This free form loaf is call the French boule (boule means ball). It is easy to handle and reliable when baked without kneading. A gluten cloak takes the place of kneading.
Recipe:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbs granulated yeast or 2 packets
1 1/2 Tbs kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 c unsifted, unbalanced, all purpose white flour using scoop and sweep with a knife method
Cornmeal for pizza stone
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Warm the water slightly. It should feel a little warmer than body temperature 100 degree. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point before storing. You can use cold water but the first rising will take 4 hours.
2. Add yeast and salt to the water
3. Mix in the flour- kneading is unnecessary. Add ALL the flour at once. Use a dry ingredient measuring cup, scoop the flour and sweep the top level with a knife. Don't compress flour. Mix with a wooden spoon or a stand mix with dough hooks. You are done when everything is uniformly moist. It should only take minutes. Don't over mix or knead.
4. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Allowing to raise up to 5 hours will not harm anything. You can use a portion of the dough after this first rise. It's easier to work with if you refrigerate the dough overnight or at least 3 hours before shaping a loaf.
On the Day you bake:
5. Shape a loaf in 30 to 60 seconds. First prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking when sliding into the oven.
Sprinkle surface of refrigerated dough with flour and flour your hands. Pull up and cut around one pound about the size of a large grapefruit.. Hold in your hands and stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating as you go. The bottom of the boule will be rough looking but no worries. You could also shape using the same method on the counter. This should be done in 30 to 60 seconds. No kneading.
6. Rest the loaf and let it rise on the pizza peel for about 40 minutes. No need to cover. You will not see a lot of rise in older dough but it will rise in the oven.
7. Preheat oven for 20 minutes at 450 with the baking stone place on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler pan below the pizza stone
8. Dust and slash dough. Dust the boule with flour so your slashing knife won't stick. Slash a 1/4" deep cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern on top. You can use a serrated knife instead.
9. After the 20 minute preheat you are ready to bake. With a quick jerk slide the loaf off the pizza peel onto the pizza stone in the oven. Add 1-2 cups of water to the broiler pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cut is nicely browned and firm to touch. Allow to cool completely on a rack before slicing.
10. Store your remaining dough in the refrigerator cover but not airtight and use over the next 14 days. Storage improves the flavor and texture of the bread.
Herbed Variation:
Follow the direction for mixing the Boule dough and add
1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary or 1 tsp fresh rosemary
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