Master Recipe - Boule

The recipe was extremely easy to mix up; I used some very old yeast, but I'd stored it in the freezer where it keeps pretty much forever (in a jar, so no problem with the packet getting wet). I did it by weight, and since I was using Trader Joe's AP flour, which is specifically mentioned as being higher in protein than normal AP flour (in the bread flour range), I did the scanting of flour that they suggest. 31.5 oz of white flour, 3 c water at just over 100 degrees (according to my thermometer, 102.6), the yeast and some sea salt (because that's what I had that wasn't iodized). It's supposed to rise for 2 hours then start to fall - it was still going up at 3 hours after I mixed it, and had gotten to more than 3/4 of the way up the sides of my 6-qt container! I refrigerated it - we'll see how it looks tomorrow (and I'll actually bake with it). When I picked up the container it was amazingly light (lots of air!).

I'll write more when I've actually baked some of this.

I had a little trouble with the dough, probably because of using King Arthur flour - the gluten didn't develop wonderfully well. It still made good bread, though. Unfortunately I find white bread boring. I made most of this dough into Parmesan-Garlic Knots, which is basically dough noodles tied into knots with a thin pesto brushed over the top - quite good warm, OK (still boring) cold. I also made pita, which was fun and yummy - neat to watch it puff, and quite tasty since it was all crust. The nice thing about this recipe (and most of the ones in this book) is that you make one batch of dough, then can make almost anything you feel like out of that dough.

I bought this book when it first came out and was not that impressed. Then recently I decided to recheck their blog and try again with their suggestions. I put a large pizza stone on the bottom oven rack and the top of my La Cloche on the stone. Preheat oven for 30 to 45 minutes at 450 degrees. I shape the dough according to directions, put it on parchment paper and let it rise 1 hour in summer and 1 1/2 to 2 hours in cooler weather. When ready to bake, I sprinkle flour on top of the bread and make fairly deep slashes in a #shape. I remove the Cloche top, put the bread directly on the stone, replace the top and bake for 20 minutes depending on size of dough used. Then I remove the top and reposition the bread on a high rack and bake for 15 more minutes. This way the bottom is not overly brown and the top is wonderfully crisp.