During the Paris games, the Olympic Village will produce more than 12,000 baguettes.
Most will come from bakers stationed at the village’s boulangerie—a French bakery, built within a former power plant, tasked with producing enough bread to sufficiently carb load the more than 10,000 athletes competing at the summer games.
Others will be made by Olympians, themselves, who are able to participate in bread making tutorials led by the aforementioned bakers—so long as they’re not competing, eating, or snoozing atop their cardboard beds.
But it shouldn’t matter who makes the bread in the Olympic Village. Any baguette, whether crafted by French bakers or thrown together by American canoe sprinters, can become delicious—it just needs the right plan. Sometimes that’s as simple as layering the interior with butter and ham, other times it requires bathing an over-the-hill loaf in vinaigrette so it can resurrect as panzanella.
With that in mind—and in hopes of inspiring at least one dining decision within the Olympic Village—here are 12 of our favorite baguette game plans.
1. Dan Leader’s 4-Hour Baguette
Baguette basics aren’t reserved for superhumans chasing fancy necklaces. Thanks to this Genius recipe from Dan Leader, anybody with an oven, salt, and dry yeast can transport themselves to the Olympic village boulangerie.
2. Crostini With Ricotta, Honey, and Lemon Zest
Food52 co-founder Merrill Stubbs unites ricotta, honey, and lemon to create crostini that exceed the sum of their very few parts. Serve these during breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, whenever—they’ll always hit.
3. Anchovy Lovers’ Crostini
These briny crisps from Carolina Gelen combine anchovy, miso, turmeric, jalapeno, Calabrian chili, and lemon zest to definitively answer the following question: Is there such a thing as too much flavor? No.
4. Not-Too-Sweet Tomato Strawberry Bruschetta
This bruschetta is best enjoyed at the exact moment I’m writing this (a late afternoon during the fourth week of July) as it showcases two of summer’s greatest treats: end-of-season strawberries and newly ripe tomatoes. Enjoy these crostini on a hot afternoon with a big, cold, dry glass of white.
5. Smoked Trout Paté
Fourteen years after debuting on our site, this paté still maintains a perfect, five-star rating. So, it should be no surprise that the recipe’s comment section includes quotes like “one big yum,” “my only regret is that I didn’t double it,” and “this is SOOO GOOD!”
6. Jamón Ibérico Panini
We’re not including this because you need a recipe to assemble a ham and butter sandwich, but to remind you that whenever you stumble into perfect bread, there’s nothing better than a ham and butter sandwich. Make sense?
7. Bocadillo El Camino
Not that anybody’s asking, but egg and potato served between sliced baguette is precisely what I’d want on the morning of a big game.
8. Pan Bagnat
According to recipe developer Waverly, pan bagnat—which is the sandwich version of salade Niçoise—requires a baguette of a certain quality: “The bread must have a hard crust on the outside otherwise it will fall apart,” she writes, “the point is for the vinaigrette to soak into the bread.”
9. Caramelized Pork Bánh Mì
An owner of 174 positive reviews, three contest wins, and a perfect five-star rating, this bánh mì from community member monkeymom (etymology unknown) is one of the most decorated recipes in Food52 history.
10. Paul Kahan Panzanella With Roasted Leeks, Pecans, & Apples
Legendary Chicago chef Paul Kahan’s panzanella featuring apples, leeks, pecans, and a punchy apple cider vinaigrette can rejuvenate any loaf that’s past its prime. Serve this alongside roast chicken or a big piece of fish and you’ve got yourself quite the evening.
11. Best French Onion Soup
Fact: All bread tastes good when it’s smothered in Gruyere and sitting atop a pool of caramelized onion magma. Meaning, if you’ve come into ownership of a truly terrible baguette, this French onion soup is your savior.
12. Bouillabaisse
Baguette’s at its best when dipped into a bowl of garlic-forward seafood broth. Enter: Bouillabaisse, a shellfish soup bolstered by potatoes, parsley, saffron, and nearly every aromatic at the grocery store.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy a baguette? Let us know in the comments below!
