How to Make Rustic Pane Francese 

My first thought, "Oh yeah, I'm finally going to learn how to make great Pane Francese and have it around all the time." After watching, " I've got to google local bakeries to find out who has reopened and apologise for ever having questioned the price of Pane Francese."

Thanks for the great techniques. And thanks for all the simple but really important questions being asked along the way.

I made this yesterday. First, this is a very wet dough. Around 77% hydration rate. When I went to mix the poolish with the flour in my stand mixer it was just a wet sloppy mess and didn't come up the dough hook at all. I think I added another 1/2 cup of bread flour just to get it to stiffen up to the point that the hook was kneeding the dough. I researched other recipes for Pane Francese and they are all similar. It might be my bread flour. I don't know. Once I got it kneaded, everything else went smoothly. Just a little sticking on the couche, but that's my fault. One thing I wish they did was give measurements in grams so I could weigh it like a real bread bakers. America's Test Kitchen likes to dumb things down for their audience but if you are taking on a recipe like this, please give us measurements for weighing.

Wow - that is some gorgeous looking bread!

I hope to be able to make this soon! Looks so delicious!

I don't like the comments which complain about the amount of time and effort it take to make this bread, as people who like to cook can actually enjoy all the steps. That said, I just watched this video for the third time, and I am about to grab my car keys and go buy a loaf. 'Cause I want it NOW!

I made this a few days ago. Turned out great. I skipped the lava rocks and just put water in pie pans. Also did not use a baking stone. I used a perforated metal form.

love having the summary at the end

Drooling. Need butter and jam. That is a masterpiece!!!

One of the most delicious breads I’ve ever made! Thank you!

I looked for the lava rocks for some time. Finally got them! By that time I had found all the other tools. It wasn’t that hard-now I am so excited to master this bread. I am tired of having to buy it as I have no bakeries near the bread I can buy is inferior so I am determined to master this recipe 😊

Omg! Who knew so many steps??? Bakers you have my deepest admiration! Too many steps for me.

Perfect 👍 bread 🥖 thank you girl

Oooooorr…you pick one up at the bakery! Lovely video. Tks!

I have used a bath mat towel with very short fibers as a couche when making baguettes

Process: Easy Results: Awesome!!!

You really make my day. You guys are the best!

i love them, they are the sparkle of the show.

What a beautiful dough! Can't wait to make.

Normally I follow ATK recipes to a T. Instead I used a baguette pan instead of a French couche (heavy duty linen), a pan filled with boiling water instead of lava rocks, and a small knife instead of a bread knife and the baguette still turned out amazing. I’m sure they wouldn’t turned out even more amazing if I followed the recipe exactly, but I wanted to give hope for others to still make this recipe even without all the special equipment.

Grazie! 💙🥖💙🥖💙

This is not a bread recipe for beginners. It is awesome, though. I've used it a few times now, and the bread turns out really nice. If you have experience with high hydration doughs, then I highly recommend it!

Excellent presentation skills both. Great recipe and method. And fantastic result! Well done

What I learned after watching this video- I’m only ever going to buy this bread rather than making it at home 😅

Ok, now I’m hungry!! Yummy bread and olive oil. Nothing beats that combo

Hi ladies❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Would cooled browned butter work instead of the olive oil? Or maybe canola, corn or veg oil...

Never will I ever, but fun to watch! I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never find a bread like that in AZ. (sigh).

I can't wait to try this!

Can you please tell me the size of the wooden board and which brand it is?

Thanks for the recipe.

Jesus. I just want some bread. Lol. Looks like fun if you have the time and patience.

Delicious 😋

Very enjoyable.

Amazing 🌷🌹🌾🌾🥀😋

Ingredients: flour, yeast, water, oil, salt. Also needed: 20 hours, bread linen, lava rocks, bread turner, special bread rolling razor blade, rocket ship, hovercraft, flux capacitor, and first edition copy of The Rievers, signed by Faulkner.

Holy mackeral. It's a miracle the people of France haven't died of starvation while waiting for their bread to be done.

Calm down Julia @9:40 🤣😂😂🤣 I admit the loaves are pretty

They make this look so so good and easy but Shop Right is so close🙂

I’ll try to get the recipe ....exactly and take my time... and do it Arabella from Encino CA

looking beautiful bread for stew meals in the evening !!!!!!!!!!!!

Great video. What are some of the significant differences between this loaf and the French version? For steam, could you have soaked just one tin plate of lava rock and put it in while the oven was warming? Thxs.

aw man i've been waiting for an excuse to get my lava rocks out

Has anyone used a convection oven in baking French Baguettes or these Pane Francese? Does it dry them out, make the crusts crunchier....?

Yummmmmm.💜😎

Where can I find written recipe of this

I learned about lava rocks from ATK quite a few years ago. They work beautifully! $5 from Amazon & a sturdy old pan dedicated to the rocks ... mine lives on my oven floor all the time. I make different breads than this one, but even a simple yeast bread in a loaf pan rises better if there is steam in the oven. Bridget knows a lot more about making bread than Paul Hollywood, IMO. I His idea of putting yeast one one side of the bowl, & salt on the other, then mixing them together is ridiculous. I would add some stone ground flour and allow the dough to ferment overnight - this gives much more flavor and breaks up the work. Mix the dough on day 1, bake on day 2.

Bridget in blue! Beautiful.

Equipment I would need to buy and add to my kitchen to do this project - everything. Fun to watch, though.

It takes some attention and time to bake this bread but the results are worthwhile that's for sure!

Yum!!!!

I can not get receipts from google if somebody had please send for me thank you 🙏

I have this recipe in the Test Kitchen book and came to RU-vid because I can't ever get it to come out without adding at least an extra cup of flour. If I follow the recipe exactly, I end up with dough soup. I can't figure out how the dough firms up so we'll in the video.

What % hydration is that dough?

This recipe has been passed down for generations because that's how long it takes to make a loaf.

This is nothing like French Bread!

I need some lava rocks, but unfortunately our local volcano is still closed for Covid-19.

I have tried this recipe twice now, and each time I have ended up with a gluey mess. It never comes together and never climbs the dough hook. I end up adding at least another cup of flour, if not two, and then I get some consistency, but it never has looked like yours. Don’t know what I am doing wrong. It does taste good, but I’m not sure why.

Dusting your couche with rice flour (or mix of rice and wheat flour) prevents sticking better than wheat flour alone. Especially with high hydration doughs.

Yum! :) 🤜👍🤛♡♡♡

😋

So much like making sourdough bread minus keeping a starter alive.

I would like to see the bread loaded onto the baking stone. That's a tricky part, and they don't even show it!

This bread is precisely why bakeries exist. It seems there is so many steps to making good bread. The Italians do everything right.

Moisture on the backside, flour on the front-side. Sounds like my wedding night...then again, everyone loves a moist couche.

Best bread

This video recipe has EVOO, the book version doesn't.

Wet under the dry helps a Lot with scraping down the sides. Especially in the bottom center where that one pocket of hatefulness lives.

I have made this twice, and both times have problem with understanding the folding. Is she saying fold it eight times in bowl, then let rest for 30 and fold again eight times and let rest for 90 minutes? Or is she saying fold 8x8 each folding. Because you need the gluten chains to build up in order to get this bread to stand up in the heat.

Always remember: They're gonna see each other again later... But I'm just here to say 'Hello'... 😉😅

Please provide links for the tools you use (the bread couche, for example). Thanks!

I remember this being posted a few months ago and the general consensus was that this is a nice ad for bread making equipment most people don't want or need.

Hello!

I stuck it out until the lava rocks. Just not gonna. 😁

Would like to see the measurements in grams rather than cups and tsp. 6/28/24

please use grams

hi

I love this bread... I thought it use special flour to make that bread...

Yay I'm first here!!!

Me I'm next🙃

Ah yes ive been looking for a recipe so i could use my * Sheet of canvas * Flip board * Pizza peel * Baking stone *Lava rocks *Baker's lame

In Brazil we got a "French bread" that is not French also. And had nothing to do with this one

Jesus Christ! Had no idea bread making was so complicated!

It's probably safe to guess that the majority of this channel's viewers are located in the U.S. Still, I'd expect anyone motivated enough to try this recipe will have already been introduced to measuring by weight. Precision is essential in baking; measuring by volume (and with archaic measurements like U.S. Customary or Imperial) is both annoying and introduces the risk of imprecision. For those with a high enough pain threshold to have read this comment, I suggest that you seek out KAF's recipe for Stirato.

it would be nice if you gave the weights in grams.

And it's Vegan. That's always good to mention. Now, I'm going to attempt to twist this recipe, using my sourdough starter. "Connie's RAWsome Kitchen" got me started on fermented foods, including bread, and nut-based cheeses, which have changed my life.

Sounds like a rapid sour dough bread, with all the folding and waiting.

Seems like a lot of expense for a couple of loaves of bread

why not use metric and baker's percentage?

This bread looks amazing but I started laughing with each piece of equipment that they pulled out to make this. This is simply too complicated and time consuming for me to make.

That is beautiful bread but that was way too much work for two loaves of bread. Lots of rising and waiting, and specialty equipment. I would like to see if you can come up with a quick way to do this like your 1 hour pizza dough.

And this is why I’d rather spend $5 and buy a baguette

I checked this long enough to see if the recipe was easily available and no, one has to join their website. So I won't watch h and yes, I unsubscribe.

Recipe is useless without the measurements. It is not there on their website either. Shame.

You put that name in the title like people actually know what it is!

Man, if I were straight, and Bridget was single, I'd be chasing after her!

Will we be seeing more diversity in your youtube channel? I'd love to see more BIPOC chefs and experts.

I'll pass.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous recipes to ever be featured on ATK.

Too many steps. 😖