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Buckwheat Couronne Bread

Buckwheat Couronne Bread

2093kcal
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Prep 30 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Cold Retard (Fridge) 14 hours
Total 1 day 3 hours
A crown-shaped French artisan sourdough loaf made with high-hydration dough and non-gluten buckwheat flour. Features an overnight fridge retard and a covered Dutch oven bake for maximum oven spring and crisp crust.
Servings 1 Loaf
Cuisine French (Artisan Sourdough)

Ingredients

Stiff Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
High-Hydration Crown Dough Base
  • 400 g Bread flour (85%)
  • 70 g Buckwheat flour (15%)
  • 350 g Water (74% – autolyse mix)
  • 26 g Cold water (14% – bassinage water added with salt)
  • 140 g Stiff sourdough starter (30% – from the stage above)
  • 9 g Salt (2%)

Equipment

Method

1. Night Before: Build Stiff Starter
  1. 10:00 PM: Whisk 15 g starter into 50 g water. Add 75 g all-purpose flour and mix into a tight dough ball. Cover loosely and ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until tripled in volume.
2. Autolyse & Mixing
  1. 7:00 AM (Autolyse): In a mixer bowl, combine 400 g bread flour, 70 g buckwheat flour, and 350 g water (saving 26 g for bassinage). Mix until fully hydrated, cover, and rest 1 hour.
  2. 8:00 AM (Starter Integration): Add 140 g stiff starter. Mix on low speed (KitchenAid speed 3) for 3–4 minutes. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
  3. 8:30 AM (Bassinage & Salt): Add 9 g salt and the remaining 26 g cold water. Mix on low speed for 4–5 minutes, then medium (KitchenAid speed 3) for 7–9 minutes until dough pulls together cleanly. Rest 30 minutes.
3. Stretch-and-Folds & Bulk Fermentation
  1. 9:00 AM: 1st Stretch & Fold
  2. 9:45 AM: 2nd Stretch & Fold
  3. 10:30 AM: 3rd Stretch & Fold
  4. 11:15 AM: 4th Stretch & Fold
  5. Rest untouched for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C) until puffy (~50% rise).
4. Shaping & Cold Retard
  1. 11:45 AM (Shape): Turn dough onto a floured surface. Stretch into an 18-inch long rectangle, roll into a log, and pinch the ends together to form a ring/doughnut.
  2. Place ring seam-side up into a floured couronne proofing basket (or a towel-lined bowl with a small inverted bowl in the center).
  3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for 14–24 hours cold fermentation.
5. Bake in Dutch Oven
  1. Next Morning: Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 500°F (260°C) for 45–60 minutes.
  2. Invert cold ring dough onto parchment paper and score diagonal slashes around the crown.
  3. Transfer to hot Dutch oven, cover with lid, and bake at 500°F for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove lid, reduce heat to 450°F (232°C), and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until deep golden/espresso color. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories2093kcalCarbohydrates426gProtein69gFat10gSaturated Fat2gPolyunsaturated Fat4gMonounsaturated Fat1gSodium3529mgPotassium885mgFiber20gSugar3gVitamin A8IUCalcium115mgIron10mg

Notes

  • The Technical Purpose of a Stiff Starter: Unlike typical poolish or 100% hydration liquid starters, this recipe utilizes a firm, low-hydration sourdough build (around 66% liquid--to-flour). Stiff starters ferment at a slightly slower pace, which prevents the production of harsh, bitter acetic acids. This ensures your Buckwheat Couronne Bread maintains a beautifully mild, nutty grain flavor profile rather than an overly sour tang.
  • Managing High Buckwheat Hydration: Buckwheat flour is entirely gluten-free and acts like a dry sponge, drawing in massive quantities of liquid. Because it lacks structural proteins, balancing it alongside a strong high-protein bread flour is essential. Trust the 80% hydration level in step 2; the dough will feel remarkably wet and soft at first, but it will rapidly tighten up into a cohesive, supple network across the four structural stretch-and-fold sequences.
  • Preventing the Center Ring from Closing Up: A common pitfall when baking a couronne style loaf is having the center hole completely disappear during the explosive oven rise, transforming your beautiful crown back into a standard round loaf. Ensure that you stretch the initial center ring gap out to a wide diameter of at least 4 to 5 inches during step 8 to guarantee the hollow space holds its shape perfectly in the oven.
  • Transitioning to an Overnight Fridge Retard: If you prefer a freshly baked loaf first thing in the morning, you can easily shift the timeline. After shaping the ring and turning it into the floured basket in step 9, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and transfer it straight into your refrigerator to cold-retard for 12 to 16 hours. Bake it directly out of the fridge the next morning following the exact high-heat steam steps.

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