Pan de payés

• 🌾
  6.5 cup bread flour
• 💧
  3 cup water

  cold in summer — the slow overnight rise does the rest
• 🧂
  3 tsp salt
• 🫒
  3 tbsp olive oil

  or one generous glug straight from the bottle
• 🧫
  7 g dry active yeast

  ¼ to ½ a packet — more yeast speeds up the rise. You can use sourdough starter instead; add it in step 1.
• 🌾
  as needed all-purpose flour

  for dusting the work surface and the cloth

Steps

1. The evening before: in a large bowl 🥣 large bowl , mix the bread flour 🌾 bread flour6.5 cup , water 💧 water3 cupcold in summer — the slow overnight rise does the rest and olive oil 🫒 olive oil3 tbspor one generous glug straight from the bottle with a wooden spoon 🥄 wooden spoon until homogeneous, then keep mixing for at least 2 more minutes — finish with your hands at the end, once the dough gets less sticky.
2. Rest for 10 minutes.
3. Add the salt 🧂 salt3 tsp and dry active yeast 🧫 dry active yeast7 g¼ to ½ a packet — more yeast speeds up the rise. You can use sourdough starter instead; add it in step 1. and knead with your hands for 3–5 minutes, until the dough turns elastic.
4. Cover the bowl 🥣 large bowl with plastic wrap 🔧 plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour.
5. Uncover, knead for 1–2 minutes inside the bowl 🥣 large bowl , cover again and rest for another hour.
6. Uncover, knead for 2 minutes and cover again.
7. Let the dough ferment until it has tripled in volume — 3 to 8 hours; overnight in a cool, draft-free spot is the easy route.
8. The next morning: uncover the dough; it should have tripled. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and flatten it lightly with your hands.
9. Fold two opposite sides inward, one over the other like a letter, then repeat with the remaining two sides.
10. Flip the dough over and tuck the edges underneath while turning it slowly, until you have a smooth round ball.
11. Line a clean bowl 🥣 large bowl with a floured kitchen cloth 🔧 clean kitchen cloth , place the ball smooth-side up inside, dust with flour and wrap the cloth over it like a parcel.
12. Rest for 1 hour.
13. Meanwhile, preheat the oven 🔧 oven to 450°F with the baking tray 🔧 baking tray inside, and place an oven-safe dish 🔧 oven-safe dish with water on the lower rack to create steam.
14. Take the hot tray 🔧 baking tray out, dust it with flour 🌾 all-purpose flouras neededfor dusting the work surface and the cloth , flip the dough onto it smooth-side down and score a deep cross on top.
15. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven to 400°F and remove the water dish.
16. Bake for at least 30 more minutes until golden — up to 20 extra minutes for a darker crust.
17. Move the loaves to a wire rack 🔧 wire cooling rack and cool for at least 10 minutes, ideally 40, before slicing.