top of page
Search
Writer's pictureMangia McCann

Pogne: part pastry, part bread, hella-long to make.

2021 Tour de France - Stage 12: Saint Paul Trois Châteaux to Nîmes


The riders dipped back up into Drôme area for one last day in the Dauphiné, so I made another Roman-inspired dish called Pogne (pon-ya). If Bob Ross was around in the times of Julius Caesar, he would have described this recipe as a tasty little mistake! The story goes that this was the result of a failed bread recipe and thus was transformed into a fruit-scented pastry. It’s kind of like a drop biscuit version of brioche...with the essence of orange. These take a long time to develop (an overnight rest, followed by mixing, and 7 more hours of rest, before baking and another rest to cool) so this will probably be the last time these tasty little mistakes appear at my house.

Pogne

adapted from French Regional Food, Joël Robuchon

  • 500g AP flour

  • 10g salt

  • 10g active yeast

  • 100g superfine sugar

  • Zest from 2 oranges

  • 6 eggs

  • 1 stick of butter

In a small bowl, mix the yeast into ⅓ cup of warm water until dissolved. Then stir in the salt, 20g of the sugar and 100g of the flour. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rest for 8 hours.


After the initial rest, mix together the remaining sugar and flour, and using a hand mixer, blend in the dough starter and zest, adding in the eggs one-at-a-time. Then, using your hand, break the butter up into small pieces and work into the dough. Cover the bowl with a damp dish cloth and let rest for 2 hours.


Flour your hands and punch down the dough and knead briefly into a ball. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rest for 5 hours (or overnight).


When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour a countertop and your hands. Grab a quarter of the dough and roll it in the flour. Knead very briefly, then begin to form into a 2 inch-wide log and form the log into a ring. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, 2 rings per baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the dough rings.


Place in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and a knife inserted comes out clean. Place the pogne on cooling racks and let cool before serving.


Serve with yogurt, fruit and/or jam.

______________________________

Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.


Commentaires


bottom of page