Black Pain de Campagne

1. 1

   Crush the walnuts roughly.

2. 2

   Snap the banana chips in half and soak in hot water for about a minute.

3. 3

   Drain off the rum soaked raisins.

4. 4

   If you are making the natural leaven version, you don't need to soak the banana chips in hot water!

5. 5

   Split the chips into quarters.

6. 6

   I recommend using homemade rum-soaked raisins rather than the kind sold to make desserts.

7. 7

   Please refer to steps 1 to 5 and 9 offor the natural leaven procedure.

8. 8

   Put the ingredients in a bowl, and mix together with a whisk.

9. 9

   Add the milk, and fold it together using a pastry scraper until the dough is no longer floury.

10. 10

    Please adjust the amount of milk so that the dough is easy to knead.

11. 11

    I used 230 g of milk this time.

12. 12

    Add the ingredients and knead some more.

13. 13

    Round off into a ball, and leave for the 1st rising.

14. 14

    When the dough has doubled in volume, the 1st rising is done!

15. 15

    Punch it down, round it off smoothly again, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

16. 16

    Form into a round ball with a smooth surface again, put into a banneton (round bread mold) with the seam side up, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise again (2nd rising).

17. 17

    There's a lot of additions, so it might be hard to form a proper loaf.

18. 18

    Take it carefully out of the banneton, and slash the top in any pattern you like.

19. 19

    It looks like this when you slice through it after baking.

20. 20

    Bake in a preheated 250C oven, lowered to 230C, for 25 to 28 minutes.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.