70 French Baking Terms 🍰

Let’s study some common French baking terms – le vocabulaire de la pâtisserie.

1 – How to translate to bake in French

You’d think it would be easy to translate such an easy concept as to bake in French.

Well, it’s not.

We don’t have a precise verb for baking in French.

We say “faire de + what you are baking…

1. Faire un gâteau – to bake a cake
2. Faire une tarte – to bake a pie
3. Faire du pain – to bake bread
4. Faire des biscuits – to bake cookies

You could also use a synonym to to cook in French: préparer, cuisiner…

Now let’s study the French verbs used when baking in French.

2 – French Baking Verbs

1. blanchir – blanch
2. rallonger –  to thin out/add a little liquid
3. mélanger – mix, combine
4. ramollir- soften
5. verser – pour
6. incorporer – incorporate, mix
7. donner corps –  add volume/shape
8. fraiser = pétrir avec la paume de la main – to knead with the palm of your hand
9. foncer = adapter une pâte à un moule – line a pie pan
10. garnir de – stuff, fill with
11. cuire à blanc – blind bake
12. presser – squeeze
13. remuer – stir in
14. zester – zest
15. faire chauffer – heat
16. battre les oeufs – beat, whisk the eggs
17. monter les blancs en neige – beat egg whites until stiff
18. épaissir – thicken
19. ôter ou retirer du feu – remove from the heat
20. cuire à feu doux – cook over low heat
21. cuire à feu fort – cook over high heat
22. (r)ajouter – add
23. mixer – blend, use a food processor
24. déguster – enjoy, taste, try

And now here is a list of common French baking terms. Would you like to help me and suggest more baking terms or verbs? Please add them in the comments below (with the English translation please) and I’ll add them to the list! Merci !

3 – French Baking Terms

1. une tarte –  pie
2. un gâteau – a cake
3. un biscuit – a cookie
4. du pain – bread
5. la pâtisserie – pastry – here is an article on French pastry
6. la pâte brisée – shortcrust base or short crust pastry
7. la pâte sablée – sweet shortcrust pastry dough
8. la pâte feuilletée – puff pastry
9. croustillant – crunchy
10. la crème au citron – lemon curd
11. un fouet- a whisk
12. une pincée de sel – a pinch of salt
13. la farine – flour
14. le sucre – sugar
15. la maïzena – cornstarch
16. le beurre coupé en dés – cubed/diced butter
17. un jaune d’œuf – an egg yolk
18. un blanc d’œuf – an egg white
19. rallonger –  to thin out/add a little liquid
20. une meringue – a meringue
21. une cuillère à soupe (cs) – a table spoon (tbsp.)
22. le papier sulfurisé – greaseproof paper
23. une casserole – a saucepan
24. l’appareil = la préparation, le mélange en cuisine – mixture
25. un fond de tarte – a tart bottom, a pie crust, bottom of a pie crust

Now let’s study the French baking vocabulary in the context of my French English bilingual Lemon Pie recipe.

 4 – French Bread Baking Vocabulary

1. le pain – bread
2. un fermier – a farmer
3. un maraîcher – a vegetable farmer
4. un éleveur – a cattle raiser
5. un boulanger – a baker
6. nourrir le levain – to prepare the yeast
7. le pain au levain – sourdough bread
8. faire du pain – bake bread
9. le four à pain en briques réfractaires – brick bread oven
10. le moulin – the mill
11. pétrir – to knead
12. laisser la pâte lever – let the dough rise
13. façonner – to form or fashion
14. un pain, une miche – a loaf
15. un épi de blé – an ear of wheat
16. fariner – to sprinkle flour
17. cuire – to bake
18. la cuisson – the baking/cooking
19. enfourner du pain – to put the loaves in the oven
20. l’enfournage ou l’enfournement du pain – the act of putting things in the oven
21. une fournée – a batch
22. défourner du pain – remove the loaves from the oven
23. fait maison – homemade

What about baking bread in France with a famille de boulanger? Check out my bilingual short French story!