Crusty French Boules

I decided to take on the challenge of bread making since I have been scared of it for so long. Don't ask me why I picked a recipe that takes like 2 days to kick off my bread making practice, temporary insanity maybe, I just did. Surprisingly it wasn't awful. Not wonderful, but not awful. Normally Husband helps me with the cooking and actually does the majority of it but I took such ownership over this recipe about the only things I let him do were rip the plastic wrap and spray the bowl. I'm glad too because once this came out of the oven I had such a sense of accomplishment. I know, normal people make bread all the time but for me this was a triumph and the start of something hopefully fantastic. This was a pretty good recipe but I was expecting something a little different to come out of the oven. The loaves were very thin and flat so they didn't make great sandwich bread like I was hoping. The flavor and texture were good so that was a plus. I left the pâte fermentée in the fridge for just under 3 days (supposedly 48 hours is best) and it was just fine. I think I will attempt another bread and see which one I like better. Ok, maybe a few more. All in all a 4 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 5 ⁶³⁄₁₀₀ ounces all-purpose flour divided (about 1 1/4 cups)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon active dry yeast
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• Cooking spray
• ³⁄₄ cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 4 ounces bread flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

Directions

1. To prepare the pâte fermentée, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1/2 cup warm water, and beat at low speed until mixture is thoroughly combined. Add enough of the remaining 4 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough just begins to pull away from sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes. Place dough in a small bowl coated with cooking spray. Place a piece of plastic wrap coated with cooking spray directly on dough. Refrigerate 48 hours or up to 3 days.
2. Remove pâte fermentée from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
3. To prepare the dough, place 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon yeast. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes or until bubbles form. Add pâte fermentée to yeast mixture; let stand 10 minutes. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups) and 4 ounces bread flour (about 2/3 cup) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flours and 1 teaspoon salt to bowl; beat at low speed until flour is incorporated. Increase mixer to medium speed, and beat for 6 minutes. (Dough should form a ball.)
4. Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; lightly coat dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, dry place, free from drafts, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down, and divide into 2 equal portions. Knead each portion for 1 minute. Shape each dough portion into a 5-inch round by pulling the sides down, pinching and tucking them under the bottom center of dough, forming a smooth, taut surface on the top. Place dough rounds on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour and 15 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Place a small ovenproof saucepan with 3 inches of water directly on the floor of oven. Preheat oven to 450°.
6. Uncover dough. Spray dough lightly with water. Make 4 (4-inch) cuts 1/4 inch deep in dough to form a grid across top of each loaf using a sharp knife. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Remove water pan from oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped. Cool on a wire rack. Cut each boule, crosswise, into 12 slices.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 82

Fat: 0.3g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 148mg

Fiber: 0.6g

Protein: 2.5g

View recipe at plantoeat.com