Un pain ironique to celebrate the birth of Charlene, Princess of Ambridge:
First you need a couronne banneton:
Not a cheap item (but then neither’s Princess Charlene). This one’s about a 1 kilo basket so I just stuck to my usual 940g dough to produce an 800g loaf.
After proving the method is divide the dough into seven equal pieces (my first attempt they were 160g, second reduced to 130g – might reduce them further next time). Six pieces are formed into rolls, the seventh is rolled out like a pizza. This gets laid in the bottom of the basket, the outer edge of the circle is brushed with olive oil and the six rolls are spaced equally on top. Then then dome section is cut into six and folded on top of the rolls:
When you’re not used to it judging the circumference of the circle of dough is a bit tricky. First time round I made it too big and folded the edges in so that it fitted the base. Consequently I think it was too thick once it was baked. Second time I rolled it smaller but forgot to brush the edge with oil so it didn’t open up properly. I think it should produce a sort of frilly collar rather than a blanket cover. Ah well, it keeps me off the streets …
The PArtisan Baker 