10 Store-Bought Baguettes, Ranked Worst To Best

There are times when you just need a simple loaf of pre-sliced bread (which, interestingly enough, has a long history). But when you want the bread to be the star of the show, you really need to choose a higher-quality loaf. In these cases, a baguette, a type of French bread, can often be the way to go. These long, thin loaves make for ideal sub sandwiches, or they can be sliced and topped with a variety of ingredients. You can use them as an accompaniment to a warm bowl of soup or even use a less-than-fresh, stale bread loaf to make a delicious bowl of heirloom tomato panzanella. Whatever you're using a baguette for, though, you want to make sure you're getting the best-quality loaf possible. After all, when it comes to a food that's as simple as bread, quality really matters.

I tried 10 different baguette loaves, purchased at various grocery chains, to give you a better idea of which brands might be worth giving a try. I based this ranking on both flavor and texture, prioritizing breads that are more flavorful and have a good crumb. Next time you go to the bakery section of your local grocery store, you might just feel a bit more confident in your purchase.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, it can often be difficult to find GF versions of foods you love that generally do contain gluten. Bread might just be the best example. And although I don't follow a gluten-free diet myself, I've tried a variety of gluten-free breads and found some to be better than others. Trader Joe's Gluten Free Baguette, though, may just be one of the worst I've ever tried. First of all, the shape isn't ideal. This baguette is exceedingly thin — so thin, in fact, that it would be near impossible to make a coherent sandwich with it. Then there's the texture, which is almost gummy: probably not what you're looking for in a good loaf.

But both of those problems paled in comparison to the flavor of this bread. I can only describe it as cardboard-like, with a bitterness that left me not even wanting to finish a single bite. Just because you can't eat gluten doesn't mean you should be forced to eat a baguette like this one.

Often, store-brand bakeries will offer some pretty decent fresh bread, which may seem like a better option than bread brands that have to travel a longer distance to make it into your shopping basket. However, that's not necessarily the case when it comes to Star Market's Parisian Half Bread baguette. It doesn't taste bad ... but that's mostly because it doesn't taste like anything at all. This was by far the most neutral-tasting bread on this list, which isn't ideal when you're looking for a loaf that packs that lovely, complex, fresh bread flavor.

This loaf doesn't have a lot to offer on the texture front, either, considering the fact that it's exceedingly soft. That may not necessarily be a bad thing for some types of bread, but if you're after that crispy exterior that baguettes are known for, you're going to be disappointed. For the best results, you can throw this baguette into the oven for a few minutes to give it a slight crisp, but it still falls flat compared to most of the other varieties on this list.

When you don't want to go through the hassle of baking a baguette yourself, it can be a good idea to snag yourself a baguette that you can heat up at home, creating the illusion that you're actually getting it fresh. That's exactly what EuroClassic Authentic French Half Baguettes have to offer. If you eat these without heating them beforehand, they're not particularly tasty, but after about five minutes in a hot oven, they take on a slightly more browned appearance and crisp texture that makes them vastly more appealing than they are in their original form.

All that being said, this is still one of my least favorite baguettes in this ranking. Like the previous variety I covered, this baguette was way too soft and conspicuously missing that airy, open crumb you expect in a baguette. That makes the bread considerably denser than I personally want it to be. The flavor is also somewhat lacking but can easily be made more interesting with a simple pat of salted butter. Still, though, there are likely much better loaves to be had at your local grocery store.

I've purchased Trader Joe's Ciabatta Demi-Baguette many times in the past, but it wasn't until I tried it alongside such variety of other options that I can finally admit that there are much better store-bought baguettes to choose from (and better Trader Joe's breads in general). This is yet another baguette that just doesn't have a great texture. Although it has a more open crumb than some varieties out there, it's still significantly softer and more dense than a good baguette should be. Ideally, you'll put it in the oven to crisp it up before serving, but even then, the interior of the loaf stays a bit too soft for my liking.

This bread also packs more flavor than some of the others I've already covered, but it has a strange saltiness to it that doesn't exactly work well with every ingredient. This isn't a bad baguette to choose when you're making a savory sandwich, but in my opinion, it's not really delicious enough to enjoy on its own. Even if you're only going to Trader Joe's, you can easily find better baguette options.

This is another store-brand bakery baguette worth seeking out if you're looking for a good value in your baguette. It's Whole Foods' French Demi Baguette, and although it's far from the best of the bunch, it'll get the job done if you just need to quickly run out for a fresh loaf. It's cost-effective, which is a plus, and it has a crisp exterior that's nicely browned. Flavor-wise, it's a lot more complex than the varieties I've covered until this point, although it's still lacking the pronounced flavor you'd ideally be getting from the most freshly baked bread out there.

This baguette's crumb is a bit airier than the brands on this list that rank lower, though it's not as light and open as I would personally prefer. Its texture is quite soft if you get the baguette fresh, but after a couple of days on the kitchen counter, it developed that nice crustiness that gives a baguette its ideal texture.

If you're shopping at Trader Joe's and you're looking for an ideal, full-sized baguette, look no further than the chain's Organic French Baguette. It's quite long, which means you're getting enough bread to use all week (or to serve at a party), and it's a significant step up from the gluten-free baguette and ciabatta demi-baguette I've already covered here. This is a solid, standard baguette: It's light and airy, with a texture that offers just the right amount of chewiness. The exterior of the bread has a nice crust to it that's just a bit difficult to tear, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a baguette. And most of the times I've purchased an Organic French Baguette from the popular grocery chain, it's been quite fresh.

Now, there are certainly more delicious baguettes out there, particularly when it comes to flavor (as opposed to texture), but this Trader Joe's baguette is a great option if you don't want to make a separate grocery trip for bread and bread alone. You're not likely to be disappointed by one of these loaves.

Another great, standard store-bought baguette? Chabaso's Bakery Baguette. This too is a full-size baguette, which is a good option when you're trying to make sandwiches for several people at once, or just want to make sure that you have enough bread for several days in a row. This is another loaf that has a nice texture to it, with a firm crust and airy, bouncy interior. It's a bit less dense than the Trader Joe's Organic French Baguette, which is one of the reasons that this baguette ranks just a bit higher.

What really makes it stand out, though, is its flavor. A lot of the baguettes on this list are very neutral-tasting, without much flavor of their own. That may not be a problem in some applications, but when you want the bread to be the star of the show — like when you're making a simple breakfast of toast or assembling a sandwich — it's important to pick one that actually adds flavor to the dish instead of just structural integrity. You're getting that more-complex flavor with this baguette. Although there are more flavorful options on this list, this baguette is still a great choice when you're looking for something that's a step above average.

Let's face it: Unless you're grabbing a store-bought baguette right as it's coming out of the oven, it's not going to taste as fresh as a loaf you bake at home. That's why I love opting for a "bake at home" baguette. These loaves are generally par-baked, which means that you just have to throw them in the oven for a few minutes to get that crisp exterior crust and a warm, steaming interior. That ultimately makes your loaf of bread taste fresher, even though it's still an easier store-bought option. Chabaso Bakery's Bake at Home Classic French Baguette is a good example of this kind of loaf. Once you take it out of the oven, it takes on an ideal texture, with a soft and airy inside and lovely, browned crust. It also has a subtle sweetness to it that makes this baguette ideal for breakfast and increases its complexity.

The only thing I don't like about this baguette is the fact that the shape isn't ideal. It's really too thin to make some types of sandwiches, which limits what you're able to do with the loaf. On the flavor and texture fronts, though, it's definitely a win.

There's basically no food item I've ever seen that's as painfully cute as Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes. They look just like any normal baguette you'd see at the grocery store, but they're in a miniature size that makes them a perfect choice when you don't think you can eat an entire loaf of bread before it goes bad. It's ideal for a single serving, to serve alongside a salad or soup for a light lunch. And even though these baguettes are frozen, they're absolutely delicious after you heat them up for a few minutes in the oven.

They have a lovely, bouncy texture to them, which comes as a bit of surprise considering their small size. They're also quite flavorful, with a sweetness and complexity that is absent from most of the other baguettes on this list. Although they may not be ideal for sandwiches — or really, a lot of other applications that would generally make sense for baguettes — they were one of my absolute favorites in this lineup, for their texture, flavor, and novelty.

If you're looking for a loaf that packs plenty of flavor and the ideal baguette texture, look no further than Iggy's Whole Wheat Sourdough Baguette. First of all, this baguette has a ton of flavor from the whole wheat, which lends itself to a much more pronounced and less-neutral taste than any of the other loaves on this list. But when you add in the fact that this is a sourdough loaf, you'll realize that you get an extra layer of flavor complexity, with that signature sourness that sourdough is known for.

But this bread doesn't take the top spot just because of its flavor alone. It also has the ideal baguette texture, with an open crumb and bouncy airiness that creates the perfect foundation for any sandwich. Since it does have so much flavor, though, it can easily be enjoyed all on its own, with a healthy smear of salted butter.

These baguettes were chosen based on local availability at several stores in my area. I ranked these loaves according to both flavor and texture, with an emphasis on an open crumb, relatively bouncy texture, crisp crust, and flavor complexity. I tasted all of these baguettes plain, without butter or other toppings, to better pick up on their nuanced flavors. Only the par-baked and frozen baguette varieties in this lineup were cooked at home in any way. In those cases, they were just baked, not toasted.