Friday afternoon I got a email from a reader, asking me for a recipe for a bread similar to Pain Paillasse. She send me the recipe she tried and which disappointed her. The recipe sounded not so bad, only the hydration was to low in my eyes. To archive a open crumb with a hydration from just 56 % is impossible. And so I tried to bake a bread using a modified version of this recipe.  I decided to use 19% more water, a varied dough preperation and a prolonged cold fermentation. Directly after reading the email I went in the kitchen and mixed the dough – the bread was baked about 24 hours later at this evening. And with these modifications I got a bread worth its name. A rustic looking, crisp crust, a slightly moist and open crumb and a mild aromatic taste due to the long fermentation. It is a perfect bread for the upcoming summer. Mix it one day and bake it the next day directly out of the fridge, no proofing required. And after baking enjoy it with a salad or bring it to a barbeque!

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