A traditional French-style bread made with rye and wheat flour, natural sourdough, and sea salt. Its long resting time develops a rich, rustic flavor and a perfect crust.
Campagne bread, often called French country bread, is a celebration of simplicity and tradition. Made with a blend of rye and wheat flour, sea salt, water, and natural sourdough, this bread is more than a food—it’s a living, breathing creation. Its rustic flavor and chewy texture make it a perfect companion to both everyday meals and gourmet feasts.
Baking bread is an art, a connection to centuries of culinary history. From the aromatic crust to the tender crumb, every loaf tells a story. This recipe highlights the beauty of time and patience, requiring an 18-hour rest to develop its full flavor. It’s a nod to the craftsmanship that bakeries like Hong Kong’s Bread Elements embody, providing bread to the city’s finest restaurants.
Ingredients
Method
- The evening before, mix the rye flour with the 150 ml of water into a thick paste.
- Cover the bowl and leave the rye soak at room temperature for 12 hours.
- At the same time, feed your starter so that it is bubbly and about doubled the next morning.
- Next morning, put the rye soak, bread flour, whole-wheat flour, starter, salt and all but 20 ml of the dough water in a large bowl.
- Mix with a wet hand or a stiff spatula for 4–5 minutes, until no dry flour remains; if the dough feels stiff, work in the reserved water.
- Cover the bowl and leave the dough for 30 minutes.
- With a wet hand, stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over the rest; turn the bowl a quarter and repeat, four folds in all.
- Cover and leave for 30 minutes, then repeat the set of four folds.
- Leave for another 30 minutes and do a third set of folds.
- Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for 18 hours.
- Turn the cold dough out onto a work surface dusted with rice or rye flour.
- Fold the edges of the dough into the centre to make a round.
- Flip the round seam-side down and drag it towards you a few times to tighten the surface.
- Place the loaf seam-side up in the floured proofing basket or lined bowl.
- Cover and proof at room temperature for 1–2 hours, until it has grown by about half and a floured finger leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
- About 45 minutes before baking, put the Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and heat it to 250°C (480°F).
- Turn the loaf out onto a sheet of baking paper.
- Score the top with one or two quick cuts about 1 cm deep.
- Lift the loaf by the paper into the hot pot, cover and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, lower the oven to 220°C (425°F) and bake for 25–30 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown, the base sounds hollow when tapped and the centre reads 96–98°C (205–208°F).
- Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing; the rye crumb keeps setting as it cools.
- Prepare the Dough
- In a large bowl, mix the rye flour, wheat flour, sea salt, water, and sourdough starter until a cohesive dough forms.
- Knead the dough thoroughly until smooth and elastic.
- Rest and Develop Flavor
- Cover the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for 18 hours. This slow fermentation enhances the bread’s flavor and texture.
- Shape and Proof
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into portions if desired. Shape into round or oval loaves.
- Let the loaves proof at room temperature until doubled in size, approximately 1–2 hours.
- Bake
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C).
- Score the top of the loaves with a sharp blade for decoration and to allow expansion.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Cool and Serve
- Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy fresh or toasted with butter, cheese, or your favorite spread.
What we changed for home
- Batch cut to a third: one loaf of about 800 g of dough The original 2.4 kg is too much for one loaf in a home oven.
- T170 rye flour replaced with whole-grain (dark) rye flour T170 is the French grade for whole rye; whole-grain rye is sold in large supermarkets and health-food shops.
- T80 wheat flour replaced with 3 parts bread flour to 1 part whole-wheat flour T80 is a high-extraction flour rarely sold outside France; the blend comes close in bran content and strength.
- The rye soaked in part of the recipe water The original does not say how much water the 12-hour soak uses; taking it from the total keeps the dough as wet as written.
- Kneading replaced with mixing plus three sets of stretch-and-folds Dough with this much rye never becomes smooth and elastic, as the original asks; folds give it enough strength to hold its shape.
- Any active sourdough starter, fed 1:1, instead of a firm starter Most home starters are kept at equal weights of flour and water; holding back 20 ml of water covers the difference. If you have no starter, many bakeries will sell a spoonful.
- Baked in a preheated Dutch oven at 250°C (480°F), then uncovered at 220°C (425°F), instead of 45 minutes at 210°C (410°F) A covered pot traps steam like a bakery oven, so the loaf rises fully before the crust sets; doneness is judged by colour and an internal 96–98°C (205–208°F).
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.
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