The world record for baking the longest handcrafted baguette has been broken in France, in a 10-hour task which has required “true spirit and collective sportsmanship”.
For the new official Guinness World Record, which was set on Sunday in Suresnes, Paris, the baguette came in at 140.53 metres, beating the previous record of 132.62 metres.
The feat required 90kg of flour, 60 litres of water, 1.2kg of salt and 1.2kg of yeast to cook the 152kg of dough.
Dominique Anract, president of the National Confederation of French Baking, said: “A record for the longest handcrafted baguette requires true spirit and collective sportsmanship.
“In this year of the Olympics, congratulations to all our artisan bakers.
“Bread is an engine of performance, our baguette is an essential part of our gastronomic heritage.”
Guillaume Boudy, mayor of Suresnes and vice-president of the Council of Hauts-de-Seine, said: “Suresnes is proud to have been the scene of this record for the longest baguette in the world, which promotes a national symbol of our gastronomy as well as the artisans who perpetuate their know-how.
“I congratulate the bakers from Suresnes who participated in the baking and maintain the daily sharing traditions essential to the conviviality of our city.”
Preparations started at 3am to ensure the baguette was at least 5cm thick to qualify for the official record.
The dough was kneaded, shaped and baked on site in public in a custom rolling tent oven.
Pieces of the baguette were later handed out to onlookers.
