La Cloche baked Pain à L’Ancienne
I've made Pain à L’Ancienne several times now and each time it seems to get better in terms of taste but I keep getting pretty thin boules. I've been curious about what would happen if I let the dough "age" in the refrigerator for two days instead of just one. So I mixed up enough dough for a loaf on Wednesday and left it until this morning. I also decided to try baking it in my Sassafras covered baker, La Cloche. I baked it in the convection oven at 425F for 15 minutes then lowered the temperature to 400F and continued baking for 30 minutes at which time I removed the lid and let it bake for about 8 minutes more. After it had cooled for about 45 minutes, I tried a small piece. I don't think the taste is improved by leaving it in the refrigerator for an extra day but I like how it baked in the covered baker. It also turned out a better shape, not as large in diameter but about 4" high, but I may just be getting better at shaping these things.