Pain de Rémésy 2025 update

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pain_de_remesy on 19 Jun 2025 at 14:17
Pain de Rémésy 2025 pullman loaf, cut

I've been tinkering with the Pain de Rémésy recipe off and on and am sharing a modification that seems to work better and more reliably.

Here goes:

83% strong bread flour

2% rye flour

15% whole wheat flour

1% salt

2.5% sourdough starter

Less than a gram of instant baker's yeast (~0.6-0.7 per kilo of flour). I use a bit less than 1/8 a teaspoon for a 600g loaf. This is added in a supporting role, to help ensure a decent rise.

62% water at 24 C (75 F). This cooler water helps keep the dough from fermenting too quickly, even in the cooler fermenting temperature.

Mix and do minimal kneading (1-3 minutes maximum) then put in a container in an area that is between around 15-20 C (60-70 F) for at least 20 hours. There is no need to do anything else at this point. No stretch and folds, etc. Just let it ferment.

I typically shape the dough at the 20 hour mark, so long as it has reached the right volume, then put in a Pullman loaf pan and bake when it has just about reached the top. The Pullman loaf pan is lightly buttered. Time varies, but generally it is ready to go 24 hours after fermentation starts. I sometimes put in in the oven with a light on which helps the proof.

Bake at 230 C (450 F) for 5 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 218 C (425 F) and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove lid and reduce temperature to 204 C (400 F) and bake for 10 minutes, or until desired color.

Some pictures follow.

Finished and cut loaffinished loaf angle viewfinished loaf finished loaf on sideproof in oven with light onballed up and ready to shape20 hours fermentation

 

Interesting bread, thanks for sharing!

What is the flavour and texture like? 

It sure looks like a panis respectus method to me, I guess I'm not sure of the subtle differences of method.

-Jon

Thanks Jon ! I'm not the best at describing taste and texture, but it's a bit dense and chewy, such that when toasted the knife makes a nice sound on it when spreading the butter. Good mouth feel. Taste-wise, it varies with what's going on in the starter. Mine tends to be less on the sour side, more of an apple smell and taste, though if I have added more of the instant baker's yeast, it tends to be more sour, but the ferment proceeds more quickly (and too quickly I think).

And you're correct about the method being very much like respectus, which was based in large part on the work of Christian Rémésy and his colleagues at INRA, and he worked a lot with the bakers who have put the books together on the subject. I think in general, the biggest difference might be in the salt content and perhaps in the temperatures used, but it will vary from baker to baker. I thought Christian was deserving of a loaf made in his name and I took the method directly from his own recommendations.

Cheers !