Pan Francese from Advanced Bread & Pastry
Tre Franceses
“Pan Francese” simply means “French Bread” in Italian. It is a long, thin loaf that is the Italian version of a baguette. Daniel Leader has a formula in Local Breads which he titles “Italian Baguettes” and says are called “Stirato,” which means “stretched” in Italian. Michel Suas' Advanced Bread and Pastry includes a formula for “Pan Francese,” and we made this bread during the Artisan II workshop at SFBI.
The differences between Leader's and Suas' formulas are relatively minor. Leader uses a biga at 60% hydration, and the biga is 61% baker's percentage of the total dough. Leader's dough hydration is 70%. Suas' hydration is 76% - a significant difference. Suas uses a poolish (100% hydration), and the poolish is 50% baker's percentage of the total dough. Leader uses all AP flour, while Suas' formula uses 13.6% whole wheat flour, the rest being AP. Leader's mixing instructions, as usual for his high-hydration doughs, call for an intensive mix (10-12 minutes at Speed 4). Suas specifies a short mix but 2 or 3 folds during bulk fermentation. Their shaping instructions are also significantly different: In spite of pointing out that “Stirato” means “stretched,” Leader tells you to shape the loaves like you do baguettes. Suas has you simply cut long strips of dough and stretch them to shape.
Of course, there is no end to variations with breads. The Il Fornaio Baking Book, from the bakery chain of the same name, has a recipe for “Sfilatino” which they call “Italian Baguettes.” Theirs are made with a biga. They are shaped as demi-baguettes, then stretched to about 15 inches long.
The “Pan Francese” I made followed Suas' formula and method from AB&P.
Poolish |
Baker's % |
Wt. (oz) |
AP flour |
100 |
3 5/8 |
Water |
100 |
3 5/8 |
Yeast (instant) |
0.1 |
1/8 tsp |
Total |
200.1 |
7 1/8 |
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Mix all the ingredients until well-incorporated.
-
Ferment for 12-16 hours at 65ºF.
Final dough |
Baker's % |
Wt. (oz) |
AP flour |
79.52 |
11 7/8 |
WW flour |
13.48 |
2 3/8 |
Water |
70 |
10 |
Yeast (instant) |
0.35 |
¼ tsp |
Salt |
2 |
¼ oz |
Malt |
0.98 |
1/8 oz |
Poolish |
50.03 |
7 1/8 |
Total |
223.36 |
2 lb |
Total dough |
Baker's % |
Wt. (oz) |
AP flour |
86.4 |
15 1/2 |
WW flour |
13.6 |
2 3/8 |
Water |
76 |
13 5/8 |
Yeast (instant) |
0.3 |
1/2 tsp |
Salt |
1.6 |
¼ oz |
Malt |
0.78 |
1/8 oz |
Total |
178.68 |
2 lb |
Method
-
Prepare the poolish the evening before mixing the dough.
-
Measure all the Final dough ingredients into the bowl. (I used a KitchenAid mixer.)
-
Mix with the paddle until ingredients are well mixed – 1-2 minutes -then switch to the hook and mix at speed 2 or 3 for about 5 minutes. There will be some gluten development, but the dough will not clear the sides of the bowl. It will be like a thickish, glutenous batter.
-
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover tightly.
-
Ferment for 3 hours with 2-3 stretch and folds on a well-floured board.
-
Prepare your oven with a baking stone and your steaming apparatus of choice in place. Pre-heat the oven to 500ºF about 30 minutes before the end of fermentation.
-
Transfer the dough to a well-floured board. De-gas the dough and stretch and pat it into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches. Dust the top with flour.
-
Using a bench knife, divide the dough into 3 strips. Stretch them to about 15” long and place them on a well-floured linen couch. (I suppose parchment paper would serve.). Cover with linen or a towel.
-
Proof for 30-45 minutes.
-
Transfer the loaves to a peel and then to the baking stone. Turn the oven down to 460ºF and steam it.
-
Bake for 22-25 minutes.
-
Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Francese cross section crumb
Francese longitudinal section crumb
The loaves had a thin, crisp crust that got chewy as it cooled. The crumb was very open with some chewiness. The flavor of the whole wheat was present when tasted still slightly warm. I expect it to meld by tomorrow. The flavor was similar to ciabatta, not surprisingly. The bread was nice as a chicken salad sandwich for dinner.
David
Submitted to YeastSpotting [1]