Maie
A French maie is a legged wooden chest for hand-kneading bread dough and, in some Auvergnat forms, storing the baked loaves. Its shape and materials vary by region.
Pain de campagne with discard starter
Pain de campagne · Country bread · French country bread
Two large French-style wheat loaves use unfed sourdough starter, whole-wheat flour, long room-temperature fermentation and a covered-pot bake.
A French-style country loaf
This version of pain de campagne comes from Connecticut home baker Maura Brickman. It combines mostly bread flour with a smaller amount of whole-wheat flour and unfed sourdough starter. The slack dough is strengthened through several folds, rises overnight at room temperature, then receives a long refrigerated proof in two baskets before it bakes in lidded pots.
France.fr describes pain de campagne as a recognizable French bread style, while noting that the name was reportedly coined after the Second World War for an urban loaf with a rustic image. The King Arthur formula is a modern home adaptation; its proportions and process do not define every bread called pain de campagne. The source lists 21 hours 5 minutes total, though its detailed timed rests, optional proof and baking schedule are difficult to reconcile with that total.
Sources for this section
Mix, fold and let the dough rise
Mix the two flours, tepid water, salt and unfed starter until no dry flour remains. The dough may feel loose. Cover it for 15 minutes. With a wet hand, lift and fold each of its four sides into the centre. Repeat that fold three times in all, leaving 15 minutes between rounds; the dough should become smoother and stronger as you work.
Cover the bowl or bucket tightly and leave it near 22°C for about 12 hours. A mark on the container helps you see how far it has risen. Divide the dough into two pieces, round them gently and rest them seam-side down for 10 minutes.
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Shape and proof the loaves
Dust two lined brotforms or towel-lined bowls with whole-wheat flour. Shape each piece into a tight round and place it seam-side up. Cover the baskets. If the bulk dough has doubled or nearly doubled, refrigerate the shaped loaves right away; if it rose more slowly, leave them at room temperature for 30–60 minutes first. The cold proof lasts 8–12 hours.
The source offers this as a flexible schedule, not a universal rise test for every starter or kitchen. Keep the loaves covered during the proof so their surface does not dry out.
Sources for this section
Bake in covered pots
Preheat two lidded Dutch ovens in the lower third of the oven to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes. Use pots rated for that heat. Turn each loaf onto parchment, score it, then use the parchment to lower the dough into the hot pot. Put the lids on and reduce the oven to 450°F (232°C). Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20–25 minutes until the loaves are deep golden brown.
Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria, so do not taste the dough and clean hands and tools after mixing. The pots and lids are extremely hot; use dry oven gloves and keep arms clear as you load and uncover them. Cool the loaves completely on racks before slicing.
Sources for this section
History
France.fr reports that the name pain de campagne was coined after the Second World War as an urban label for a rustic-style loaf, rather than as a claim that the bread originated in the countryside. That account dates the name's modern framing, not the first use of every related loaf.
Ingredients
Yield 2 large loaves · Scaling: source batch only
900 g
100 g
WaterTepid, 75–80°F (24–27°C).
800 g
20 g
Unfed sourdough starterUse straight from the refrigerator if needed; the recipe recommends feeding it at least once in the previous week when possible.
40 g
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
The dough contains uncooked flour before baking; raw dough should not be tasted.
Hazard sourceBurns from preheated Dutch ovens
The recipe heats lidded cast-iron pots to 500°F (260°C) and requires transferring dough into them.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough; clean hands and equipment after handling flour.
Control sourceUse dry oven gloves and keep hands and forearms clear when moving the preheated Dutch ovens and lowering the loaves into them.
Control sourceDo not taste raw flour dough.
The Dutch ovens and lids become extremely hot; use dry oven gloves when handling them.
Contains wheat gluten.
- Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, water, salt and unfed starter in a large bowl or dough bucket. Mix by hand until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover and rest for 15 minutes. With a wet hand, lift one side of the dough and fold it toward the centre; repeat on all four sides. Cover and rest for 15 minutes, then complete a second set of folds on all four sides. Rest for 15 minutes and complete the third set of folds. The three fold sets occur at 15-minute intervals over 45 minutes from the initial rest; there is no extra rest after the final fold.
- Cover tightly and leave at room temperature, about 72°F (22°C), for around 12 hours. Mark the dough's level before the rise so you can judge its increase.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured or greased surface and divide it into two roughly equal pieces. Round them gently, cover and rest seam-side down for 10 minutes.
- Dust two lined proofing baskets or towel-lined bowls generously with whole-wheat flour. Shape the dough into tight rounds and place them seam-side up in the baskets. Cover.
- If the dough doubled or nearly doubled during the long rise, put the shaped loaves straight into the refrigerator. If the rise was slower, let them stand at room temperature for 30–60 minutes first. Refrigerate for 8–12 hours.
- About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven and lidded Dutch ovens in the lowest third of the oven to 500°F (260°C). Check that the pots are rated for this temperature. Turn the loaves out onto parchment and score them with a lame or sharp knife.
- Carefully remove the hot Dutch ovens and lower the loaves into them using the parchment. Cover and return the pots to the oven, immediately lowering the oven to 450°F (232°C). Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Remove the loaves and turn them carefully onto racks. Cool completely before slicing. Store any remainder loosely wrapped for several days or freeze it for longer storage.
Conditions
Yield2 large loaves
Active time20 min
Fermentation20–25 h
Temperature22–260°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
France
Modern adaptation · Country evidenceFrance.fr describes pain de campagne as a French country-style bread. This King Arthur home formula is a modern U.S. adaptation, not a regulated product specification or claim of rural origin.
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Sources
King Arthur BakingInspiration · Method · Geography
Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)The recipe yields two large loaves from 900 g bread flour, 100 g whole-wheat flour, 800 g tepid water, 20 g table salt and 40 g unfed sourdough starter.
The dough rests and is folded three times at 15-minute intervals, then rises for about 12 hours at roughly 72°F; the shaped loaves receive an optional 30–60 minute room rest and an 8–12 hour refrigerator proof.
The recipe uses two lidded Dutch ovens preheated to 500°F, then bakes covered at 450°F for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 20–25 minutes.
The source permits halving all quantities for a one-loaf batch and gives only general leftover storage guidance.
After the initial 15-minute rest, the source schedules three sets of folds at 15-minute intervals across 45 minutes; it does not add a rest after the final fold.
Cited in: A French-style country loaf; Mix, fold and let the dough rise; Shape and proof the loaves; Bake in covered pots
Explore France / Atout FranceGeography · History
5 minutes pour tout savoir sur le pain françaisFrance.fr describes pain de campagne as a French bread with a round or oblong form, rye flour and a slightly acidic taste.
The article says the name pain de campagne was coined after the Second World War as an urban label intended to evoke a rustic loaf and distinguish it from industrial breads; the claim is attributed to the article, not treated as a precise first-documentation date.
Cited in: A French-style country loaf
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; do not taste uncooked dough and clean hands and utensils after handling flour.
Cited in: Bake in covered pots