Bread cetera

Pain de Campagne

Jul 7th, 2008 by SteveB

Pain de campagne, or “country bread”, is bread baked in the style of the rustic loaves found throughout the French countryside.  There really is no one correct way to bake a pain de campagne loaf; the formulae are as varied as the traditional ways of shaping the loaves.  Pain de campagne can be made with a natural leaven or with baker’s yeast.  Some prefer to add a small percentage of rye flour to their dough while others prefer whole wheat.  Traditional loaf shapes include fendu (split), couronne (crown), tabatiÁ¨re (snuffbox), and bouton d’or (buttercup), to name a few.

The formula used here is based on the one described in Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas.  The formula uses baker’s yeast for leavening and incorporates around 50% of the total amount of white flour in the form of a pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e (pre-fermented dough) for flavor.  It also includes rye flour at a level of just under 3% of the total white flour used.  The loaf described here was shaped in the form of a bouton d’or.

PÁ¢te FermentÁ©e

• 265 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
• 170 g Water
• 1/8 Tsp. Instant Yeast

 

Final Dough

• 235 g King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
• 25 g Medium Rye Flour
• 190 g Water
• 10 g Salt
• 1 Tsp. Instant Yeast
• 435 g (all of the above) PÁ¢te FermentÁ©e

The pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e is prepared the night before baking.  The flour, water and yeast are mixed just until incorporated.  The temperature of the water should be adjusted so that, after the incorporation, the pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e is at 70°F.  The pÁ¢te is then allowed to ferment at 70°F for 1 hour, after which time it is refrigerated overnight.

The next morning, the pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e is divided into small, walnut-sized pieces and allow to warm to room temperature for 1 hour.  The final dough is then prepared by combining the flour, rye flour, water, yeast, salt and pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e pieces, just until all the components are hydrated.  The water temperature should be such that it brings the temperature of this mixture to 75°F.  The lumpy mixture is then further mixed, by hand (see Musings on Mixing…), until a smooth, elastic dough is formed, about 10-15 minutes.

The dough is placed in a lightly oiled container, covered and allowed to ferment for 1 hour.  After this first fermentation, the dough is divided into 2 pieces weighing 565 g and 85 g, respectively.  A small piece of extra dough will remain.  The two dough pieces are then lightly pre-shaped into rounds, covered with a plastic sheet and allowed to rest for 20 minutes.

The loaf is then shaped into a bouton d’or by first rounding the larger dough piece into a tight boule.  Two perpendicular grooves are then rolled into the boule using a small wooden dowel.  After the application of a small bit of oil (to enhance definition) to the rolled-out boule, the smaller dough piece is tightly rounded and then placed within the center of the larger piece.  The combined dough is then gathered, inverted into a lightly floured banneton and covered with a Saran Quick Cover, and allowed to ferment a second time for 1hour at 80°F:[qt:http://breadcetera.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/boutondor1.MOV 500 375]

The dough is then turned out of the banneton and baked, under steam for the first 10 minutes, at 450°F for 25-30 minutes.

 

Tags: bouton d'or, bread, pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e, shaping

Posted in Lean Doughs, Techniques

18 Responses to “Pain de Campagne”

1. 
   on 09 Jul 2008 at 9:18 am1Jane

   Another pain de campagne recipe to try! The bouton d’or is very pretty. You didn’t show the crumb! The air has been humid here and all my breads have been a bit soft lately. The pain de campagne from the other day was good but too soft. The one’s we buy in a bakery have a very light, airy crumb and a thin, crispy crust. The yeast ones, the most available ones. I redid a “pain de campagne” with sourdough, a touch of rye and to my taste it is so much better! I’ll redo it with your shaping.
   Keep it up, your site is very helpful.
   Jane

2. 
   on 09 Jul 2008 at 12:41 pm2SteveB

   Jane, you are right! I really should start showing pictures of the crumb. I will do so in the future. The crumb on the bouton d’or was fairly open but not to as great an extent as the baguettes. I will say that I, too, prefer the flavor that a bit of rye brings to the loaf. It has been quite humid here near Boston as well and I find that lately, I need to extend the oven time by a couple of minutes to fully bake the loaves.

3. 
   on 12 Jul 2008 at 11:29 pm3Norm

   Steve, thanks for the great recipes and video demonstrations. I have some dough hydrating at the moment, and will try forming the loaf like you have here.

4. 
   on 13 Jul 2008 at 6:47 am4SteveB

   Norm, I’m glad you like the recipes and video. I find shaping loaves into various forms to be great fun. I’m always on the lookout for new shaping techniques.

5. 
   on 25 Aug 2008 at 12:21 pm5Jules

   Hi Steve,

   I am going to attempt a version of this pain de campagne bread to mimick this incredible bread sold in a local Japanese bakery. They incorporate a seed blend similar to the KAF Harvest Grains Blend. Do you have any suggestions on how much I should add, when I should add it and if I should soak the seeds or just add a little extra water to the dough?

   #1 I am almost out of KAF AP flour but have a few sacks of KAF Bread Flour, KAF European Artisan Flour and KAF French Flour. Can I substitute any of these for the AP in the final dough for either the Pain de Campagne or Baguettes?

   #2 I also started a poolish for the baguette and also a pate fermentee for the pain de campagne. I made your baguettes for the first time the other day and everyone loved them! I have been asked to make it again for tomorrow but to bake it a little longer to get a better and darker crust. I was scared to over bake it the first time and kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t set my fire alarm off with the oven on so high with the flour on the stone LOL.

   Thanks for the advice and great recipes! I felt such a huge sense of pride serving your baguettes. Of course only practice makes perfect 🙂

6. 
   on 25 Aug 2008 at 12:53 pm6SteveB

   Jules, the amount of seed blend you add to your dough should be dictated by your own taste. Perhaps 5% (baker’s percentage) would be a good starting point. The seed blend should be added to the dough towards the end of mixing after most of the gluten has been developed. Pre-soaking should not be necessary with whole seeds.
   The KAF European Artisan Flour should work nicely for pain de campagne. As with any change of flour, keep an eye out for any required changes to water quantities.
   Good luck and have fun! 🙂

7. 
   on 30 Mar 2010 at 1:43 am7Sulpicia

   I just made this for the first time. I was really worried about it because the dough was so goupy even after using the mixing technique, but the crumb turned out so beautifully. The bread is incredible. I never thought I could bake something like this.

   I did try to make it into a bouton d’or shape, but it just turned into a boule. I’m not sure how to make the shape stick properly. However, it still looks truly enticing.

8. 
   on 24 Oct 2011 at 9:44 am8Danny

   Also my first time with this recipe, the best bread I have ever made and very easy to follow steps. The only issue i had was that i should have moved the bread to the final container for the last ferment and i lost some air in the transfer. I cannot wait to make this again….. One question though, how long would the pate ferment last in the fridge if you made this a few days in advance?

   Keen to try your other recipes, excellent website.

9. 
   on 24 Oct 2011 at 8:45 pm9SteveB

   Hi Danny,

   Thanks for the kind words.
   Although I’ve never refrigerated pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e any longer than overnight, I understand that it can be kept chilled for at least 1-2 days before use, and possibly longer, without any deleterious effects.

10. 
    on 26 Nov 2011 at 8:43 pm10Sian

    I’ve always thought pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e should be left at room temperature for 12 – 16 hours before use. Good to learn something new. Thanks : )

11. 
    on 24 Dec 2011 at 11:14 am11Tony

    Thanks for sharing this information. Though I won’t be trying this recipe at home, I love reading about food. Here in Japan the Japanese love Pain De Campagne. Thanks for sharing.

12. 
    on 19 Jan 2012 at 9:18 am12Zoltan

    Hi there Steve,

    I am experiencing some blistering on my dough.
    Any ideas why I am getting this on the final fermentation?

    Thanks

    Regard
    Zoltan

13. 
    on 24 Jan 2012 at 10:36 am13SteveB

    Hi Zoltan,

    Crust blistering during baking can be the result of an extended final fermentation, particularly if the dough has been retarded at low temperature. While I understand the French consider this to be a defect, many American consumers enjoy a blistered crust. Personally, I don’t have any strong opinions one way or the other.

14. 
    on 08 Feb 2012 at 4:00 pm14Zoltan

    Thanks Steve.
    The blistering develops during fermentation, small bubbles here and there
    on the surface. I am not too bothered about it, just made me wonder why it was happening.

    Regards

    Z

15. 
    on 28 Apr 2013 at 7:42 am15Mary

    A great recipe thanks. One small thing puzzles me. In the recipe you say ….. A small piece of extra dough will remain. …… What is this for?

16. 
    on 29 Apr 2013 at 6:44 am16SteveB

    Hi Mary,

    The small piece of extra dough can be used as part of the pÁ¢te fermentÁ©e in future bakes.

17. 
    on 15 Jan 2014 at 4:06 am17Tushar

    Hi – I really like the simplicity of this recipe. Beautiful! We use a Pate Fermentee in our recipe to help develop the flavour thoroughly.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvVxvQhyeFQ

    PÁ¢te FermentÁ©e:
    280g Strong Bread Flour.
    3/4 tsp of Salt
    1/2 tsp if Yeast
    170g of Water

    Pain de Campagne:
    All PÁ¢te FermentÁ©e from above:
    220g Strong Bread Flour
    45g Wholewheat flour
    3/4 tsp Salt
    1 tsp Yeast
    170g Water

    Regards

    T

18. 
    on 30 Jan 2015 at 10:02 am18Roger

    I’ve just made this and it’s absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing.