Boule
"200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl"
Judith Fertig
ISBN 978-0-7788-0211-2
Makes 1 large round loaf, or boule, to serve 8
Equipment:
* Three-sided cookie sheet, flexible cutting board or baker's peel
* Broiler pan
* Baking stone
Tip
Add texture and variety to your artisan bread by using 3 cups (750
mL) whole-grain flour (white whole wheat, semolina or whole wheat)
plus 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) unbleached all-purpose or unbleached bread
flour to equal the 6 1/2 cups (1.625 L) in the "Easy Artisan Dough"
master recipe.
1/2 recipe prepared Easy Artisan Dough
(about the size of a volleyball)
Unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) cornmeal
2 cups (500 mL) hot water
1. Form. Place dough portion on a floured surface and dust very
lightly with flour. Flour your hands. Working the dough as little as
possible and adding flour as necessary, form the dough into a 12-inch
(30 cm) round. Smooth the dough with your hands to form a soft,
non-sticky skin. Pinch any seams together. Lightly flour any sticky
places on the dough. The dough should feel soft and smooth all over,
like a baby's skin, but not at all sticky.
2. Rest. Sprinkle the cornmeal on the cookie sheet and place the
dough round on the cornmeal. Cover with a tea towel and let rest at
room temperature for 40 minutes.
3. Prepare oven for artisan baking. About 30 minutes before baking,
place the broiler pan on the lower shelf and the baking stone on the
middle shelf of the oven. Preheat to 450°F (230°C).
4. Slash boule with serrated knife. Using a serrated knife, make
three evenly spaced slashes, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) deep, across the
boule, exposing the moist dough under the surface.
5. Slide boule onto baking stone and add water to broiler pan. Using
an oven mitt, carefully pull the middle rack of the oven out several
inches. Hold the cookie sheet level with the rack so that the dough
round will slide onto the center of the hot stone. With a quick
forward jerk of your arms, slide the dough round from the cookie
sheet to the stone. Push the middle rack back in place. Pull the
lower rack out, pour the hot water into the broiler pan and push the
lower rack back in place. Close the oven door immediately so the
steam will envelop the oven.
6. Bake. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until the crust is a medium
dark brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of
the loaf registers at least 190°F (90°C). Wearing oven mitts, remove
the loaf by hand to cool on a wire rack.