September 13, 2007 - 10:19am
pain de beaucaire
I was wondering if anyone knows how to form a pain de beaucaire. I have found a few formulas but not enough of a description to figure out how the loaf is formed. I have looked on the web, but google does a poor translating job from French to English. Can anyone help?
rcornwall
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Hi,
This bread is produced in a following manner. After kneading, let ferment for 1 hour. Roll it out into a rectangle. Brush the surface with water and fold (or cut into 2 strips and place one on top of another). This is done so that water gets sealed inside and converts to steam in the oven which lightens the bread's texture. Let ferment for 2 hours, cut into rectangles. When baking, place loaves on their sides which will create a typical crease in baked loaves: each loaf will open along the line.
That's what makes them unique: baking on their sides : )
mariana
Rcornwall - I am not familar with this bread but a quick search found this link. Read to find out more info and also some instructions on shaping.
http://webfoodpros.com/discus/messages/241/309.html?965600881
Partway down this page. Nice open crumb.
Sue
Thank-you for the input. Mariana when you say put the loaf on its side do you mean so that the opning of the fold is pointing upwards?
thanks again,
rcornwall
Yes, rcornwall. You understand it correctly. The long strip (folded in half, lengthwise) undergoes second fermentation (proofing) as one whole piece,
Then it is cut into individual loaves, which are placed on a baking surface in such a way that the opening of the fold will be on the top of the finished breads.
The one hour long bulk fermentation and 2 hours long proof that I mention above are for a version made with poolish which ferments for 12 hours at room temperature prior to mixing the final dough. This will produce the crumb as alveolated as good sourdough and as tasty.
Just make sure to use unbleached flour. OK? I like to use white cornmeal for sprinking the division line.
If you decide to make it sourdough, make sure you build intermediate sponges to have vigorous fermentation and very mild sourdough flavor (acidity). Or you can use Calvel's formula for yeasted rustic dough. I will post it in my blog for you (http://mariana-aga.livejournal.com/)The crust is pale (light yellow) and thin.
Calvel says it is one of the best breads of France.
mariana
I'm very intrigued about this bread so now I'm going to have to learn to make it! I noticed Susanfnp has a lovely photo of this bread from SFBI week and hopefully she'll post it and give us some more information. Very beautiful bread. I'd love to learn more about its texture and flavor.
When we made Pain de Beaucaire in my last class at SFBI we brushed the dough with a slurry of 1:5 flour:water and the sprinkled it with bran so the bran ends up as the "filling" of the sandwich. Make sure the loaf is not too wide (i.e., to "tall" when turned on its side) or it will collapse into itself and not open properly.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Oops, I didn't see your post until after I posted mine. Unfortunately I'm on my way out right now but later tonight I can give you a little more of my impressions of the bread of you like.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Here's a photo of the Pain de Beaucaire about to go into the oven. You can see that the two halves have bran between them and the loaves are turned on their sides.
This was made with a liquid levain. The dough was quite stiff, making it easy to roll out. But the crumb of the bread was light and open (as can sort of be seen in the photo in the above post).
The dough was fermented for 45m then rolled out (not stretched) into a rectangle and folded in thirds letter-style, fermented another 45m, rolled out again, brushed with slurry, sprinkled with bran, folded with the bran to the middle, cut into rectangles (not too wide, maybe 3.5" if that), proofed 2h.
I haven't tried making this at home yet but I definitely will; it's really an interesting bread.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
And I'd like to hear more. I didn't see this last night either so will need to catch up on this thread. Did you just whip this up? Wow.
I've never even heard of this bread so I'm really excited now. Do you have a recipe for this? I had posted the link above but didn't really take time to read it or peruse the recipe to see if it is doable in home-baker proportions. It sure is a beautiful looking bread.
Did you just whip this up?
Goodness no; these are both photos from the SFBI class. It looks like Mariana did, though: nice work!
Sorry I can't say much more about the bread than I already have. Here's the formula in baker's percentages:
Flour 100%
Water 56% (give or take -- make dough a stiff consistency)
Salt 2.4%
Instant yeast 0.1%
Levain (100% hydration) 40%
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Susan, thank you for the baker's percentages. What a relief! I only have the formula in cups and teaspoons, provided by Clayton in his book The Breads of France. Thank you!
mariana
Thanks, Susan, I appreciate the formula. When you list both instant yeast and levain does that mean to use both or either one by itself? Did you say that SFBI said they often spike sourdoughs with a bit of instant yeast or did I get that wrong?
Yes, I guess Mariana whipped that bread up! Mariana, I see you listed a recipe as well but you only say "flour" without distinguishing AP or bread flour and I guess Susan's recipe states only "flour" as well. Does it matter which type?
Susan, you say to sprinkle with bran - which type of bran? Is that traditional or can anything be used as in Mariana's cornmeal?
Hi Zolablue,
the real Beaucaire bread is baked with flour from that region of France, so we won't be able to replicate. Bertinet says that sprinkling can be done with whole wheat flour or cornmeal. An old French baker from Beaucaire, Fernand Moureau, who taught Clayton how to prepare this bread, actually was against moistening it with water and never mentioned any sprinkling with bran or cornmeal flour, just placing one strip of floured dough on top of another. So, I think sprinkling is a modern development and adds to the beauty of the loaves, more of an artistic touch.
American unbleached AP flour of above average strength with protein content in 9.5-11% range comes the closest. In Canada, AP flour is practically the same as bread flour in performance in yeasted breads, about 12% protein content, with ascorbic acid and amylase added at the mill (i.e. malted and strong, requires higher hydration). I use that. Didier Rosada did testing of American flours and found that 12,5% protein is maximum that is desirable for French hearth breads. Above that, overhydration becomes a problem.
In French recipes 'flour' means 'type 55 flour' (unbleached, no additives, 75% extraction), otherwise the kind would be specified. North American flours that come close to type 55, usually require slightly longer bulk fermentaton times and shorter proof, and about 3-4% higher hydration due to milling practices. I mention that so that when you try French recipes written for French flour at home, like the recipe found by rconrwall, adjust slightly.
I baked Beaucaire bread for breakfast today and it was stunning. We loved it. Many thanks to rcornwal and Susan for inspiration.
mariana.
I think the one of the closest flours to that type we have is King Arthur Select Artisan at 11.3%. At least that is the lowest protein flour I have on hand and is one of two flours that Leader says to use when "type 55 flour" is called for.
Your bread is certainly beautiful. I can't believe you were able to cut that dough apart so perfectly without smashing it. The crumb is really lovely and it looks like delicious bread. It is a must bake.
I'm thankful for the info on Bertinet's book because I have it. I'll be sure and look it up in there as well.
Yes, this formula uses both yeast and levain. Use whatever (white) flour you generally use for bread. In class that was Gold Medal Harvest King, I believe.
The bran is wheat bran. I assumed that was traditional, but I am not an expert on this bread. That was the first time I ever heard of it, and the only time I've ever made it. None of the formulas on the web seem to call for bran. Our instructor did say this is a very old bread that has been all but lost, although it is seeing some renewed interest.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Susan, thanks for the additional info. I love hearing about these old recipes and am so happy for this thread and this great information. How cool that you actually got to bake it at SFBI. It is important to keep these old recipes going.
I have a further question about using both levain and commercial yeast. Is it considered ok to do in practice or is it more specific to certain breads? I'm asking because I seem to remember reading some pros and cons and somehow it stuck in my head that if you're doing sourdough you don't really need to add the yeast. I know it would make things a bit more stable and quicker but I'm just curious about the overall philosophy and perhaps SFBI addressed that.
My understanding of using commercial yeast in combination with sourdough is this:
Small amounts (up to 0.2% or so) do not significantly impact the taste of the bread but can, as you said, be used to achiveve a somewhat shorter and more predictable fermentation. So it may not be "needed" in that with an active starter you can raise the bread just fine without it, but the same end result can be achieved in what might be, depending on the baker's individual circumstances, a more manageable way.
Larger amounts of yeast can also be added, depending on the desired characteristics of the bread. For example, yeasted preferments (or yeast in the final dough) can mitigate the acidity of the sourdough if a milder taste and more volume are desired, while still achieving some of the benefits of sourdough, such as improved shelf life and, of course, the flavor components. Some of the breads we made at SFBI included (all in the same dough) sourdough levain, yeasted poolish, yeasted sponge, as well as yeast in the final dough. My palate and my knowledge are not refined enough at this point to be able to tell you precisely what characteristics each of the preferments contributes to the bread, but I can tell you it was darn good.
Although I have used the term "spiking" myself, I have decided to try and avoid that term except when I feel the addition of yeast is somehow compromising the final bread. To me it connotes something illicit, like the kid at the prom dumping vodka into the punch, and I don't think that adding yeast to a bread that also contains sourdough, if done pursposefully toward a specific goal, should be considered illicit.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
It is interesting that SFBI used those combinations all in the same dough. Wow, that sounds very complex. However I don't know if I would be able to discern subtle differences in bread made with those mixtures either.
I sure don't think the term "spiking" sounds negative at all. It sounds like "boost" to me only in terms of power (certainly not something illicit). Funny, how terms illicit (hehe) different meanings to us all. I never really thought of that method as being anything other than boosting power for time's sake. It never occurred to me it could be for flavor reasons. I think a thread on this subject would be welcome and interesting.
Wow thank you all for your help. It is a beautiful that I will be glad to add to my repertoire.
rcornwall
This is the recipe I found on the web
Pain de Beaucaire
Recipe:
900 g of "levain"
2,5 kg flour (type 55)
1,5 liter water
55 g salt
5g fresh yeast in the levain.
Straight dough method. Ferment for 8 hours. Knead for 12 minuites.
Let stand again 30 minutes and flatten with a rolling pin to 2 cm thick. Wet the whole surface.
Cut the dough in two, put the two pieces on top of one another. Let stand 30 minutes.
Cut 500g pieces and lay them flat on a baker's couche sprinkled with flour.
Let rise 3 to 4 hours.
I haven't tried it yet but I am going to this weekend. I wouldn't mind seing the Susanfnp formula if you don't mind.
rcornwall
It is absolutely gorgeous, and tasty, too.
I used Bertinet's white dough (70% hydration, 2% salt, 1.5% yeast) and retarded it overnight. Next time I will use less yeast. The overnight retarding and some folds made the dough exceptionally strong.
I really like the result.
My bread blog: http://foldingpain.blogspot.com