There are few things that taste as good as something fresh out of the oven. Especially if they are carbohydrate rich items. Cookies, cake, and oh yes....bread.
The taste
In this case, these so-called mini baguettes are really just breadsticks in disguise. These are small. So keep in mind when you buy these there are six in the package.
Unlike other French items like the croissants, these do not require any time to rise. Just pop them in the oven and go.
And besides who doesn't love breadsticks?
If these are sold out, then there is a pretty comparable product on store shelves: Trader Joe's parbaked ficelles. It's in the fresh bread aisle and quite honestly it is quite good as well. And it can be frozen for later use.
But the taste here is all fresh-baked because these are essentially parbaked. All these require of you is about 4-6 minutes in the oven and you have a solid little breadstick.
Now, in terms of it reminding me of French bread, there were some gaps. These seemed much paler in color than a normal loaf of french bread when removed from the oven at the appropriate time.
These are even a bit paler than the package might have you believe. Unfortunately, these did disappear right out of the oven in my household so no finished pictures were taken.
Not a bad thing either. And trust me, they pair really well with the New Zealand Grass Fed Butter as well. But if all you have is regular butter, French Cultured Butter, or some of Trader Joe's Olive oil then those will work as well.
If you aren't a butter fan, then you can always use these to sop up pretty much any sauce from your plate.
But these little sticks aren't overly crusty on the outside. The inside is nice and tender and the bread overall is light and soft.
So perhaps if you are craving that crunch on the outside it might be better to let these bake a few extra minutes in the oven.
Overall
For $3.99 for six sticks isn't a bad deal. Bread is pretty cheap to make at home, but if you are over the idea of making bread at home then this is a worthy alternative.
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes again, but more than likely I'll look for the par-baked loaves first.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
A visual rundown
The bag of Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes:
The nutritional information and ingredients
How to prepare
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes
Product Name: Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes
Product Description: Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes are new and delicious.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Mini French Baguettes are new, frozen, and delicious.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Tasty and simple to make
- Minimal effort
- No overnight rising required
Cons
- Not as crusty as traditional French bread.
- They are more breadsticks than mini loaves.
I love these! But seems it's sold out! Hope it comes back. The pairing with the NZ Cultured butter is divine.
Hey Alek! I saw these at my local Trader Joe's tonight so they are probably waiting for the next delivery. Thanks as always for stopping by!
I wonder if I could air fry them instead of heating the oven up just to bake one or two of them?
I actually don't see why that wouldn't work. If you try it, I'd love to hear how it works for you!
I found it necessary to cook them a bit longer. I think around 8-10 minutes or so. Also, as tempting as it is to eat it hot from the oven, the middle was a bit gummy fresh from the oven and did much better when I allowed it to cool for at least 20-30 minutes first. I did manage to make a mini sandwich out of these and successfully used them for garlic bread, but that involved taking them out of the oven after 5 minutes, slicing them in half, spreading garlic butter all over, then baking again for another 5 minutes or so.
Overall I don't think I would buy these again. I loved the idea, just not the execution. The croissants are FANTASTIC and even if I had to leave these out on the counter overnight to rise and have a nice, hot, fresh baguette in the morning, it would be worth it. On the bright side, I can make a pretty awesome no knead baguette (you still need to fold/shape the baguette normally), and I have no shortage of bakeries nearby selling baguettes. Those would be better options for me at this point instead of getting this product again.
Thanks so much for sharing Tiff!
I tried airfrying these. 400 degrees for 7 minutes so good! Perfectly golden all over. No flipping at all.
Hey Alek! Thanks for sharing this!
I tried baking at 400 for 10 min. with no crisping or browning. I did it again at 450 for 10 min and they came out brown, crispy with a nice soft center. I made a very nice small salami and butter sandwich much like I had had in France years ago.
Thanks for sharing this!