Pain à l’ancienne – Rustic Bread
·Tip: overnight preparation
The dough needs to rise for a long time in the fridge. This allows the complex sugars in the flour to break down into simple sugars more effectively. It's this slow fermentation that gives the bread its distinctive flavour and lets the crust caramelise beautifully.
Mix the dough
Tip the flour into a bowl, pour in cold water, and mix thoroughly for about a minute. If you're feeling lazy, use a stand mixer; if you fancy a workout, get stuck in by hand.
Knead
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then get back to kneading — with some real energy this time. I'll admit I was the lazy one who used the dough hook on my mixer, letting it run for about 5 minutes.
Brush with oil and wrap
Brush the surface of the dough with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and pop it into the fridge, where it will sit undisturbed for about 10 hours.
Knead again
The next morning, take the bowl out, add the yeast and salt, and knead once more. Again, I let it knead for 5 minutes.
Second rise, several hours
Now for the second rise, this time at room temperature. It can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. It's ready when the dough has doubled in volume and bubbles appear on top.
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 225°C and place a container with about 1.5 litres of boiling water inside. Dust your work surface generously with flour and tip the dough out onto it. Don't worry about how loose and slack it looks — that's exactly how it should be.
Fold and shape the dough
Dust the top of the dough with flour as well and fold it over several times. Cut it into 4 pieces and, with all your strength, shape them into baguette-like loaves. Don't expect perfectly smooth, polished beauties — this is rustic country bread, after all!
Bake
Transfer everything onto a baking sheet dusted with coarse flour or lined with baking paper. Let the loaves rest for another 10 minutes, then slide them into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, depending on how dark you like the crust. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.