French tradition bread
A lean French dough of flour, water, salt and a little yeast, given an autolyse rest and fermented dough for depth. Most of its rise happens overnight in the refrigerator, 12 to 18 hours at 4 °C (40 °F).
- Makes
- 1,904 g of dough
- Hydration
- 68% water as a share of the flour
Scale
g of dough
Dough
| Ingredient | Grams | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 g | 100% | |
| 6 g | 0.6% | |
| 640 g | 64% | |
| 18 g | 1.8% | |
| 200 g | 20% | |
| Total | 1,864 g |
Additional water
| Ingredient | Grams | % of flour |
|---|---|---|
| 40 g | 4% | |
| Total | 40 g |
Water temperature
The base temperature is 56 to 60 °C (197 to 204 °F): flour, room and water added together.
Method
Mix
- Set the water temperature so that it gives a base temperature of 56 to 60 °C (197 to 204 °F).
- Autolyse (an early rest for flour and water): combine the water and flour in the mixer bowl and mix 1 minute on low speed. Let it rest 30 to 60 minutes.
- Add the yeast, fermented dough and salt. Mix 1 minute on low speed, then 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Toward the end of the medium-speed mix, add the additional water (bassinage, water worked in late).
- The dough should come off the mixer at 24 °C (75 °F).
First proof
- Leave the dough 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Refrigerate it at 4 °C (40 °F) for 12 to 18 hours.
Shape
- Divide the dough: 550 g for loaves, 350 g for bâtards and baguettes, 175 g for ficelles, 70 to 80 g for rolls.
- Pre-shape each piece into an oval and let rest 45 to 60 minutes.
- Shape into the final forms.
Second proof
- Proof about 1¼ hours at 20 °C (68 °F).
Bake
- Dust the pieces with flour and score them.
- Load them into a deck oven at 250 °C (475 °F) and let the heat fall to 230 °C (450 °F) for the bake.
- Bake loaves and bâtards 25 minutes, baguettes 18 minutes, ficelles 15 minutes and rolls 12 minutes.
For bakers in the US
- Unbleached bread flour (T65)
- French “tradition” flour, made with no additives; in the US, an unbleached all-purpose or bread flour of about 11.5% protein
- Pâte fermentée (old dough)
- Pâte fermentée: dough kept back from an earlier batch
- Bassinage
- Water held back and added at the end of mixing
