Costco Baguette Bread (Kirkland) Review
Author’s note: These are my own crusty opinions. I wasn’t paid (or compensated in any way) to write this review, and I have no affiliation with Kirkland nor Costco.
Karma is gonna get me. Someday.
This bread wasn’t on sale, so I’m not sure why I bought it. It was a total impulse buy. I don’t buy bread at Costco often, because it always comes in enormous packages that take too long for my lonely little stomach to eat.
Anyway. This is the Costco Baguette Loaf, which is only available in a 2-pack. Although the label says 1.5 pounds, I weighed the package on my kitchen scale at nearly 2 pounds. That’s a lot of bread!
I had seen reviews of these baguettes floating around the internet where people complained that they went stale rapidly and/or grew mold. So, I was extra-worried about eating all this bread before it spoiled.
Because I’m a weird hermit with no life, I also measured these loaves. They’re 22 inches long. Almost 2 feet. Another useless piece of data. You’re welcome.
What do Costco baguettes taste like?
These baguettes are remarkably hearty! They’re chewy and have thick, satisfying crusts. This isn’t at all like most grocery store “French” baguette loaves — where the outside is “crisp,” and the inside is airy and insubstantial. On the contrary, this is “meaty,” dense bread. Rich, satisfying bread. Beefy carbs. It’s not as tender as other loaves, but it’s got a wonderful substantial quality.
Flavors
The bread itself is deeply flavorful. In fact, this is some of the most flavorful bread I’ve eaten in a while. Some of that excellent flavor may be from the added buckwheat flour. And the malted barley flour. Plus the “sourdough” itself. There’s also a pleasant (but not overbearing) saltiness that rounds out all the other flavors.
Speaking of sourdough, I previously reviewed Costco’s Sourdough Loaf, which I liked, and which (for me) had a very long shelf-life. I was impressed to see these baguettes have a similar sourdough culture in the ingredients, instead of merely commercial yeast. More about the ingredients later.
However, despite the sourdough culture, there isn’t a “sour” flavor. If you dislike “tangy” bread, this may make you happy. It’s tang-less.
Appearance
The baguettes have a lovely, rustic appearance. The surface is scored and lightly floured. The bottom of the loaf has a slightly coarser, floured texture.
There are a lot of medium-sized holes in this bread. I don’t mind this at all. A baguette is sort of “side bread” anyway. Nobody is making sandwiches out of baguette slices. I mean. I don’t think they are. Are they? Are you?!
Once sliced, the baguette produces tidy little chunks, perfect for serving as a side item with a meal. Hobbit-sized slices. Here is a slice in my own bitty hobbit hand.
Storing Costco Baguette Loaves
I made a fatal error when storing my baguettes. As I wrote in this earlier review of Costco’s Sourdough loaf, the bread comes in a plastic bag with zillions of tiny holes. The itty-bitty holes allow enough air circulation to keep the lovely crust…crusty.
Unfortunately, I was exhausted when I brought my loaves home, and my kitchen was dimly lit. So, when I peered (sleepily) at the baguette bag, I did not see the holes. I stored my sliced baguette loaves in the holey bag for a couple days before I realized my mistake. The holes allow too much air inside for long-term storage, which means your bread will get rock-hard and stale.
I had to transfer mine to another, un-holey bag. This isn’t easy to do, because the 22-inch loaves don’t exactly fit in standard kitchen bags. I had to cut the baguette in half and put it in a large plastic bread bag. Some bakeries sell their bread in paper bags, to keep them crusty, but include an extra plastic bag inside, for later. It would be nice if Costco included an unholey bag, too. But they don’t.
Ingredients in Costco Baguette Bread
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thamin Mononitrate, “Ribo-Flavin”, Folic Acid)
- Water
- Sourdough (Water, Wheat Flour or Buckwheat Flour)
- Buckwheat Flour
- Contains 2% or less of the following: Sea Salt, Yeast, Malted Barley Flour, Malted Wheat Flour, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid
This is a pretty decent ingredient list. No, it isn’t entirely leavened with natural sourdough — there is added yeast. And there is ascorbic acid. But still. Pretty impressive for a mass-produced grocery store bread. Using both sourdough culture AND commercial yeast is sometimes called “hybrid sourdough.” The added yeast helps create a more reliable rise.
I like how the Costco wizards misspelled “Ribo-Flavin.” It sounds like a super-power. Or a kid’s fruit drink. Maybe a kid’s fruit drink WITH super-powers!
Maybe it should always be spelt this way.
Sell-by date
My loaves had a sell-by date approximately 2 days after purchase. Given how quickly the bread can harden inside the bag, I would not want a package that had been sitting in the store for 2 days after baking. Yikes. Try to get loaves that were baked the same day you buy them. Mine were slightly warm when I bought them, so that’s about as fresh as they come.
This is a Kirkland Signature (Costco store-brand) product, and the item # is: 1830455.
Freezing the Bread
According to the label, you can freeze this bread “in sealed plastic bag.” Now, logical minds assume this is a different bag than it came in, since the holey-holes would let in all sorts of freezer shenanigans. Just saying.
Also, I do not have a freezer large enough to store a 22-inch long baguette. Alas.
Re-Heating Instructions
The label includes instructions for re-baking the bread after freezing:
- Remove bread from freezer and thaw
- “Peheat” oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake loaves directly on oven rack for 15 minutes
“Peheat.” Ha ha ha. OK. I gotta stop pointing out the spelling errors on labels. Karma is gonna get me. Someday.
Price for Costco Baguette Bread
The two-pack of baguette loaves cost $4.99 at my local store. $2.50 for a 1-pound loaf is not a bad price. However, buying two loaves at once is not necessarily saving money if I only manage to eat one of them before they go stale. Guess I better buy a 22-inch freezer!
Dramatic Conclusion
I loved these baguettes — they have an amazing flavor and fantastic texture. But they don’t have a long shelf-life, and are difficult to store. I think Costco’s baguettes are best eaten within a couple days of purchase. Watch out for the holey bags! Because I am single, and have only one stomach, I would only buy this again if I was hosting a dinner party or family gathering. Many stomachs. It’s just too much bread for one person to eat quickly.
The End.
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