Living in Brazil in the past I always love their pão francês. It's not traditional french bread. Rather a local recipe. The insides are light and fluffy. The crust very thin but crisp.
I've tried several Youtube recipes. Can't seem to recreate it. Typically too dense. And the crust too thick.
Has anyone tried this and succeeded?
I think it'll be really hard to get the same bread at home. Their mixtures come with significant amounts of "bread improvers". Without those, the low hydration crumb will be packed instead of the fine strands. The thin shattering crust is a result of lots of steam in the baking process, which is hard to replicate at home too.
Did you ever try using those "ready to mix packages"? That should help you get much closer crumb wise.
Otherwise, maybe add a bit of tangzhong and/or multiple degassing steps. Both of those methods help achieve a fine light crumb.
That's an bread that I have mixed feelings. I grew up loving the stuff even though it hits the stomach like a stone. They go from mixing to the oven in less than 2 hours in most bakeries. No wonder why the shelf life is measured in hours.
Something I forgot to include in the previous comment.
In the absence of steam injection, heavily spritzing the dough before going into the over helps with the shattering crust