Boule if with Jam

 
 
 
When the United States Postal Service made a delivery today & it turned out to be a jar of my dear friend Shearer's Strawberry Jam prepared with sun kissed Virginia strawberries, hand picked in the summer, from a farm in the country, it was inevitable that I make a warm fresh boule in it's honor.

I mean seriously - is there anything better than a warm loaf of bread with butter & homemade Jam?

Boule in french means ball & its main ingredients are similar to that of baguette - except for its shape. There are a few tips to baking a perfect boule - the soft, inner part of bread is known to bakers and other culinary professionals as the crumb (not to be confused with small bits of bread that often fall off, called crumbs) & the outer hard portion of bread called the crust & we are going to systematically follow everyone of these tips. This recipe is  adapted from an original baguette recipe by Richard Grausman.

Begin by warming the water to about 110 deg F. 

 

Put 3/4 cup warm water (110 deg F) into a bowl, add sugar and dissolve.  Empty the contents of 1 packet dry and active yeast into it. Stir. Proof the yeast & if it is active it will look something like this in about 10 minutes. If it doesn't, it means it is dead and a trip to the grocers is warranted.

Set the large mixing bowl of your a high-capacity food processor fitted with the dough attachment, bread machine or a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

To this, add the proofed  yeast & salt & then the measured out flour. Knead until the dough is uniform and devoid of dry patches.

Cook's Note - The dough is loose and wet. Do not add more flour. Continue kneading till the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Transfer into a container with a lid (not air tight) - a plastic container will do nicely. Cook's Note -  I have also used stainless steel containers in the past, which work well.

Keep the wet dough in a cool place or a refrigerator for approx 3 hours so it will be less sticky and more workable.  The dough is ready when you pierce it with your fingers and the impressions remain.

Once you are ready to bake, take the dough out (approx 1 lb).

Return the the other half to the refrigerator for later use if not using all of it.  Place the dough ball on a liberally floured surface ( I use my butcher block).

Sprinkle flour on the dough as well so it is not too sticky & easy to handle.

   

Lift off the surface & begin to tuck the edges of the dough  around to the bottom, on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. The resulting dough ball will have a smooth surface on its main face.

The bottom of the loaf appears like a bunch of tucked ends but these will smooth out during resting and baking. 

       

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Liberally sprinkle flour on the surface portion, where you are going to place the dough.

Place the dough ball over the flour & rest for about an hour. Cover with a large upturned pot or mixing bowl.

Cook's Note - In my experience, the does not show significant rise, more like a gentle swell (this gave me quite the jitters the first time I made this)

 

Preheat the oven to 450 deg F for approx 15-20 minutes. While the oven is preheating, dust the dough ball with some flour.

Using a serrated bread knife, slash cuts on the surface in straight lines or a criss-cross pattern.

Place a oven proof dish with 4 cups of hot water in the broiler pan (for gas ovens)

Cook's Note - The steam will help moisten the surface as it bakes, creating a thicker and crunchier crust, emulating the use of steam injected ovens used in professional bakeries.

Bake for about 30 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven or until the crust is nicely brown and firm to the touch. 

Cook's Note Update  -  The above is true for gas ovens. If you have an electric oven, as pointed out my one of our readers (Thanks Mrs. P) you'd need to move the water bath to the lowest rack & the bread 5-6 inches above the water bath. Try to keep the bread in the lower third of the oven.

 

Cook's Note - Culinary experts & bakers prefer the bread to be completely cooled on a wire rack before serving for best flavor, texture and ease of slicing.

 

However, we love warm bread so I did not let it cool completely. We had these with butter & Shearer's Strawberry Jam (which was heavenly) with cups of English Breakfast. Perfect!

Recipe for

BOULE

Shopping list -

3-1/2 cups unsifted, all-purpose white flour

1 package granulated yeast 

3/4 tsp salt (preferably coarse salt)

1 tsp sugar

1-1/4 cups warm water

Extra flour for sprinkling & use on baking tray

Oil for greasing pans

Preparation (in advance)-

Begin by warming the water to about 110 deg F. 

Put 3/4 cup warm water (110 deg F) into a bowl, add sugar and dissolve.  Empty the contents of 1 packet dry and active yeast into it. Stir. Proof the yeast & if it is active it will look something like this in about 10 minutes. If it doesn't, it means it is dead and a trip to the grocers is warranted.

Set a large mixing bowl of your a high-capacity food processor fitted with the dough attachment, bread machine or a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook

To this, add the proofed  yeast & salt & then the measured out flour + remaining water. Knead until the dough is uniform and devoid of dry patches.

Cook's Note - The dough is loose and wet. Do not add more flour. Continue kneading till the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Transfer into a container with a lid (not air tight) - a plastic container will do nicely. Cook's Note -  I have also used stainless steel containers in the past, which work well.

Keep the wet dough in a cool place for approx 3 hours so it will be less sticky and more workable.  The dough is ready when you pierce it with your fingers and the impressions remain.

Once you are ready to bake, take the dough out (approx 1 lb).

Return the the other half to the refrigerator for later use if not using all of it.  Place the dough ball on a liberally floured surface ( I use my butcher block).

Sprinkle flour on the dough as well so it is not too sticky & easy to handle.

Lift off the surface & begin to tuck the edges of the dough  around to the bottom, on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. The resulting dough ball will have a smooth surface on its main face.

The bottom of the loaf appears like a bunch of tucked ends but these will smooth out during resting and baking.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Liberally sprinkle flour on the surface portion, where you are going to place the dough.

Place the dough ball over the flour & rest for about an hour. Cover with a large upturned pot or mixing bowl.

Cook's Note - In my experience, the does not show significant rise, more like a gentle swell (this gave me quite the jitters the first time I made this)

Baking method -

Preheat the oven to 450 deg F for approx 15-20 minutes. While the oven is preheating, dust the dough ball with some flour.

Using a serrated bread knife, slash cuts on the surface in straight lines or a criss-cross pattern.

Place a oven proof dish with 4 cups of hot water in the broiler pan (for gas ovens)

Cook's Note - The steam will help moisten the surface as it bakes, creating a thicker and crunchier crust, emulating the use of steam injected ovens used in professional bakeries.

Bake for about 30 minutes on the lowest rack in the oven or until the crust is nicely brown and firm to the touch. 

Cook's Note Update  -  The above is true for gas ovens. If you have an electric oven, as pointed out my one of our readers (Thanks Mrs. P) you'd need to move the water bath to the lowest rack & the bread 5-6 inches above the water bath. Try to keep the bread in the lower third of the oven.

Culinary experts & bakers prefer the bread to be completely cooled on a wire rack before serving for best flavor, texture and ease of slicing.