Be one of the judges to decide Paris' best baguette

Sign up by this Friday if you fancy yourself a bread connoisseur

Do you love bread? Do you live in Paris? If you’ve answered yes to both of these questions then you might just have the prime qualifications needed to participate in the annual Paris competition Prix de la baguette 2024, which awards bakers for their most successful rendition of the French culinary icon.

The competition to determine the best baguette money can buy in Paris will take place on 25 April. The jury that will determine which stick-like bread is the worthiest of them all will consist of various professionals from different walks of life. These will include Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, Deputy Mayor of Paris as well as representatives of professional federations, including the president of the Union of Bakers of Greater Paris, journalists and qualified professionals.

The jury will also include 6 randomly selected Paris residents and if you live in the French capital this is where your chance lies to add much-need “voice of the everyman consumer” credibility to the awards.

People interested in being a judge in the competition must apply by 5 April at 12 pm (CET). They need to fill out a brief form (in French) at the Paris municipal website, providing their contacts.

Paris baguettes must conform to specific standards

Apart from the residence factor, there are no requirements for amateur judges. The same, however, does not apply to the baguettes which will be offered to the jury.

A proper Parisian baguette must measure between 50 and 55 centimetres long, weigh between 250 and 270 grams and have a salt content of a maximum level of 1.4 grams per 100 grams of common bread (i.e. approximately 16.8 grams of salt/kg of flour with a hydration rate of 64%).

The wands are judged according to five specific criteria: cooking, taste, crumbs, porousness and appearance.