Originally published 3/6/2021 / Updated 10/2/2025
Robert May’s “French Bread” (not a baguette!)
I must smile whenever I reference “bread,” because people love the pastry-vs-bread debate. Here’s my stance in short: all pastries are bread, but not all breads are pastries—the line is mostly about fat and enrichment (and intended use). May’s “French bread” sits right on that line: a white, enriched roll—egg whites and warm milk—baked quickly and served hot. It’s not a Parisian baguette; it’s a 17th-century English cook’s idea of French-style white bread.
What May means by “French bread”
- Source: Robert May, The Accomplisht Cook (1660; 1685 ed.).
- Enrichment: whites of six eggs, warm milk + water, plenty of salt.
- Shape & bake: “rouls” or in little wooden dishes; quick hot oven; “chip it hot.”
- Leavening: ale barm/yeast (commercial yeast works fine; a splash of mild ale is a nod to flavor).
Deep dive on period white breads: see my pillar post White Bread in Early Modern England.
