If Pain de Campaigne (Week 59) is the king of breads, then the Couronne Bordelaise is most definitely the queen. It’s easier to make than it looks so give it a try! Professionals use a special basket to shape the crown, but you can make one at home with a 9″ cake pan and very small heat-proof bowl/ramekin.

Day 1: Make dough

• 340g bread flour
• 40g whole wheat flour
• 4g sugar
• 7g salt
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 300g room temperature water
• 15g olive oil
• (additional ingredients below)

1. In a large bowl, whisk flours with sugar, salt and yeast to combine.
2. Add water and olive oil and mix thouroughly, so there are no dry bits left. You can use your hands, a dough whisk, or the handle of a wooden spoon.
3. Scrape sides down to clean it off and incorporate all the dough into one place. It’s very wet and sticky, so that’s fine.
4. Cover, and let rest overnight.

Next Day

1. Scrape dough out of bowl into a very well floured surface, about 2 level tablespoons worth.
2. Knead to incorporate flour into the dough so that it’s not as sticky and easier to work with, using a bench scraper if it starts sticking to the counter.
3. Seperate dough into into seven pieces, six weighing 110g and one a bit larger, weighing 124. (Total weight should be around 784g.)
4. Shape pieces into a ball by flattening them out, then folding the edges up over towards the middle. Turn over and shape into a ball. (See video page for a visual)
5. Cover the six smaller ones so they don’t dry out.
6. Flatten the larger ball and roll out to an 9″ disc. Dust with flour if necessary if it is sticking to the countertop.
7. Brush outer edge with oil so that it won’t stick to the dough balls

4. Prepare the cake pan:
   • Place a heat proof glass bowl/small ramekin in the center of the cake pan.
   • Coat a tea towel with flour and rub it in.
   • Drape the tea towel over the ramekin, into the cake pan.
5. Drape the dough disc over the ramekin as evenly as possible. You want a good amount of dough to be on the bottom so that it covers well the dough balls.
6. Place the dough balls around in a ring evenly spaced, seam side up.
7. Cut across the top of the dough that is stretch over the ramekin, then cut 2 more lines to create 6 triangles.
8. Fold the triangles back over onto the dough balls.
9. Cover and let rest about 30 – 60 minutes until dough balls have expanded and puffed.
10. Meanwhile preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bake

egg white, salt, herbs de provence, sesame seeds

1. Beat the egg white with 1 Tbsp water and a pinch of salt
2. Place parchment paper over the dough, then the baking sheet (I use a10-1/2″ iron skillet) and flip. Remove the tea towel and ramekin.
3. Brush tops with the egg white wash, then sprinkle with the herbs de provence and sesame seeds
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown, and 190 degrees inside.

This video shows how to shape the crown once you’ve made the dough