no additives. Up to 2% broad bean flour, 0.5% soya flour and 0.3% malted wheat flour are permitted. The dough may never be frozen.
Is every baguette in France covered by the bread law?
No. The decree protects the name “pain de tradition française,” not the word “baguette.” An ordinary baguette may contain additives and may be made from frozen dough.
Does American bread have sugar in it?
Standard American sandwich bread commonly contains added sugar, along with oil and preservatives. A French pain de tradition may not contain any of them.
Sources
- Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française — the text of the 1993 decree: pain maison, pain de tradition française and pain au levain. Boulangerie
- Légifrance — Décret n° 93-1074 du 13 septembre 1993, the decree itself. Legifrance
- Wikipedia, Baguette — the 2022 UNESCO inscription, the thirty-million-a-day figure and standard dimensions. En
Verified October 2026.
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