Pane Francese – Northern Italian French Bread

Pane Francese is the bastard lovechild of the baguette and the ciabatta, melding the best qualities of each iconic bread into rustic loaves. Shaped into long sticks like its French archetype, the crust-to-crumb ratio is maximized, making it a great accompaniment to rich soups and stews. The high hydration characteristic of the ciabatta, at 76% for all you bread nerds, gives pane Francese an airy crumb and irregular holes even with the addition of whole wheat flour.

While the pane Francese procedure of cutting dough into strips and stretching is less fussy than shaping traditional baguettes, the wet dough presents its own set of problems with handling and gluten development. Dough strength is achieved through a long fermentation time interspersed with stretching and folding, arguably the best technique to use for developing slack dough. Use small amounts of flour when stretching the dough on a counter, or better yet, watch Susan of Wild Yeast Blog do the same thing with less mess in a rectangular container.

Also known as pane di Como antico (Como bread of the past) in the Northern reaches of the boot, pane Francese exemplifies the shared borders and culinary traditions, with perhaps a bit of friendly rivalry, between France and Italy.

recipe adapted from Michel Suas’ Advanced Bread and Pastry
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Pane di Como Antico o Pane Francese
Como Bread of the Past, French Bread

makes 3 pane Francese

Pane Francese crust.

For the Poolish (Prefermented Dough):

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                                       3.625        103
water, at room temperature                        3.625        103
instant yeast                   1/8 tsp

Mix the poolish ingredients until evenly distributed and place in a covered bowl.

Let stand at room temperature for about 12 to 16 hours before using in the final dough.

Final Dough Formula:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
all of the poolish (prefermented dough)
bread flour                   2 2/3 cups         11.875        336
whole wheat flour               1/2 cup           2.375         67
water                         1 1/4 cups         10            284
instant yeast                   1/4 tsp
kosher salt                       2 tsp            .25           7

Final Dough Instructions:

Mix             Mix all of the ingredients until evenly incorporated

Knead           6 to 8 minutes (the dough will be very sticky)

Ferment #1      60 minutes at room temperature

Stretch and Fold

Stretching and folding wet dough.

Step 1: Stretch into a rectangular shape.

Please…

…don’t…

…stick.

Ferment #2      60 minutes at room temperature

Stretch and Fold

Ferment #3      60 minutes at room temperature

Divide          3 pieces

Rest            15 minutes at room temperature

Shape           Stretch gently into strips, about 16 inches long

Preheat Oven    475ºF/246ºC

Final Proof     30 minutes at room temperature

Steam           1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam
                pan (preferably cast iron)

Bake            Bake for 20 to 24 minutes at 475ºF/246ºC, rotating
                the loaves halfway if necessary.

Cool            At least 30 minutes

Pane Francese crumb.

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