Pan d’Epi or Épis de Blé Wreath (Wheat Stalk Bread/ Ears of Wheat) With Caramelized Onions #BreadBakers

   Epi is the French word used to describe the flower of a wheat stalk. So the Pan d’Epi or Épis de Blé is the name given to bread that looks like a wheat stalk or the ears of wheat. 

     The Pan d’Epi is a classic and commonly made French artisan bread. When made for special holidays and celebrations, this bread is often made more decorative by shaping it into a wreath.

    The Pan d’Epi is easy enough to make and really just one step up from the French baguette. It is made the same way but then cut to resemble a wheat stalk. It is eaten just a baguette and can be served with soup, or used to make sandwiches. 

     This bread is best eaten fresh, the day it is made. It is best stores wrapped in paper until it is used. If the bread starts to go stale, revive it by sprinkling it with water and briefly baking it. Otherwise, use it to make croutons or breadcrumbs.    

    A Pan d’Epi is a plain bread but I decided to add some caramelized onions to mine just to add some flavour. You may omit this if you want to stay authentic with the bread. I also chose to make a round Pan d’Epi wreath because my baking sheet and oven would hold this shape better.

For this month's Bread Bakers Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm of choose to make  International Breads . I made this french bread......

Requirements  :

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp oil

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2  tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp oil

3/4 to 1 cup warm water

Method:

        Heat the oil and add the chopped onions to it. Sauté over medium heat till they turn a nice deep brown. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

      Put the remaining ingredients, except the water, in a bowl (or processor bowl) and mix well. Add enough warm water and knead until you have a soft and elastic dough, almost sticky dough.

      Add the caramelized onions and knead it into the dough till distributed uniformly. Shape into a smooth ball and place it in an oiled bowl, turning it to coat it well with oil. 

      Cover loosely and let it rise for about an hour to an hour and a half till it has doubled in volume. 

      Dust your working surface lightly with flour. If you’re going to shape it as a long wheat stalk (or two if your oven or baking sheets aren’t large enough to take one long one), then press out the dough into a rough rectangle. 

     Fold the long edge away from you towards the center. Fold the long edge near you towards the centre. Now fold over in half, like a letter fold and pinch the seam together neatly and tightly. See this tutorial for a better idea on shaping a baguette. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmu1rg4CPgk )

      Sprinkle flour generously over the baguette. Starting with one end of the baguette, make equidistant cuts in the dough (about three inches apart) holding a pair of scissors so they are parallel to the bread, and then tilting them so they are at a 45-degree angle. 

       Make the cuts in the dough almost as if you were going to snip that bit off but it will still be attached, then take that piece and move it to the left. Make another snip about 3 inches down from the bottom of the last one and move that piece to the right. Keep on doing this until you reach the end of the bread. See this video for a better understanding of this process. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5QL_kaowQ )

        If you want to make a wreath like I did, then take a look at this tutorial (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/12/08/holiday-wreath-bread ) first. Place the risen dough on a floured surface. 

       Gently poke a hole through the dough in the centre with your fingers and stretch out the dough into a round ring. Place this on the parchment lined baking sheet and then generously dust the top of the dough with flour. 

       As described above for the baguette, make cuts about 2 inches apart and move each portion outward forming a wreath. Once the Epi has been shaped, loosely cover the dough and let it rise again for about 15 minutes. 

       In the meanwhile, preheat your oven to 240*C (470*F) with a baking tray upside down on the rack and an empty pan at the bottom of the oven.  

      When ready place the Epi in the oven and pour a cup of water into the pan at the bottom to create steam.I didn't use steam .

      Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes till the Pan d’Epi is done and golden brown in colour. Let it cool completely before cutting.

  Enjoy the onion flavoured Pan d'Epi..........

We Knead To Bake #42

Apfelpfannkuchen (Apple Pancake)from A Day in the Life on the Farm 

Auvergne Crown from Karen's Kitchen Stories 

Bauerbrot from All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Bialys from Spill the Spices 

Boule from Bread Therapy 

Chilli and Coriander Scones from Sizzling Tastebuds 

Dallas Pulla from The Schizo Chef 

Dutch Tiger Bread (Tijgerbrood)from Baking Sense 

Eggless brioche bread from I camp in my Kitchen 

Epi di Pan from Sara's Tasty Buds 

Franzbrotchen from Gayathri's Cook Spot 

German Soft Pretzels (Laugenbrezel) from Hostess At Heart 

German Soft Pretzels from Herbivore Cucina 

Kardemummabullar from Ambrosia 

Pita Bread from Sneha's Recipe

Pletzel from Cook's Hideout 

Pretzel bites from  My Cooking Journey 

Savoury Kugelhopf from The Mad Scientist's Kitchen 

Slovak Bread Rolls(Rozky) from Mayuri's Jikoni 

Whole wheat Pitta bread from Sonlicious 

Yemeni Kubaneh from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.