Boule Bread loaf in Bittersweet

  • Feb. 2, 2025, 10:42 a.m.
  • |
  • Public

I saw the term Boule and of course I had to go look it up. What are you making that is a Boule. 
Turns out. It basically is a bread/roll recipe. Okidoki. It just means "ball of bread"
 


  • 3 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon active yeast.
  • dash of salt
  • dash of sugar 
  • 6.5 cups flour.

In my biggest kitchen aid mixer bowl and the dough hook)

Mix your warm water and yeast, sprinkle in some sugar to feed your yeast.

When it gets bubbly and activated sprinkle in your salt, Turn on your mixer and slowly mix 6.5 cups of flour into the wets. If it looks a bit damp, add in a little extra dusting of flour. 

Mix till well mixed then let knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes. No need to get excited here.

Allow to rest/rise in the bowl for 2-24 hours. 

Portion dough into fourths. You can either wrap in saran wrap our Tupper wear and freeze (one month) or refrigerate for up to 1 week covered. Or like me, Cook it all.

On a lightly floured surface plop out one fourth dough. You want to flatten open and tuck the dough under itself to form a rustic roll.  Holding the dough in both hands, you want to stretch out the top of the ball and pull the bottom together. The top and sides should be smooth and cohesive. The bottom will seem a little messy — that’s okay. It will flatten out and come together as the dough rests and bakes. 

If you want to add in flavors. this is the time to mix them in. ( I am doing rosemary garlic) 

Alternately. If you want to make rustic dinner rolls. Roll the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet 3 inches apart allowing space for rising. 

Allow loaf to rise/ rest roughly 40 minutes. A good time to preheat your oven and get the rest of your meal together. 

About half-way through the rest, put the Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450 (F). If you set the lid of the Dutch oven to the side or on the bottom rack you can allow it to preheat without having the extra step of to take it off before you can put in your dough. This might sound nitpicky, but the cast iron will be quite hot and heavy, so minimizing the number of steps is as much a matter of safety as convenience. Note that if you're using a baking tray, the thermal mass is negligible, so you won't gain anything by pre-heating with it in the oven. If you prefer, you can grease and flour a regular pan and skip the preheating the pan step. 

Just before you put the dough in the oven, dust the surface of the bread with flour. Using a bread-knife, make slashes about a half-inch into the top of the dough. Three parallel cuts will give a classic look, but you can experiment with other patterns. 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is a rich brown. If you're using a Dutch oven, take the top off about 20 minutes in. This lets moisture escape so that the crust can crisp.


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