Boule

Or, as my gorgeous little girls would simply say, "crunchy bread", which is one of their favorite things to eat with brie or butter.

Ingredients for Step One: 1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. active yeast
1 c. water

OK, start off by warming 1/4 c. of water to the point that it is warm, but not so warm that you can't stick your finger in it comfortably.

Dissolve 1/2 tsp. active yeast in the water. When the yeast is dissolved, add some tap water to the beaker.

Then add the liquid to 1 1/2 c. flour, but first make a little well in the center and then combine until all dry ingredients are incorprorated.

If your mixture is at all dry looking, add a little water. The idea is to have a dough that looks like a very wet mass. This will challenge your idea of what dough is supposed to look like if you make bread dough the "regular way". THIS way is called the "wet" or "sponge" method of bread baking, also known, as my father smugly informed me, a poolish. What a cute word!

Once this is done, simply cover the mixing bowl you used to combine the ingredients and let the dough rise. Cover it with a kitchen towel and set it in a warm, cozy spot, for about 12 hours. You can do this in the evening, let it sit overnight and then have fresh bread for the day.

BOULE STEP TWO:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
2/3 c. water This is essentially the other half of the dough. Add the flour and salt to your Cuisinart or Kitchen Aid and pulse it together to blend. As in the first step, dissolve the 1/2 tsp. yeast in 1//4 c. water and when fully dissolved, increase the amount of water to 2/3.

Add the liquid to the original dough and stir with a rubber spatula until well combined. Then add the wet dough to the dry ingredients in the blender and pulse until combined, adding tablespoons of flour to the mix as necessary to achieve a good consistency (as in not too wet).

Remove the dough from the Cuisinart and knead by hand for five minutes, forming into a nice round ball, "smooth like a baby's bum" as my Dad would say. Place the ball of dough in the same bowl that the wet dough had risen in and let rise for another two hours. Now sit back and watch these videos to see what happens next!



After about an hour, you will be ready to bake your boule! Place your finally risen dough on parchment paper and place it gently in the bottom of a cast iron dutch oven. Make sure to score your ball of sweet baby bottom with a sharp knife or if you gansta, a razor blade,and stick it in the oven at 450 degrees for 35 minutes (ANd remove the lid to the dutch oven for the last 15 for color).

Voila! And don't worry, it only takes all day!

Here is the final project, and it was super yummy!