Pain Complet

Ingredients

• For the soaker (trempage)
• 100 g bran and germ fraction (from total flour), separated from the Type 150 flour before mixing
• 100 ml water, equal weight to the bran and germ fraction; combined overnight
• For the dough
• 500 g farine complète (Type 150, whole wheat flour), freshly milled if possible; minimum 95% wholemeal by law
• 10 g vital wheat gluten, 2% of total flour weight; compensates for bran's gluten-cutting effect
• 375–400 ml water, adjusted to achieve 75–80% total hydration inclusive of soaker water
• 150 g levain (active), mature and acidic; sufficient to activate phytase and reduce phytic acid
• 10 g fine sea salt, 2% of total flour weight

Method

1. 1
   The night before baking, separate the bran and germ fraction from the Type 150 flour. Combine the bran and germ with an equal weight of water in a bowl, cover, and leave at room temperature overnight. The soaker is ready when the particles have fully absorbed the water and feel soft and yielding rather than sharp or scratchy to the touch.
2. 2
   The following day, combine the remaining flour, vital wheat gluten, and the bulk of the dough water (reserve a small amount). Mix briefly until no dry flour remains. Do not add the levain, salt, or soaker at this stage. Cover and leave to autolyse for 45–60 minutes — twice the standard period for white flour. The dough is ready when it has relaxed visibly and the surface feels noticeably smoother and less resistant under a pressed finger.
3. 3
   Add the mature levain, the soaker, and the salt to the autolysed dough, using the reserved water to incorporate. Mix at moderate intensity only — the gluten network, already weakened by bran, cannot tolerate intensive mixing. Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together into a cohesive, tacky mass that holds its shape when briefly cupped in the hands. Overmixing is irreversible: this is where the bread lives or dies.
4. 4
   Transfer to a lightly oiled container for bulk fermentation. At intervals, perform gentle folds — fold each side of the dough over itself — rather than aggressive degassing. Continue until the dough has increased appreciably in volume, smells faintly sour and wheaty, and a small piece dropped in water floats.
5. 5
   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a boule or bâtard with minimal degassing. Place in a floured banneton or lined bowl, seam side up. Proof until the dough holds a gentle indent from a floured finger but springs back slowly and only partially.
6. 6
   Preheat the oven to 220–230 °C with a baking stone or heavy tray inside. Score the surface of the loaf with a single bold slash or a pattern of parallel cuts using a lame or sharp blade. Bake for 45–55 minutes. The loaf is done when it is deep brown across the crust and produces a hollow sound when the base is firmly tapped.
7. 7
   Transfer to a wire rack. Rest the baked loaf 8–12 hours before cutting. The crumb is ready when slicing reveals a tender, even interior with no gummy seams — the dense wholemeal crumb requires this full rest to set.