Pain Poilâne

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Le Pain Poilâne is the legendary, best-in-the-world loaf of bread—or miche, the French word for 'loaf'. This epitome of artisanal, traditional bread was developed by Pierre Poilâne and then his son Lionel Poilâne in a Parisian boulangerie in the 1930s. I had a chance to meet Lionel in September 2002 at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, where I was the head baker at the time. He was gracious, precise, and spoke of sourdough as if it were a living clock. But unfortunately, on October 31, 2002, Lionel Poilâne and his wife were killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the bay of Cancale, off the coast of Brittany. Poilâne was survived by his daughters Athena and Apollonia, the latter of whom now runs the enterprise. Apollonia is a graduate of Harvard University. That autumn, standing over my own dough in the Plaza’s kitchen, a million-dollar question popped into my mind: why, when 90 percent (if not a higher number) of Parisian bakers would bank on baguettes rather than larger family-size loaves—a well-known specialty of the French countryside back then? The answer was quite simple: there was a niche. While the rest of the city chased the crispy, ephemeral baguette—a loaf designed to be eaten within hours—Poilâne went the other way. Producing and shipping large, rustic miches with a long shelf life was daring, almost foolish. It meant betting on storage, on transport, on a customer who would keep a half-eaten loaf on the counter for days. But it has become a huge success. After many tries over the years—adjusting hydration, stealing hours of fermentation, chasing that same deep caramel note—here it is, a quarter of a century later my interpretation of the Pain Poilâne for you. It is not a replica. It is an homage, baked in memory of a man who proved that the boldest niche is sometimes the oldest road. Le pain, c'est la vie!

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Le Pain Poilâne is the legendary, best-in-the-world loaf of bread...

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Refreshing Levain

Make a day or two ahead. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix all the ingredients on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing for 7 minutes, until the dough is elastic. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, make a hole in the center, and leave the refreshed levain at room temperature for 2 hours.
Then place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Mixing Process

In the mixing bowl, add the refreshed levain cut into chunks (you should have some leftover; save it if needed to refresh your levain for the batch, otherwise discard it).
Pour in water, yeast and salt. Add the flours and malt. Turn your kneading machine on and mix for 15 minutes on low speed. Stop the mixer every so often to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and the hook.
Alternatively, mix for 3 minutes on low speed and 6 minutes on medium speed (2nd speed).

Bulk Fermentation: 2 Hours

Cover the dough with a damp towel, and let it ferment for 2 hours. This bulk fermentation can take place in the mixing bowl; to degas it, simply turn on the mixer briefly after 60 minutes, then re-cover the dough for 60 minutes more.

Dividing Dough

Flour the dough. Use the plastic dough scraper to release it from the edges of the bowl. Gently turn the bowl over (now, the skin is down).
Cut dough into two 2090g / 4.4 lb portions to make 2 large loaves or make three scaled at 1390g / 3.090 lb. Flour bread baskets.

Shaping

Avoid degassing the dough, as this has already been done during bulk fermentation. To shape it into a round without overworking the dough (you do want to preserve most of the air bubbles that have developed), fold and press the edges toward the center to form an approximate round.
Place the loaf into the floured bread basket, skin side down. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Proofing

Cover the bread basket with a damp towel and let the loaves proof for 3½ hours at 22–23ºC, until doubled in size.
Note that the half-way through or proofed bread can be placed in the refrigerator (for up to 6 hours) to postpone baking.

Preheating Oven

About 45 minutes before baking, preheat your conventional oven to 250°C (480°F) with a pizza stone placed on a rack in the lower third. The stone must be heated to 250–270°C before flipping the bread.

Baking

Flip the proofing basket onto the hot pizza stone to release the loaf. To create steam, immediately spray water into the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes at 250ºC, and then reduce the temperature to 205°C (400°F), and continue to bake for 30 minutes. The internal temp should be at 98ºC or slightly under. Turn off the oven, prop the door slightly ajar (be aware of the hot steam that comes out of the oven).
Let the bread rest inside for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Storing

Properly stored, Poilâne loaf will keep for up to a week (halved) when wrapped in a linen bag, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. For longer storage, it can be sliced, portioned, and frozen for up to three months.

Pain Poilâne's Best Uses

Thanks to its large size, easy-to-spread crumb, and long shelf life, Poilâne bread first encountered huge success on the menus of Parisian brasseries, bistros, and cafés before being shipped all over the world. It is still served today, but the pace has slowed down due to increased competition and other available alternatives. This bread is definitely as versatile as its cousin, the Ancient Dark Rye Bread. However, Poilâne does not contain any rye flour. It pairs with just about any food, even very simple sweet snacks like butter and dusted cocoa powder or preserves. It is excellent for breakfast topped with scrambled eggs, and it pairs well with roasted meats, seafood, cheeses, and vegetables etc...

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