Pain de Campagne (Variant with Rye)
Target 75% hydration · dutch oven · bake at 500°F
Pain de Campagne with higher rye percentage (10%) than the standard country loaf. More pronounced earthy-tangy flavor, slightly denser crumb. Classical French countryside bread. Use a 100% hydration rye-spiked levain for maximum flavor development.
- Hydration
- 75%
- Salt
- 2.00%
- Levain
- 15–20%
- Bulk @ 76°F
- 4.00h
- Proof @ 76°F
- 12.00h
- Bake temp
- 500°F
- Bake time
- 45m
- Vessel
- dutch oven
Flour mix
- rye medium — 10%
- bread flour — 75%
- whole wheat — 15%
Technique
Autolyse 45 min, all flours + 90% water at 78°F. Add levain (with some rye in it for flavor), salt, remaining water. 4 folds in 2h. Total bulk 4h. Shape boule, cold retard 12h. Bake 500°F dutch oven 20+25 min.
Calculator pre-set to Pain de Campagne (Variant with Rye)'s target (75%)
Adjust the slider for personal preference within the workable 72–78% range.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 325 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 885 g
- Effective hydration
- 75%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.
Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.
Related references on this site
- 75% hydration reference page — crumb structure, technique notes, other recipes at this hydration
- Flour spec: rye medium — protein, ash, absorption — 10% of this recipe's mix
- Flour spec: bread flour — protein, ash, absorption — 75% of this recipe's mix
- Hydration deep-dive for this recipe — workable range 72–78%
- Timing by kitchen temperature — bulk + proof times at 60-90°F using Modernist Bread multipliers
- Guide: baker's percentage explained — the math underlying every formula on this page
- All 25 recipes — grouped by category (lean, enriched, hearth, pan)
The gear that makes the math work
A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.
- Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)View on Amazon →
- Dutch oven / combo cookerView on Amazon →
- Banneton proofing basketView on Amazon →
- Bread lame + bench scraperView on Amazon →
- High-protein bread flourView on Amazon →
- Danish dough whiskView on Amazon →
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