Pain de campagne

( Country bread )

The pain de campagne is the icon of rural baking, and while this rustic bread has enjoyed a trendy resurgence in the last few years, it is still best enjoyed with a hearty soup or stew during those long winter nights, deep in the countryside.

Makes 1 loaf

Poolish

1 g (¹/₃₂ oz) dried yeast

100 ml (3½ fl oz) cold water (20°C/70°F)

50 g (1³/₄ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (‘0’/T55 or ‘1’/T65)

50 g (1³/₄ oz) rye flour

Dough

150 g (5½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (‘0’/T55 or ‘1’/T65)

50 g (1³/₄ oz) rye flour

100 ml (3½ fl oz) cold water (20°C/70°F)

6 g (¹/₅ oz) fine salt

2 g (¹/₁₆ oz) dried yeast

spray bottle filled with warm water

L To make the poolish, follow the method, adding in the rye flour with the plain flour. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 3 hours, or until the poolish triples in volume. To make the dough, follow the method, to the end of the first prove.

L Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and proceed with the balling process. Line a large bowl, about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter, with a lightly floured cloth. Gently tip the dough upside down into the lined bowl so that the bottom of the loaf faces up. Cover with another lightly floured cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. To check if the dough is ready, gently push it with the palm of your hand; it should feel soft but the dough should still spring back to its original shape. If the dough feels hard and dense it is not ready.

L Preheat the oven to 230°C (445°F) at least 30 minutes before baking. Hold the bowl with one hand and rest the other hand gently on top of the dough with your fingers spread apart, then carefully tip the dough onto a lightly floured baking tray. Dust a little flour over the top of the dough. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a cross in the top of the loaf.

L Place on the bottom shelf of the oven and spray water into the oven for 5 seconds (see tip), then quickly close the oven door. Bake for 20–25 minutes. To check if the bread is ready, open the oven door and tap the crust with your index finger. The bread is ready when the crust feels hard and the loaf sounds hollow and dry. Remove from the oven and set aside for at least 5 minutes before slicing, or the steam that is trapped inside the loaf may burn you.

Why rye? Rye flour was used extensively in the past due to its relatively low cost of processing and strong resilience to winter conditions. Nowadays, rye flour is added to semi-sour or sourdough breads for two main reasons. Firstly, it contains less gluten than wheat and is therefore less proficient at retaining the gas created during the fermentation process, which gives the bread a denser flesh with smaller holes, thus helping extend its shelf life. Secondly, it contains more soluble sugars than wheat and therefore ferments faster.