What is T65 Flour? The Professional Baker's Guide to French Baguette Flour

6 min readOct 6, 2025Updated Oct 15, 2026

Short answer: T65 is a French flour type defined by its ash (mineral) content, 0.62–0.75%, and it is one of the two flour types, with T55, that France's Label Rouge specification for pain de tradition française flour allows. The T65 we stock is Foricher Bagatelle T65: more than 11.0% protein according to the mill's datasheet, strength W200 and P/L 0.7, milled in France for baguettes, pain de campagne, rustic loaves and sourdough. Below: what the numbers mean, what Label Rouge and CRC® mean for the flour you receive in Canada, and how T65 compares with T45 and T55.

In Canada, authentic French T65 has historically been hard to source at professional volumes. At Zucchero Canada we carry Foricher Bagatelle T65, milled in France by Foricher Les Moulins and stocked in Calgary and shipping across Canada, with pickup at our warehouse, in 25 kg professional bags and 1 kg bags.

Your production	Foricher flour	Price
Baguettes, pain de campagne, sourdough	Bagatelle T65, 25 kg	$170.00
Test bake or home bench	Bagatelle T65, 1 kg	$12.50
Croissants and brioche	Bagatelle T45, 25 kg	$175.00
Tart shells, choux pastry, sponge cakes	Terroir T55, 25 kg	$175.00
Rye breads and rustic blends	Terroir T130 rye, 25 kg	$180.00

What the T-number actually measures

The T-number tells you the flour's ash content, not its protein. Ash is the mineral residue left after a flour sample is burned in a laboratory furnace (the international method is ISO 2171, "determination of ash yield by incineration"). Foricher's datasheets and France's Label Rouge specification for flour for pain de tradition française (LA 11/04) give these ranges:

Flour type	Ash content	Source
T45	0.39–0.50%	Foricher datasheet, Bagatelle T45
T55	0.50–0.60%	Label Rouge LA 11/04
T65	0.62–0.75%	Foricher datasheet, Bagatelle T65; Label Rouge LA 11/04
T130 (rye)	1.20–1.50%	Foricher datasheet, Terroir T130

The higher the number, the more mineral residue the flour carries. Protein is a separate measurement: Foricher's datasheets specify 14.0% (±0.3) protein for Bagatelle T45 and more than 11.0% for Bagatelle T65. So a lower T-number does not mean a weaker flour; read the protein and the alveograph values (W, P/L) as well.

T65 flour specifications

For Foricher Bagatelle T65, the line we carry, Foricher's datasheet and our product data list:

Flour type: T65 French wheat flour, for baguettes and artisan bread
Protein: more than 11.0% (mill specification); the nutrition table lists 11 g per 100 g
Alveograph strength (W): 200
Elasticity ratio (P/L): 0.7 ± 0.2
Ash content: 0.62–0.75%
Moisture: below 15%
Wheat: 100% CRC®-certified French wheat, milled by Foricher Les Moulins
Ionization: Free
GMO: Free
Canadian compliance: enriched with thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), folic acid (B9) and iron, as Canadian Food and Drug Regulations require (see below)
Shelf life and storage: 9 months; store below 25°C (77°F) in dry storage

Label Rouge and CRC® — what the certifications mean

Label Rouge is a French national quality sign for products whose production or manufacturing conditions give them a higher level of quality than similar products usually sold. Each Label Rouge specification is validated by INAO (Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité) and approved by an interministerial order published in France's Journal officiel.

The Label Rouge specification for flour for pain de tradition française (LA 11/04) covers T55 and T65 flour and requires, among other points, protein of at least 11% on dry matter, no additives, and no ascorbic acid. In France, Bagatelle T65 carries the Label Rouge seal.

However, the version sold in Canada is sold without the Label Rouge designation. 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, 0.40 mg of riboflavin, 5.30 mg of niacin, 0.15 mg of folic acid and 4.4 mg of iron. The flour you receive is Bagatelle T65 vitaminée: vitamin-enriched to meet that rule, and therefore sold in Canada without the Label Rouge seal.

CRC® stands for Culture Raisonnée Contrôlée, a French cereal supply chain whose grain is certified under a product conformity certification (Certification de Conformité Produit); traceability is one of the pillars of its strategy. The Canadian-market Bagatelle T65 is still listed as milled from 100% CRC®-certified French wheat.

T65 vs T55 and T45 — which flour for which production

Application	Bagatelle T45	Terroir T55	Bagatelle T65
Baguette de tradition			✓ Recommended
Pain de campagne, rustic loaves			✓ Recommended
Levain / sourdough			✓ Recommended
Croissants / viennoiserie	✓ Recommended
Brioche	✓ Recommended
Puff pastry	✓
Tart shells, choux pastry, sponge cakes		✓ Recommended
Protein / W / P/L	14.0% ±0.3 / 350 ±30 / 0.8 ±0.2	—	over 11.0% / 200 / 0.7 ±0.2

The key practical difference: Bagatelle T45 at W350 is the flour Foricher's data positions for laminated doughs that must carry butter through every fold; Bagatelle T65 at W200 is the bread flour. A bakery that runs both a viennoiserie and a bread program needs both. For dedicated puff pastry there is also Terroir Feuilletage, Foricher's puff pastry flour, at $175.00 for 25 kg.

View flour for baguettes and artisan bread →

What W200 and P/L 0.7 mean in practice

W tells you how strong the flour is; P/L tells you how that strength is balanced. Both come from the Chopin alveograph, which inflates a sheet of dough into a bubble until it breaks:

W is the total deformation energy, the work needed to inflate the dough bubble until it breaks. The higher the W, the stronger the flour.
P is the maximum pressure needed to deform the dough (tenacity); L reflects how much air the bubble can hold before it breaks (extensibility).
P/L is the ratio of the two and represents the balance between the elastic and viscous behaviour of the dough.

Bagatelle T65's W200 is lower than Bagatelle T45's W350: it is the bread flour, not the lamination flour. Its P/L is 0.7 ± 0.2, against 0.8 ± 0.2 for Bagatelle T45.

Working with T65 Bagatelle — practical notes

Run a test bake before switching your production: set your hydration, mixing and fermentation from a trial batch; the 1 kg bag lets you test before committing to 25 kg.
Storage: keep the bags below 25°C (77°F) in dry storage, and use the flour within its 9-month shelf life.
Shaping and packing: from Foricher's range we also stock a 70 cm beech baguette flipping board ($19.99 CAD) for moving shaped baguettes, and French baguette bags, 1,000 units (from $84.99 CAD), 9.9 × 7.4 × 39.2 cm.

View baguette tools and accessories →

How AI can help your production

Write your baguette formula in baker's percentages and ask an AI assistant to scale it to each day's batch, convert the weekly flour total into 25 kg bags so you know when to reorder, and calculate the flour cost per baguette from your purchase price. Ask it to build a fermentation log for your test bakes with T65 (dough temperature, room temperature, times, notes on crust and crumb), so the hydration you settle on is written down and repeatable on every shift.

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

Bagatelle T65 and Foricher flour at Zucchero Canada

Foricher flour is stocked in Calgary and ships domestically across Canada, with pickup at our warehouse. Priority allocation available for bakeries and food service operations running standing orders. Choose by production:

Bagatelle T65 for baguettes and artisan bread → 25 kg $170.00 · 1 kg $12.50
Bagatelle T45 for croissants and brioche → 25 kg $175.00
Terroir T55 for pâtisserie → 25 kg $175.00
Terroir T130 rye for rye breads and blends → 25 kg $180.00

View all Foricher flour →

Buying for a bakery, hotel bread program or culinary school? Contact our team for volume orders, write to sales@zuccherocanada.ca or call 587-774-8873 (toll free 877-741-8251).

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 FT207A (Bagatelle T65), FT208A (Bagatelle T45) and FT050F (Terroir T130); foricher.com (Pâtissière and Feuilletage flours); Foricher Les Moulins product data on zuccherocanada.ca; INAO, Label Rouge fact sheet, and Label Rouge specification LA 11/04 "Farine pour pain de tradition française" (INAO, text published for national consultation); Canada, Food and Drug Regulations, C.R.C., c. 870, s. B.13.001 (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca); ADEME, "Écoconception baguette de pain, filière CRC"; ISO 2171:2023; American Society of Baking, "Alveograph"; KPM Analytics, "What is baking strength".

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What is T65 flour used for?

T65 is a French bread flour. Bagatelle T65 is listed for baguettes de tradition, pain de campagne, rustic loaves and sourdough. For croissants and brioche, the Foricher flour is Bagatelle T45; for tart shells and fine pâtisserie, Terroir T55.

What is the difference between T55 and T65 flour?

The type number is the ash (mineral) content: 0.50–0.60% for T55 and 0.62–0.75% for T65, according to France's Label Rouge specification for pain de tradition française flour. In the Foricher range, Terroir T55 is a pastry flour, while Bagatelle T65 is a bread flour (more than 11.0% protein according to the mill's datasheet, W200).

Is the Bagatelle T65 sold in Canada Label Rouge?

No. In France, Bagatelle T65 carries the Label Rouge seal. Canadian regulations require white flour to contain added thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron, so the Canadian version is vitamin-enriched and sold without the Label Rouge designation. It is still milled from 100% CRC®-certified French wheat.

What is the protein content of T65 flour?

The T-number measures ash, not protein, so protein depends on the flour. For Foricher Bagatelle T65, the mill's datasheet specifies more than 11.0% protein, and its nutrition table lists 11 g per 100 g. For comparison, the datasheet for Bagatelle T45 specifies 14.0% (±0.3).

How should I store T65 flour?

Store Bagatelle T65 below 25°C (77°F) in dry storage and use it within its 9-month shelf life.

Where can I buy T65 flour in Canada?

Zucchero Canada stocks Foricher Bagatelle T65 in Calgary, in 25 kg and 1 kg bags, with pickup available at our Calgary warehouse. Orders over $500 CAD get 5% off automatically at checkout. Food products, including flour, are sold within Canada only. For volume orders, contact our team.