Ficelle

Ficelle (French, "string" or "twine") is a thin, crisp French bread loaf made from the same lean baguette dough as a traditional baguette but rolled out to a diameter of roughly two to three centimetres and a length of about forty centimetres. The crumb is open and airy, the crust is thin and shatter-crisp, and the loaf is small enough — typically under 100 grams — to be eaten in a few bites. Most ficelles are sold as pain de tradition française, made with flour, water, salt and a sourdough or yeast starter, with no additives.

The form is most associated with Paris and the Île-de-France, where ficelles are sold alongside demi-baguettes and baguettes at every boulangerie and are a classic accompaniment to a charcuterie board, a bowl of soupe à l'oignon or a green salad. They are also a long-time favourite for canapés at apéritifs, sliced lengthwise, buttered and topped with goat cheese, smoked salmon or rillettes. The same thin loaf is found in Belgium as pistolet and in Switzerland as a ficelle, and in French train-station kiosks and charcuteries, a ficelle garnie (split and filled with ham, butter, cornichons and Comté) is a standard café lunch.