Name: Pane Francese
Yield: Makes 4 small loaves or 1 large loaf
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 300 grams (2 c + 2 tbsp) white flour; 300 grams (1¼ c) water at about 60°F (15°C); 0.2 gram (pinch) instant yeast; 235 grams (¾ c + 3 tbsp) cold whole milk; 1 gram (generous ¼ tsp) instant yeast; 20 grams (1 tbsp + ¼ tsp) fine sea salt; 500 grams (3½ c + 1 tbsp) white flour, plus additional as needed for working with the dough; Dusting Mixture, for the lined proofing basket and the shaped loaf; 70 grams (¼ c + 1½ tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation info

Makes
4
small loaves

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Bien Cuit

By Zachary Golper and Peter Kaminsky

Published 2015

About

I first tasted a bread like this when I was a stagiaire (a kind of a low-level apprentice) in the town of Blois in France’s Loire Valley. Like most young, aspiring chefs, I rarely had the time or money to take advantage of being in such a legendary dining country. Most days I ate dinner with a local family who took in paying dinner guests. Breakfast was at the bakery, usually black tea and leftover brioche from the day before. That’s what our chef ate, so that’s what we ate. When I h