T45 vs T65 Flour: Which French Flour for Croissants, Baguettes, and Viennoiserie

Short answer: T45 and T65 are French flour types defined by their ash (mineral) content, not their protein: around 0.50% for T45 and 0.62–0.75% for T65. Use T45 for croissants, brioche and laminated doughs, and T65 for baguettes, pain de campagne and sourdough. In the Foricher range we stock, the T45 is actually the stronger flour: Bagatelle T45 has 14.0% protein (±0.3) according to the mill's datasheet, against more than 11.0% for Bagatelle T65.

Not all flours are created equal — especially in France. For Canadian bakers and pastry chefs working with authentic French baking, understanding the difference between T45 and T65 is essential. These two flours define how your croissants, brioches, or baguettes will perform — and why substituting with Canadian all-purpose will never quite replicate the result.

What the T-number actually means

French flour is classified by ash content — the mineral residue left after a flour sample is incinerated in a laboratory furnace (the international method is ISO 2171, "determination of ash yield by incineration"). The higher the T-number, the more mineral residue the flour carries: T45 to T65 are white flours, T80 is farine bise (light brown), T110 is semi-wholemeal and T150 is wholemeal. Ash and protein are separate measurements, so a lower T-number does not mean a weaker flour.

Ash ranges and general uses: France's Label Rouge specification for stone-ground flour (INAO, LA 05/14); Bagatelle uses: our product data.

The wheat behind both flours

Both Foricher Bagatelle T45 and T65 are milled in France by Foricher Les Moulins from 100% CRC®-certified French wheat, grown in the Loiret and Yonne regions near the company's historic mills. CRC® stands for Culture Raisonnée Contrôlée: a French cereal supply chain whose grain is certified under a product conformity certification (CCP), with a strategy built on four pillars — health, biodiversity and climate resilience, traceability, and sustainability. In France, Bagatelle flours are milled without additives or enzymes; the version sold in Canada is vitamin-enriched, as explained below.

Note on Label Rouge in Canada: Foricher Bagatelle T65 holds Label Rouge certification in France — a French official quality sign whose specifications are handled by INAO (Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité). However, Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (section B.13.001) do not allow white flour to be sold unless every 100 g contains 0.64 mg of thiamine (B1), 0.40 mg of riboflavin (B2), 5.30 mg of niacin (B3), 0.15 mg of folic acid (B9) and 4.4 mg of iron. This mandatory vitaminization means the Canadian-market version is sold without the Label Rouge designation. What you receive is Bagatelle T65 vitaminée, compliant with Canadian law.

T45 in practice: viennoiserie and laminated dough

T45 is the specialist flour for laminated doughs and enriched pastry. Bagatelle T45 is made for laminated doughs that need structure without toughness: with 14.0% protein (±0.3) and a strength of W350, it has the strength to carry butter through every fold of croissant dough, and the finesse for a delicate, airy crumb and a deep golden crust.

For brioche, Bagatelle T45 is an extra-fine, silky flour, listed in our product data for brioche, croissants, puff pastry and the French viennoiserie classics.

Foricher Bagatelle T45 specs: protein 14.0% (±0.3) and ash 0.39–0.50% (mill datasheet); strength W350 (±30) and P/L 0.8 (±0.2) (product data); 100% CRC®-certified French wheat; vitamin-enriched for Canada; shelf life 9 months, stored below 25°C (77°F) (mill datasheet). Available in 1 kg, 10 × 1 kg, and 25 kg formats.

View Foricher Bagatelle T45 → from $12.50 CAD

T65 in practice: baguettes and artisan bread

T65 is the bread flour of French tradition — the classification used for baguette de tradition, pain de campagne, levain loaves and artisan bread production. France's Label Rouge specification for flour for pain de tradition française (LA 11/04) covers type 55 or type 65 flour, and the French flour table in LA 05/14 lists T65 for French tradition bread. Its ash content is 0.62–0.75%.

Bagatelle T65 was milled for the crackling crust and open, creamy crumb of a true French baguette: our product data describes it as strong enough for long fermentation, tolerant in hydration, and consistent bake after bake, for baguettes de tradition, pain de campagne, rustic loaves and sourdough.

Foricher Bagatelle T65 specs: protein over 11.0% (mill datasheet; nutrition table 11 g per 100 g), W200, P/L 0.7 ± 0.2 (product data), ash 0.62–0.75%, moisture below 15%, CRC® certified, ionization-free, GMO-free; shelf life 9 months, stored below 25°C (77°F). Available in 1 kg and 25 kg formats.

View Foricher Bagatelle T65 → from $12.50 CAD

Side-by-side comparison

Which to choose: the practical guide

Laminating in volume? Foricher says its Feuilletage flour gives better consistency than a blend of T45 and T65, with less oxidation than a T65, so puff pastry also keeps better. View Terroir Feuilletage, 25 kg → $175.00 CAD

How AI can help your production

Write your croissant and baguette formulas in baker's percentages and ask an AI assistant to scale them to each day's batch, split the weekly flour total between T45 and T65 bags so you know when to reorder each, and calculate the flour cost per croissant and per baguette from your purchase price. Ask it to build a log for your test bakes (dough temperature, fermentation times, lamination notes), so the settings that work with each flour are written down and repeatable on every shift.

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

Availability at Zucchero Canada

We carry the Foricher Bagatelle line — T45 and T65 — and Foricher's Terroir T55 pastry flour, stocked in Calgary with pickup at our warehouse. Bagatelle T45 comes in 1 kg (for recipe development and test batches), 10 × 1 kg, and 25 kg (production format); Bagatelle T65 in 1 kg and 25 kg. Priority allocation for bakeries and food service operations running standing orders.

• Bagatelle T45 for croissants and brioche → 25 kg $175.00 · 10 × 1 kg $95.00 · 1 kg $12.50
• Bagatelle T65 for baguettes and artisan bread → 25 kg $170.00 · 1 kg $12.50

Questions about which Foricher flour fits your production? Contact our team — we work with professional bakeries, hotel pastry programs, and culinary schools across Canada.

Bagatelle T45 → | Bagatelle T65 → | Full Foricher collection →

Flour for croissants | Flour for baguettes | Croissant moulds & cutters | T45 vs T55 vs T65 | What is T65 flour? | Label Rouge explained

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, 14/05/2024) and FT207A (Bagatelle T65, 02/05/2024); foricher.com, "Feuilletage"; Foricher Les Moulins product data on zuccherocanada.ca; INAO, Label Rouge specifications LA 05/14 "Farine de meule" and LA 11/04 "Farine pour pain de tradition française" (texts published for national consultation); ISO 2171 (cereals, pulses and by-products — determination of ash yield by incineration); ADEME, "Écoconception baguette de pain, filière CRC"; Canada, Food and Drug Regulations, C.R.C., c. 870, s. B.13.001.