Bread
Our French bread collection brings together the breads, rusks and toasts that French households eat every day, from baguettes and country loaves to biscottes, Cracottes, pain de mie, brioche toasts and pre-baked bread to finish in your oven. Epicerie Corner stocks brands such as Heudebert, LU, Pasquier, Epi d'Or and La Boulangère, delivered across the UK.
Bread in French Food Culture
Bread is at the centre of the French table. The baguette is bought fresh, often twice a day, and accompanies almost every meal, from breakfast tartines of butter and jam to cheese at the end of dinner. Alongside fresh bread, French cupboards always hold dry, long-keeping breads: biscottes (rusks), Cracottes and toasted breads, which are eaten at breakfast with butter and jam or used as a light alternative to fresh bread.
Since 2022, the know-how and culture of the French baguette have been listed by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage, a sign of how closely bread is tied to daily life in France. This collection is designed to bring that variety to UK kitchens, whether you want something to bake at home or a packet that keeps for weeks.
Types of Bread in Our Range
Baguettes and Fresh-Style Loaves
We stock a classic Baguette de Pain, a Baguette Tradition and a Baguette Fameckoise, alongside sliced country bread, cereal bread, rye bread, walnut bread, wholemeal bread and large loaves. The Epi d'Or Special Country Bread is made with sourdough for a tangier flavour.
Pre-Baked Bread to Finish at Home
Pre-baked (précuit) breads are partly baked and finished in your oven in a few minutes, giving a crisp crust and warm crumb whenever you need them. Choose the Epi d'Or Stone Oven Baguette, Epi d'Or half baguettes and bread rolls (plain or with seeds), or the organic Bio Village half baguettes. Croustipate dough lets you bake croissants and pains au chocolat yourself.
Biscottes and Rusks
French rusks are twice-baked slices of bread, light and crunchy, that keep for months. Heudebert is the classic name, with plain rusks in 34-slice packs and a 108-slice maxi pack, plus 6 Cereals, Brioche, La Bretonne butter and salt, La Braisor, Fibre and Forme versions. LU Cracotte are thin, crackly crispbreads in wheat, wholegrain and fibre versions, plus chocolate, raspberry and strawberry Cracottes. Bio Village offers organic wholemeal and wheat-germ rusks, and Pasquier makes a no-added-sugar wheat brioche biscotte.
Toasted Breads and Brioche Toasts
Pain grillé is a thicker toasted bread, ready to eat. Options include Pasquier Grillettines (wheat, wholemeal or no added sugar), Pelletier and Epi d'Or brioche toasts, Bio Village and Bjorg organic wholemeal toasts and Jacquet's breakfast toast.
Sliced Bread, Buns and Viennoiserie-Style Breads
For sandwiches, La Boulangère organic pain de mie comes in cereal and wholemeal versions, and Bio Village makes a plain loaf. La Fournée Dorée brioche buns cover burgers, mini burgers and hot dogs, while La Boulangère Baguettes Viennoises are soft, slightly sweet milk-bread sticks popular for children's breakfasts and snacks. Pasquier pretzel loaves add a German-style option.
Gluten-Free and Organic Choices
For gluten-free diets, there are Gerblé gluten-free country and seed breads, a gluten-free country-style loaf, and Jardin Bio buckwheat crispbreads and chestnut toasts. Jardin Bio also makes organic Tartinettes, small filled toasts with blueberry or chocolate-hazelnut.
For Foie Gras and Festive Tables
Jacquet round toasts and Labeyrie gingerbread are designed to accompany foie gras, and Bio Village honey gingerbread is a traditional French pain d'épices.
How to Choose French Bread
- Shelf life: fresh-style loaves need eating within a few days; pre-baked bread keeps longer; biscottes, Cracottes and toasts keep for months in the cupboard.
- Texture: biscottes are crisp and crumbly, Cracottes are thin and crackly, pain grillé is thicker and crunchier, and brioche toasts are slightly sweet.
- Diet: look for wholemeal, fibre, no-added-sugar, organic and gluten-free versions, and check each product page for allergens.
- Use: baguettes for meals and cheese, pain de mie for sandwiches and croque-monsieur, rusks and toasts for breakfast, brioche buns for burgers.
Serving Ideas
A French breakfast is often as simple as biscottes or a tartine of baguette with butter and jam, dipped into coffee or hot chocolate. Pre-baked baguettes turn a weekday dinner into a French-style meal in minutes, and pain de mie is the base for a croque-monsieur. Pair our breads with spreads and jams from Jam, or browse Brioches for sweeter breakfast breads.
French Bread FAQs
What are biscottes?
Biscottes are French rusks: slices of bread baked a second time until dry and crisp. They are eaten mainly at breakfast with butter and jam, keep for a long time in the cupboard and are a light alternative to fresh bread. They break easily, so spread butter gently or use softened butter.
How do you cook pre-baked baguettes?
Pre-baked baguettes and rolls are finished in a preheated oven, usually for around 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size and the pack instructions, until the crust is golden and crisp. Let them cool for a few minutes before slicing. Follow the temperature and time on each pack.
How should I store French bread?
Keep fresh-style bread in a paper bag or bread bin and eat it within a few days; slice and freeze what you will not finish. Once opened, reseal packets of biscottes, Cracottes and toasts tightly so they stay crisp.
Do you sell gluten-free bread?
Yes. This collection includes gluten-free breads from Gerblé and other brands, and gluten-free crispbreads and toasts from Jardin Bio. Always check the label and allergen information on each product, especially if you have coeliac disease.
Bread
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More About Bread
Our French bread collection brings together the breads, rusks and toasts that French households eat every day, from baguettes and country loaves to biscottes, Cracottes, pain de mie, brioche toasts and pre-baked bread to finish in your oven. Epicerie Corner stocks brands such as Heudebert, LU, Pasquier, Epi d'Or and La Boulangère, delivered across the UK.
Bread in French Food Culture
Bread is at the centre of the French table. The baguette is bought fresh, often twice a day, and accompanies almost every meal, from breakfast tartines of butter and jam to cheese at the end of dinner. Alongside fresh bread, French cupboards always hold dry, long-keeping breads: biscottes (rusks), Cracottes and toasted breads, which are eaten at breakfast with butter and jam or used as a light alternative to fresh bread.
Since 2022, the know-how and culture of the French baguette have been listed by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage, a sign of how closely bread is tied to daily life in France. This collection is designed to bring that variety to UK kitchens, whether you want something to bake at home or a packet that keeps for weeks.
Types of Bread in Our Range
Baguettes and Fresh-Style Loaves
We stock a classic Baguette de Pain, a Baguette Tradition and a Baguette Fameckoise, alongside sliced country bread, cereal bread, rye bread, walnut bread, wholemeal bread and large loaves. The Epi d'Or Special Country Bread is made with sourdough for a tangier flavour.
Pre-Baked Bread to Finish at Home
Pre-baked (précuit) breads are partly baked and finished in your oven in a few minutes, giving a crisp crust and warm crumb whenever you need them. Choose the Epi d'Or Stone Oven Baguette, Epi d'Or half baguettes and bread rolls (plain or with seeds), or the organic Bio Village half baguettes. Croustipate dough lets you bake croissants and pains au chocolat yourself.
Biscottes and Rusks
French rusks are twice-baked slices of bread, light and crunchy, that keep for months. Heudebert is the classic name, with plain rusks in 34-slice packs and a 108-slice maxi pack, plus 6 Cereals, Brioche, La Bretonne butter and salt, La Braisor, Fibre and Forme versions. LU Cracotte are thin, crackly crispbreads in wheat, wholegrain and fibre versions, plus chocolate, raspberry and strawberry Cracottes. Bio Village offers organic wholemeal and wheat-germ rusks, and Pasquier makes a no-added-sugar wheat brioche biscotte.
Toasted Breads and Brioche Toasts
Pain grillé is a thicker toasted bread, ready to eat. Options include Pasquier Grillettines (wheat, wholemeal or no added sugar), Pelletier and Epi d'Or brioche toasts, Bio Village and Bjorg organic wholemeal toasts and Jacquet's breakfast toast.
Sliced Bread, Buns and Viennoiserie-Style Breads
For sandwiches, La Boulangère organic pain de mie comes in cereal and wholemeal versions, and Bio Village makes a plain loaf. La Fournée Dorée brioche buns cover burgers, mini burgers and hot dogs, while La Boulangère Baguettes Viennoises are soft, slightly sweet milk-bread sticks popular for children's breakfasts and snacks. Pasquier pretzel loaves add a German-style option.
Gluten-Free and Organic Choices
For gluten-free diets, there are Gerblé gluten-free country and seed breads, a gluten-free country-style loaf, and Jardin Bio buckwheat crispbreads and chestnut toasts. Jardin Bio also makes organic Tartinettes, small filled toasts with blueberry or chocolate-hazelnut.
For Foie Gras and Festive Tables
Jacquet round toasts and Labeyrie gingerbread are designed to accompany foie gras, and Bio Village honey gingerbread is a traditional French pain d'épices.
How to Choose French Bread
- Shelf life: fresh-style loaves need eating within a few days; pre-baked bread keeps longer; biscottes, Cracottes and toasts keep for months in the cupboard.
- Texture: biscottes are crisp and crumbly, Cracottes are thin and crackly, pain grillé is thicker and crunchier, and brioche toasts are slightly sweet.
- Diet: look for wholemeal, fibre, no-added-sugar, organic and gluten-free versions, and check each product page for allergens.
- Use: baguettes for meals and cheese, pain de mie for sandwiches and croque-monsieur, rusks and toasts for breakfast, brioche buns for burgers.
Serving Ideas
A French breakfast is often as simple as biscottes or a tartine of baguette with butter and jam, dipped into coffee or hot chocolate. Pre-baked baguettes turn a weekday dinner into a French-style meal in minutes, and pain de mie is the base for a croque-monsieur. Pair our breads with spreads and jams from Jam, or browse Brioches for sweeter breakfast breads.
French Bread FAQs
What are biscottes?
Biscottes are French rusks: slices of bread baked a second time until dry and crisp. They are eaten mainly at breakfast with butter and jam, keep for a long time in the cupboard and are a light alternative to fresh bread. They break easily, so spread butter gently or use softened butter.
How do you cook pre-baked baguettes?
Pre-baked baguettes and rolls are finished in a preheated oven, usually for around 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size and the pack instructions, until the crust is golden and crisp. Let them cool for a few minutes before slicing. Follow the temperature and time on each pack.
How should I store French bread?
Keep fresh-style bread in a paper bag or bread bin and eat it within a few days; slice and freeze what you will not finish. Once opened, reseal packets of biscottes, Cracottes and toasts tightly so they stay crisp.
Do you sell gluten-free bread?
Yes. This collection includes gluten-free breads from Gerblé and other brands, and gluten-free crispbreads and toasts from Jardin Bio. Always check the label and allergen information on each product, especially if you have coeliac disease.