T45 vs T55 vs T65: Which French Flour for Which Application — Complete Guide for Professional Bakers

Short answer: T45, T55 and T65 are French flour types defined by ash (mineral) content, not by protein: T45 is up to 0.50% ash, T55 0.50–0.60% and T65 0.62–0.75%. In the Foricher range we stock, use Bagatelle T45 for croissants, brioche and laminated doughs, Terroir T55 Pâtisserie for tart shells, choux and cakes (Terroir Feuilletage for puff pastry), and Bagatelle T65 for baguettes and artisan bread.

The T-number on French flour tells you one thing: its ash content, the mineral residue left when the flour is incinerated. Lower T = a whiter, more refined flour. Higher T = more of the outer layers of the grain, more minerals. The T-number does not tell you the protein or the strength of the flour. Choosing the T-number that matches your application is the first step to making authentic French recipes perform in a Canadian bakery. This guide gives you the direct answer for every application.

The quick answer: T45 vs T55 vs T65 at a glance

What the T-number actually measures

French flour classification is based on ash content — the mineral residue left after the flour is incinerated. The French Label Rouge specification for stone-milled flour sets the bands: T45 up to 0.50%, T55 from 0.50% to 0.60%, T65 from 0.62% to 0.75%, then T80, T110 and T150 (above 1.40%) for the darker, wholemeal flours. The same table lists T45 mainly for pastry, T55 for bread, biscottes and viennoiserie, and T65 for pain de tradition française.

This is fundamentally different from how Canadian flour is regulated: the Canadian standard for white flour only sets a ceiling of 1.20% ash on a moisture-free basis, a range much wider than any single French type. Higher ash content in French flour means more of the wheat's outer layers are retained and more minerals; the lowest types are white flours, T80 is "bise", T110 semi-wholemeal and T150 wholemeal. Protein does not follow the T-number: Bagatelle T45 has 14.0% protein on Foricher's datasheet, while Bagatelle T65 has over 11.0%.

The two Foricher lines: Bagatelle and Terroir

All the Foricher flours we stock are milled from CRC®-certified French wheat or rye (Culture Raisonnée Contrôlée), a certified grain supply chain in which traceability is one of the pillars. According to our product data, the T55, T65, T130 and Feuilletage flours are GMO-free and ionization-free. In France, the Bagatelle T45 and T65 carry the Label Rouge seal. The Terroir flours we stock cover pastry (T55 Pâtisserie), puff pastry (Feuilletage) and rye (T130). Note: Canadian food regulations require white flour to be enriched — what you receive is vitaminée (enriched) Foricher flour, with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron, sold in Canada without the Label Rouge designation.

1. T45 Bagatelle — Best flour for croissants and viennoiserie

Ash: 0.39–0.50% · Protein: 14.0% (±0.3) · from $12.50 CAD / 1 kg · Available in 1 kg, 10 × 1 kg, 25 kg

T45 is the specialist flour for laminated doughs and viennoiserie. It is the most refined of the three types, and the Bagatelle T45 is also a strong flour: 14.0% protein on Foricher's datasheet, with W350 ±30 and P/L 0.8 ±0.2 in our product data. Foricher's datasheet gives viennoiserie and pastry as its use, and our product data lists it for croissants, brioches, puff pastry, laminated doughs and tarts.

For brioche, the same flour applies: the Bagatelle T45 is the flour we list for brioche in the Foricher range we stock.

• Croissants and pain au chocolat
• Brioche (all formats)
• Puff pastry and laminated doughs
• Tarts
• French viennoiserie classics

View Bagatelle T45 → from $12.50 CAD

2. Terroir T55 Pâtisserie — Best flour for tart shells, choux and fine pastry

Ash: 0.50–0.60% · Protein: 12.5% · W330 · P/L: 0.6 · from $12.50 CAD / 1 kg · Available in 1 kg, 10 × 1 kg, 25 kg

The Terroir T55 Pâtisserie is Foricher's pastry flour, called "Pâtissière" in France. Foricher describes it as a T55 pastry flour made from a blend of selected French wheats that gives doughs good extensibility, for choux pastry, tart doughs (pâtes à foncer), cakes, génoises, madeleines and pound cakes (quatre-quarts). Our product data adds pâte sucrée, pâte sablée and sponge cakes.

It comes in three formats, so you can test a recipe with a 1 kg bag and move to 25 kg bags for production with the same flour.

• Tart shells: pâte sucrée, pâte sablée, pâte à foncer
• Choux pastry
• Sponge cakes, génoises, madeleines, pound cakes
• Fine pastry bases

View Terroir T55 Pâtisserie → from $12.50 CAD

3. Terroir Feuilletage T55 — Best flour for puff pastry

Ash: 0.50–0.60% · 25 kg only · $175.00 CAD

The Terroir Feuilletage T55 is a specialist puff pastry flour. Foricher makes it from a blend of strong wheats (blés de force) and says it gives more regular results than mixing T45 and T65 flours, and that, because it oxidises less than a T65, puff pastry made with it keeps better. Our product data lists it for palmiers, mille-feuille, vol-au-vents and delicate laminated doughs.

Available in 25 kg format only — designed for bakeries running puff pastry in volume. If you produce both tart shells and puff pastry, this and the T55 Pâtisserie serve different product lines.

• Mille-feuille, vol-au-vent, puff pastry shells
• Palmiers
• Delicate laminated doughs

View Terroir Feuilletage T55 → $175.00 CAD / 25 kg

4. Bagatelle T65 — Best flour for baguettes and artisan bread

Ash: 0.62–0.75% · Protein: over 11.0% · W200 · P/L: 0.7 · from $12.50 CAD / 1 kg · Available in 1 kg, 25 kg

T65 is the bread flour of French tradition — the classification used for baguette de tradition, pain de campagne, levain loaves and artisan bread production; the Label Rouge flour table lists T65 for pain de tradition française. Foricher's datasheet gives bread-making as the use of the Bagatelle T65, and our product data lists it for baguettes tradition, pain de campagne, rustic loaves and sourdough. Its profile is W200 and P/L 0.7 ± 0.2 (product data), with protein over 11.0% (Foricher datasheet). Our product data describes it as strong enough for long fermentation.

In France, the Bagatelle T65 carries the Label Rouge seal; the vitamin-enriched version sold in Canada is sold without it.

• Baguette de tradition (the primary application)
• Pain de campagne, levain loaves, rustic loaves
• Long-ferment sourdough
• Artisanal and rustic French breads

View Bagatelle T65 → from $12.50 CAD

5. Terroir T130 Rye — Best rye flour for sourdough and rye bread

Ash: 1.20–1.50% · CRC® certified French rye · 25 kg · $180.00 CAD

The Terroir T130 is a dark French rye flour with 1.20–1.50% ash on Foricher's datasheet, from CRC®-certified French crops. Our product data lists it for pain de seigle, rustic country breads, dense Nordic-style rye loaves and sourdough starters: according to our product data, its 1.20–1.50% ash carries the minerals wild yeast thrives on, and rye's natural sugars keep a levain active and aromatic.

Use it on its own for full rye flavour, or blend it with wheat flour for a lighter rustic crumb.

• Traditional rye bread (pain de seigle)
• Sourdough starters
• Blends with wheat flour
• Rustic country breads and dense Nordic-style rye loaves

View Terroir T130 Rye → $180.00 CAD / 25 kg

Which flour for which application

Pricing summary

How AI can help your production

Once you know which flour goes into which product, an AI assistant can do the arithmetic around it. Give it your formulas and weekly volumes and ask it to scale a recipe from a 1 kg test batch to 25 kg bags, to count how many bags of each flour you need per week, and to work out the flour cost per croissant, tart shell or baguette from the prices in this guide. Ask it to turn your switch to French flour into a test plan: one product at a time, with a record of hydration, dough temperature and bake results.

AI organises the information; tasting and the final decision stay with your chef.

All Foricher flours are stocked in Calgary and ship across Canada. Priority allocation for bakeries and food service operations on standing orders. Contact our team for volume pricing.

Bagatelle T45 | Terroir T55 | Terroir Feuilletage | Bagatelle T65 | Terroir T130 Rye | Full Foricher collection | What is T55 flour? | What is T65 flour?

This article is for information only. Every business is different: draw your own conclusions based on your own expectations, budget and goals, and talk to qualified experts before you decide or invest.

Sources: Foricher technical datasheets FT208A (Bagatelle T45), FT207A (Bagatelle T65) and FT050F (Terroir T130); foricher.com, "Pâtissière" and "Feuilletage" pages; INAO, Label Rouge specification LA 05/14 "Farine de meule", flour-type table; CFIA, Canadian Food Compositional Standards, flour; Food and Drug Regulations, B.13.001; ADEME, CRC® (Culture Raisonnée Contrôlée) supply chain; Zucchero Canada product data for each flour.