How to Make Pain d’Épi
Homemade Bread in itself is pretty impressive. But make it look like a wheat stalk and you’re sure to impress everyone!
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Homemade Bread in itself is pretty impressive. But make it look like a wheat stalk and you’re sure to impress everyone!
With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I had to share this fun play on a classic baguette. I personally love making these, especially in the fall, and even I’m making these tomorrow to go with our dinner tomorrow. What screams fall more than a wheat stalk?
You Can Use My Bread Machine Version.
I totally get that sometimes we don’t have 18 hours to dedicate to making bread. So to make things a little easier for you, use my bread machine baguette recipe to cut the time down to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
When you’re done letting the baguettes rest for 30 minutes (before you cut the slits), instead of cutting the 3 slashes, simply follow the below direction:
Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper or silicone matte on baking a pan. Just before baking, dust the loaves with flour. Carefully oil the blades of a sharp pair of kitchen scissors with a little olive oil and cut into the dough crosswise near the top of the baguette shape, at a 25° angle to the dough, stopping a quarter inch from the bottom of the dough. Move each cut piece from left to right, alternating sides with each cut. Repeat until the entire loaf is cut.
How to Cut and Lay the Bread
The cuts and placement are what make this bread what it is. Trust me, it’s not as intimidating as it sounds.
Carefully oil the blades of a sharp pair of kitchen scissors with a little olive oil and cut into the dough crosswise near the top of the baguette shape, at a 25° angle to the dough, stopping a quarter inch from the bottom of the dough (careful not to cut through the dough).
Move each cut piece from left to right, alternating sides with each cut. Repeat until the entire loaf is cut.
About the Ingredients:
- Water: so simple, you’ll have the best luck using good clean water. If your water is highly treated or smells like chlorine out of the tap, consider using filtered water. Simple ingredient breads, like this one, tend to love mineral-rich well water.
- All-Purpose Flour: Use a high-quality all-purpose flour King Arthur Flour. Their all-purpose flour has a gluten content close to European flour and you’ll have good results with them.
- Salt: use kosher or sea salt. Pink will change the color of the bread and
- Yeast: Instant (or Bread Machine) Yeast should be used. Even if you’re not using a bread machine.
- Honey: I’ve tried sugar, and honestly, I love honey in this recipe so much better. Just like sugar would, it helps the yeast do its thing (create rise and air bubbles), but it just adds a little somethin’-somethin’ to the bread and compliments the simple yet complex flavor that is a baguette. It doesn’t really “sweeten” the bread, like a sweet roll, so don’t worry about that.
A Few Yummy Dishes to Enjoy
Here are a few of my favorite dishes to enjoy with that freshly baked baguette…
ENJOY and Share!
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How to Make Pain d’épi
- Total Time: 17 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 loaves 1x
Description
Pain d’épi (or wheat stalk bread), is a classic and charming French bread shape dating back centuries and is surprisingly easy to make at home. It's a fun and easy way to fancy up your meals at home (but don't worry I won't tell you how easy it was for you to do).
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose (I recommend using the ‘scoop and swipe’ method)
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 Tablespoon honey
For baking the bread
- 1 cup very cold water
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Next, do 3 “sets” of stretch and fold, and flip the dough upside down after each set every 30 minutes. This should add up to a period of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts and shape into rectangles. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
- Start preheating the oven to 500F, with a baking stone positioned in the upper half of the oven and an empty bread pan filled on the bottom rack.
- Stretch each dough rectangle slightly and fold it into a cylinder, sealing the seams. Using your hands, roll the cylinders gently stretching them to the desired length, about 14-15 inches.
- Flour the baguettes, then cover them with a slightly damp flour sack towel or use a couche and proof at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the baguettes to a piece of parchment paper or silicone matte on baking a pan. Just before baking, dust the loaves with flour. Carefully oil the blades of a sharp pair of kitchen scissors with a little olive oil and cut into the dough crosswise near the top of the baguette shape, at a 25° angle to the dough, stopping a quarter inch from the bottom of the dough. Move each cut piece from left to right, alternating sides with each cut. Repeat until the entire loaf is cut. See the blog post for photos.
- Open the oven, and slide the baguettes off onto the baking stone. Pour 1 cup very cold water into the empty pan on the bottom rack. Take caution not to get burned doing this. Close the oven immediately, DO NOT OPEN AT ALL, and reduce the temperature to 475℉. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Rotate the baguettes, drop the temperature to 450℉, and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Notes
If you want a “faster” way to make the baguette dough, check out my recipe for French Baguettes in a Bread Machine
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: bread
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Calories: 572
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 787
- Fat: 2
- Saturated Fat: 0.3
- Carbohydrates: 120
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 18
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