Info on the various types/shapes of bread.
Reggie
(Bread), The All-American Bread Basket
Here's what's hot and fresh at country stores, city bake shops, and
some supermarkets:
BAGUETTE: a long, thin lad with diagonal slashes in the top crust.
BATARDE: a medium-long loaf, wide in the center and tapered at the
ends; also called a French loaf.
BOULE: a round loaf of white bread; the name is French for "ball."
CIABATTA: a flat, chewy choice with lots of holes in the dough and a
flour-coated crust; the Italian name means "old slipper."
FOCACCIA: flat Italian bread with a pebbly, dimpled top; may be plain
or made with herbs, onions, or olives.
FOUGASSE: a low, lattice-cut loaf originally made in the south of
France and sometimes studded with Mediterranean ingredients like
anchovies or olives.
SEMOLINA BREAD: usually made with unbleached all-purpose flour and
finely ground, unbleached patent durum flour, which gives the bread
its characteristic pale-yellow color. Coarsely ground semolina flour,
which has the texture of cornmeal and is used in pasta making, is
traditionally dusted on the bread pans to prevent loaves from sticking.
Source:
"Good Housekeeping, Feb 1998"