France sets new record for world’s longest baguette

Even though the baguette is largely associated with France and Paris in particular, for the last five years, the Italians could claim the world record for the longest baguette. Now, that honour has returned to France after a group of Parisian bakers was able to bake a baguette just over 140 metres long.

When aiming to break a world record, one should be prepared. Therefore, a team of twelve Parisian bakers decided to join their forces on Sunday, 5 May, with one goal in mind: to reclaim that title from their Italian rivals in Como. After all, the baguette is and remains a French national treasure, even recognised by UNESCO as world heritage, and as a local told French newspaper Le Parisien earlier: “If there’s one record that should belong to us in France, it’s that one.”

“Organised with the help of the Confédération National de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française and sponsored by Nutella and the Syndicat des Boulangers du Grand Paris, this Suresnes Baguette Show will take place on the Terrasse du Fécheray, a symbolically relevant location, with its panoramic view on Paris and the Eiffel Tower”, the municipality of Suresnes, that hosted the baking attempt, wrote in the event description. “The baguette will be made following official guidelines, using only wheat flower, water, yeast and salt. The baking process of this enormous baguette, which will have to be at least 5 centimetres thick across its entire length, will take around 8 hours.”

The bakers started at 3 am and the effort took a total of 14 hours of mixing, kneading and baking. The process was thoroughly followed-up on social media and crowds gathered in Suresnes for the mouth-watering event. After the festivities, the baguette was broken into smaller pieces and distributed to the public.

“Intense concentration, moments of distress, the joy of being together… and then… sweet victory, laughs and being able to share of a nice piece of baguette. It took all of that to break the world record of the longest baguette, officially measuring 140 metres and 53 centimetres as was confirmed by Guinness World Records”, the municipality wrote on social media.