One theory is that pão francês was invented in the 1900s by wealthy Brazilians who asked French bakers to teach them how to bake the baguettes that they encountered in their visits to France.

[2] A similar theory places the origin of pão francês in the kitchens of the wealthy elite of São Paulo near the onset of World War I.

[1] One final theory places the origin of the bread much earlier in the royal court of Rio de Janeiro during colonial times.

It wasn't until the early 1900s when imported wheat flour became more accessible and the Matarazzo [pt] and Santista Mill opened in the state of São Paulo that pão francês spread throughout the Brazilian Southeast and eventually the entire country.

[3] As the most popular bread in Brazil, pão francês is eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and can be found in a variety of dishes.