Italian bread often contains a bit of milk or olive oil, and sometimes a bit of sugar. French bread tends to be longer and narrower. Italian bread loaves tend to be shorter and plumper. French bread tends to be hard and crusty on the outside, with a light and soft crumb.
Baguettes vs. French Bread
Not all French bread falls under the category of baguette. Take a look.
Baguettes are long, thin loaves of white bread made from a basic dough. Incisions are cut into the top of the loaf to allow it to expand and give the bread its trademark appearance. As stated earlier, the baguette dough is defined by French law, and only slight variations are allowed regarding ingredients.
Two types of baguettes are generally available in France: traditional and commercial. The traditional baguette only has wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast.
Commercial baguettes are sold in supermarkets and often found in restaurants. In addition to the main ingredients used in traditional baguettes, commercial baguettes contain additives. The yeast typically used in commercial baguettes is “levure” instead of “levain.”
Levure yeast allows the bread to rise much faster for commercial purposes. Without additives, baguettes do not keep well because they contain no fat.
But French bread does not stop with baguettes.
In the U.S., “French bread” refers to a loaf of a particular shape, i.e., a long and thin stick. But outside the United States, “French bread” can refer to all different types of loaf, including, but not limited to, the standard baguette.
Other types of French bread include ficelle (a small, thin baguette) or pain de Campagne, a rounded loaf containing sourdough. Each region in France has its specialty bread, some of the most notable being fig and walnut, characteristic of the south, and milk bread in the northern region.
How Italians Make BREAD
FAQ
What’s the difference between Italian bread and white bread?
What makes Italian bread so good?
Why does Italian bread taste different?
What is the difference between French and Italian bread recipe?
What makes Italian bread different?
Italian bread, on the other hand, tends to be more experimental. It usually includes olive oil, milk, sugar, or other additives for flavor and preservation. It also changes the texture and properties of the loaf. Additives include classics like honey, olive oil, and semolina but can also have more non-traditional spices like turmeric and cayenne.
What nutrients are present in white bread or brown bread?
It is always better to choose brown bread. Brown bread is made of whole wheat, with their outer covering intact. This makes brown bread more nutritious and rich in fiber as compared to white bread. Brown bread contains more vitamin B-6 and E, magnesium, folic acid, zinc copper and manganese.
Is Italian bread different for everyone?
It’s definitely a bit different for everyone. Things are a bit more complex when it comes to the many Italian breads because they vary by region. Just like their foods can differ from region to region or at least the recipes for the same dish are a bit different from one region to another.
What is Italian bread?
There is a wide range of traditional Italian bread thanks to their loose view of what ingredients bread can have and the creativity that bakers are encouraged to have. Like the French, Italians have a few bread-y desserts like a panettone, but these aren’t really Italian bread, just as a croissant is a pastry and not bread.