French · Breads & baking

French country bread (Pain de campagne)

Name: French country bread (Pain de campagne)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 16 h 10 min
Yield: 1 large loaf
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 1/3 cups (400 grams) bread flour; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 grams) whole-wheat flour; 3 tablespoons (25 grams) medium rye flour; 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (365 grams) cool water; 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; Rice flour or all-purpose flour, for dusting

A round, deeply browned country loaf with a moist open crumb and gentle whole-grain flavor.

About 16 hr 10 minTotal

About 1 hr 10 minActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 1 large loaf

Equipment

Towel-lined proofing bowl
Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 1 large loaf

3 1/3 cups (400 grams) bread flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 grams) whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons (25 grams) medium rye flour
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (365 grams) cool water
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Rice flour or all-purpose flour, for dusting

Instructions

Stir bread flour, whole-wheat flour, rye flour, cool water, yeast, and salt into a rough sticky dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes. With a wet hand, pull one side up and fold it over; turn the bowl and repeat three more times. Rest 20 minutes and repeat the four folds once.
Cover and refrigerate 12 to 18 hours, until expanded and webbed with bubbles. Turn onto a lightly floured counter, fold the edges inward, flip seam-side down, and drag gently against the counter to create a taut round without squeezing out the gas.
Place seam-side up in a towel-lined bowl dusted generously with rice flour or all-purpose flour. Cover and proof 60 to 90 minutes until puffy and a light fingertip press springs back slowly.
Set a in the oven and heat to 475°F for 30 minutes. Turn dough onto parchment and slash the top. Using oven mitts and the parchment as handles, lower it into the very hot pot; cover, return to the oven, and reduce to 450°F.
Bake covered 25 minutes, then uncover with face and hands away from escaping steam. Bake 18 to 23 minutes more until mahogany brown and 205–210°F inside. Lift out with the parchment and cool at least 90 minutes before slicing so the moist crumb sets.

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From the table

About this recipe

Pain de campagne means country bread and names a broad French family of rustic mixed-grain loaves, not one protected formula. Rye or whole wheat commonly adds depth to a mostly wheat dough, and both naturally leavened and commercial-yeast branches exist.

Pain de campagne means country bread, a broad French family of rustic loaves rather than one fixed formula. Many contemporary versions are naturally leavened, while commercial-yeast versions also exist. This starter-free loaf uses a small proportion of whole wheat and rye for country character and a long cold rise for flavor, making the style available to a household that does not already maintain sourdough. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Preserve long fermentation, mixed grain, round shaping, and a dark covered-pot bake, but use a measured amount of commercial yeast so this cuisine anchor does not impose sourdough maintenance as hidden effort.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe