Pane Francese

Why this recipe works The Italian cousin to the baguette, pane francese (which means “French bread”) is a long loaf with a moist and open crumb. Pane francese has a crisp yet forgiving exterior, and it’s slightly flatter in shape than a baguette. It’s nice for sandwiches or for dipping into olive oil. We started this bread with a sponge, which developed structure, depth of flavor, and a hint of tang in the loaf. After preparing this mixture (made with water, yeast, and 20 percent of the bread’s total weight of flour), we let it sit on the counter for 6 to 24 hours before mixing it into the dough. During this period the yeast consumed sugars in the flour. This fermentation process, visible by the rise and collapse of the mixture, created acid as a byproduct, which helps develop the strong gluten network that suppors the loaf’s open crumb. Also, extending the overall fermentation time for the dough is what provides great flavor. A repeated series of gentle folds helped develop the gluten structure even further while also incorporating air for an open interior crumb. We proofed the loaf on a couche—a heavy linen cloth—to help the wet dough keep its shape. We slash the top of rustic loaves like pane francese with a lame, a curved-blade tool that gives our scores a dramatic raised edge that bakes up crisp.

MAKES: 2 loaves

RESTING TIME: 6 hours 20 minutes

RISING TIME: 2½ to 3½ hours

BAKING TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 11 to 12 hours, plus 3 hours cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: couche, water-filled spray bottle, rimmed baking sheet, baking stone, 2 (9-inch) disposable aluminum pie plates, 2 quarts lava rocks, pizza peel, flipping board, lame, instant-read thermometer

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SPONGE

• ⅔ cup (3⅔ ounces) bread flour
• ½ cup (4 ounces) water, room temperature
• ⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

FOR THE DOUGH

• 2⅔ cups (14⅔ ounces) bread flour
• 1½ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1¼ cups (10 ounces) water, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2¼ teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Stir all the ingredients in a 4-cup liquid measuring cup with a wooden spoon until well combined. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until the sponge has risen and begins to collapse, which takes about 6 hours (the sponge can sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours).
2. Whisk flour and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir water into the sponge with a wooden spoon until well combined. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the sponge mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, which takes about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
3. Add oil and salt to the dough and knead it on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic and clears the sides of the bowl, which takes about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover it tightly with plastic, and let it rise for 30 minutes.
4. Using a greased bowl scraper or your fingertips, fold the dough over itself by gently lifting and folding the edge of the dough toward the middle. Turn the bowl 45 degrees and fold the dough again. Repeat this process of turning the bowl and folding the dough 6 more times, for a total of 8 folds. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic and let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding process, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic and let the dough rise until it is nearly doubled in size, which takes about 1 to 1½ hours.
5. Mist the underside of a couche (a fabric used for proofing bread) with water, drape it over an inverted rimmed baking sheet, and dust it evenly with flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. Press and stretch the dough into a 12 by 6-inch rectangle, deflating any gas pockets larger than 1 inch, and divide it in half crosswise. Cover each piece loosely with greased plastic.
6. Gently press and stretch one piece of dough (keeping the remaining piece covered) into a 7-inch square. Fold the top corners of the dough diagonally into the center of the square and press gently to seal. Stretch and fold the upper third of the dough toward the center and press the seam gently to seal.
7. Stretch and fold the dough in half toward you to form a rough loaf with tapered ends and pinch the seam closed. Roll the loaf seam side down. Starting at the center of the dough and working toward the ends, gently and evenly roll and stretch the dough until it measures 15 inches long by 2½ inches wide. Moving your hands in opposite directions, use a back and forth motion to roll the ends of the loaf under your palms to form sharp points.
8. Gently slide your hands underneath each end of the loaf and transfer it seam side up to the prepared couche. On either side of the loaf, pinch the couche into a pleat, then cover it loosely with a large plastic garbage bag. Repeat steps 6 through 7 with the remaining piece of dough and place it on the opposite side of the pleat. Fold the edges of the couche over the loaves to cover them completely, then carefully place the sheet inside the garbage bag.
9. Let the loaves rise until they increase in size by about half and the dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, which takes 30 minutes to 1 hour (remove one loaf from the bag to test).
10. One hour before baking, adjust the oven racks to the lower-middle and lowest positions. Place a baking stone on the upper rack, place 2 disposable aluminum pie plates filled with 1 quart of lava rocks each on the lower rack, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a pizza peel with a 16 by 12-inch piece of parchment paper, with the long edge perpendicular to the handle. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
11. Remove the sheet with the loaves from the bag. Unfold the couche, pulling from the ends to remove the pleats. Dust the top of the loaves with flour. If any seams have reopened, pinch them closed before dusting with flour. Gently pushing with the side of a flipping board, roll one loaf over, away from the other loaf, so it is seam side down. Using your hand, hold the long edge of the flipping board between the loaf and the couche at a 45-degree angle, then lift the couche with your other hand and flip the loaf seam side up onto the board. Invert the loaf seam side down onto the prepared pizza peel, about 2 inches from the long edge of the parchment, then use the flipping board to straighten the loaf and reshape it as needed. Repeat with the second loaf, leaving at least 3 inches between the loaves.
12. Carefully pour ½ cup of boiling water into one disposable pie plate of preheated rocks and close the oven door for 1 minute to create steam. Meanwhile, holding a lame (a tool used for scoring bread) concave side up at a 30-degree angle to the loaf, make one ½-inch-deep slash with a swift, fluid motion lengthwise along the top of the loaf, starting and stopping about ½ inch from the ends. Repeat with the second loaf.
13. Working quickly, slide the parchment with the loaves onto the baking stone and pour the remaining ½ cup of boiling water into the second disposable pie plate of preheated rocks. Bake the loaves until the crust is golden brown and they register 205 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through baking. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack, discard the parchment, and let them cool completely, about 3 hours, before serving.