Richard Bertinet’s book, Dough is a fabulous book for novice bread makers like myself. The book concentrates on technique and timing. There are some great informative step-by-step pictures and includes an in-depth 30 minute DVD. The book uses fresh yeast, I was unlucky on my last visit to the local deli, they had run out of fresh yeast and were not getting a delivery until the following week. With some advice from a friend on twitter I substituted it with instant dried yeast.
The result was glorious. This gorgeous bread was made with only 4 basic ingredients. It created a wonderfully chewy, soft, light as air crumb and the crust is thin and delicate, reminiscent of ciabatta. The whole process didn’t take more than 2 hours. All of the hard work was in the first 30 minutes and the rest of the time the dough was rising in my microwave.
The unusual thing about this bread is its shape. The slit in the middle is deliberate and makes for a very sexy roll of bread.
Pain Façon Beaucaire
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
This French bread, Pain Façon Beaucaire, features a soft, airy crumb and a thin, delicate crust, reminiscent of ciabatta, made with just four basic ingredients.
Ingredients
- 500g (17.63oz) unbleached bread flour
- 350ml (350g or 12.34oz) water at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g or 0.14oz) instant dried yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g or 0.28oz) fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the yeast.
- Add the salt and water to the flour mixture.
- With a wooden spoon, combine the ingredients until they just come together to form a dough.
- Scrape the mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (428°F).
- Once risen, gently deflate the dough and shape it into a long loaf. Make a deliberate slit down the middle of the loaf.
- Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Let the bread cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
If you can’t find fresh yeast, instant dried yeast works as a substitute. Let the dough rise in a warm place, such as a microwave, to speed up the process. The slit in the middle of the loaf is intentional and adds a unique aesthetic to the bread.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 0
I’m wondering how you shaped the bread exactly…The photo of the three loaves after shaping/before baked, you can see the “line/flour seam” down the middle of the bread. I believe this is from flouring the rectangle and then folding the dough after the bulk fermentation. I baked this bread yesterday, and I guessed that after dividing the dough into 6, you must have turned the loaves onto their side..? in order to see that nice flour seam down the middle. However I think your dough must have been more slack than mine because it stayed pretty upright, whereas yours are more ciabatta looking.
thanks.
This is just the recipe I need! My sons love bread such as this, and I can’t wait to surprise them after school tomorrow with a loaf right out of the oven! Thanks!
how much flour and how much water in cups
this bread sounds wonderful
I’ve always been wary of making bread and working with yeast but this was a great recipe and a lovely bread to make even for the novice. Many thanks for posting and I plan on making lots more bread!
This bread looks delicious! Do you think there is any way to freeze the unbaked dough? Or would it be smarted to fully bake the bread and then freeze? I’m only feeding two of us, so 6 piece of bread…dangerous! :-) Thanks!
nothing like a good home made bread. Great recipe! The bread looks perfect
Homemade bread, still warm out of the oven, is one of the best things in the world! Thank you for sharing this great book and recipe. The bread looks so good.
This bread looks great! I love the fact that it only takes about 2 hours to make!!