“The idea behind ‘Le Pain Quotidien’ is simply to make a good daily bread: a handmade bread with a good crust and a firm slice, the kind of bread that makes great tartines; bread not only to nourish the body but the spirit as well; a bread best shared around a table to be savoured amongst friends.”
– Alain Coumont, Founder
Original Recipe
Bread was first leavened by the Egyptians around 2300BC when they discovered that a mixture of flour and water left uncovered for several days bubbled and expanded, and, if mixed into unleavened dough and allowed to stand for a few hours before baking, yielded light sweet bread. This kind of natural leavening remained the basis of Western bread baking until the 20th century when bread made from commercially prepared yeast was introduced.
Organic stone ground flour
All the flours used in our sourdough bread recipes come from certified organic farms. Each type of bread is made with a specific mixture of wheat, spelt or rye to raise its flavour and make it totally unique. The stone milling of the grain is vital to keep the nutrients and goodness in the bread. The very highest quality flours are made by a slow, cool grinding process using stone mills. Stone milling crushes the whole grains slowly and progressively, without oxidising or destroyiong the nutrients with heat.
Our artisan bakers still do the final kneading by hand. Machines can’t adjust to the variabel conditions, such as air temperature, humidity or moisture content of the flour. It is still the baker who decides when the bread has fully risen, and is ready for the stone oven – each batch of loaves is checked, and each is cooked when just right.
Baking
Le Pain Quotidien has always used stone ovens, where the bread is cooked for a little over an hour. Stone ovens are best because they retain heat for hours and radiate it evenly. Steam from the baking loaves is caught in the oven, creating the trademark moist inside and crusty outside of artisan breads.
Time
The other secret ingredient in the making of quality bread is time. Time to mix the ingredients, time to let it stand. Time to let the bread proof, time in the oven. Time to choose the right ingredients… time to do things right.
Our original recipe has been refined and improved – but one thing has not been compromised – the quality of the final product. If anything it just keeps getting better as the baker gets more experienced.
