I had so much high hopes for The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge # 22: Pain de Campagne but wasn't too thrilled with the result. It is not as tasty as Pain a l'Ancienne. The tight crumb is soft-ish although chewy, which is good. The book doesn't have any photo of the crumb so I can't really tell if it is supposed to be open or tight. I don't really care because I won't be baking this bread anytime soon. The flavor is so-so and there's nothing to rave and write about it. I decided to substitute photos for a lengthy write-up instead.
The only thing I enjoyed the most in making this bread is the shaping. The couronne Bordelaise looks so pretty but the book does not have the instructions which I found here. It's really fun to make and you don't really need a lined banneton to be able to shape it. A 10-inch pie plate or skillet and a smooth kitchen towel will do the job.
I improvised a couronne basket by taping a small plastic container in the middle of a wicker banneton with removable liner
the lining was dusted with lots of flour before laying on top of basket and plastic container
proofing
proofed dough inverted on a piece of parchment and ready for baking
the bread up close
Rating:
flavor 3
texture 3
visual appeal 4
ease of preparation 5
performance 3
worth 2Total: 20
Average: 3.3