The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

round free standing loaf

Anonymous baker's picture
Anonymous baker (not verified)

round free standing loaf

I'm so new I don't even know what to call it. Just got started and my breads baked in a loaf pan are doing great. At some point I want to try one of those big round free standing loafs. I would guess that the dough must be stiffer than what I am using in the loaf pan. Can you point me toward where to learn about these loaves? Thank you.

yy's picture
yy

Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" is also a great introduction to all types of breads. In general, free standing loaves, (which I believe Mr. Reinhart calls "hearth loaves") are actually wetter, slacker doughs than pan loaves. Their ability to stand up on their own depends on shaping technique. There are a lot of helpful posts on shaping here on TFL. The search function is a valuable resource. 

rocky_creek@hughes.net's picture
rocky_creek@hug... (not verified)

Found shaping videos. Thanks for replys.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

The round,freestanding loaves are called boules and the football shaped ones are batards. The long skinny loaf of french bread is a baguette.