gluten free zen
Taking The Stress Out Of Gluten-Free Grain-Free & Dairy-Free Living
Crusty Boule
All I can say is thank goodness people have gone down this road before me! Isn’t that true in a lot of areas of life?
When it comes to gluten-free bread, things can get tricky. If you’re new to the gluten-free world you may or may not know, depending on how much experimentation you’ve done, that gluten-free bread doesn’t react like gluten-full bread. The positives to this of course, are that you don’t feel like you’re going to die after you eat it, and with a little bit of trial and error and work, you too can enjoy your bread just like the rest of the world. This is great news for those of us who aren’t fine with a low carb or no carb diet. Egads…I understand watching calories and trying to stay fit…but no bread? No way!
I ran across the “Bread in Five” couple’s website, and I’m so thankful I did. I had seen them on morning talk shows but wasn’t aware that they also do gluten-free breads. I used their exact recipe for the gluten-free Boule, as it is always best to try the original first and then experiment the second time around in case you run across kinks the first time. So I will send you over to their website for the recipe and directions.
Although the recipe remains the same, I did change just two things in the actual making of the bread. They really love to use a 5 quart plastic container to mix their bread doughs. I guess it makes for easy storage. By the way, this recipe makes several small loves. It can be refrigerated for up to 7 days, and you can take as much out as you like each day for fresh bread.
The only problems I ran across with using the 5 quart container is that I’m short. Yes, there it is out there for all the world to know. Not horribly short, but short enough that having to reach above the 5 quart container made it very awkward without a step stool. I also didn’t like the use of a wooden spoon as a stirring stick…because evidently, not only am I too short, but I’m a weakling too. So I chose to pour all of it into a large glass bowl and mix it with my hand the old-fashioned way. The glass bowl can still be stored in the fridge and it doesn’t change the dough in any way.
So, without further ado, I present to you Artisan Bread In Five’s – Gluten Free (and dairy free) Crusty Boule.
Prior to its 2 hour rest.
Only a half hour into its rest…see those gaps and holes in the dough? That’s a very good sign that things are doing what they should.
After its 2 hour rest. It has risen significantly and smells yeasty and fabulous!
A large grapefruit sized piece getting ready for its 90 minute rest.
You might be thinking that this bread is an all day adventure, but it’s not. You can make the dough ahead of time, which only takes about 7 minutes. Allow it to rest for 2 hours on your counter and then refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it over the next 7 days. At that point, it will only need a couple of minutes of shaping and a 90 minute rest on your counter until it is baked for 35 minutes.
Here it is going into the 500 degree Dutch Oven…BE CAREFUL!
After the first portion of baking, at the lid removal point. Again, be careful.
And here it is coming out of the oven for the last time.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Next time I make this bread I am going to skip the “smoothing stage”. I think that I ended up patting down the dough a little too much, resulting in a more dense loaf. I was hoping for a little more height. The bread is delicious though. A nice crunchy crust on the outside, and soft on the inside. Very flavorful and I think it would also work well shaped into a baguette, into smaller boules that could be eaten and torn apart in pieces with soup, or even a much larger boule.
13 Comments on “Crusty Boule”
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gluten free zen 
I’ll just bet this was delicious, looking at it in the oven.. all warm and browned. And I’ll bet you’re not sure just petite and adorable!!
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Cecelia is making flattering comments about you Smidge. Maybe if you mail her good things to eat she’ll keep it up? 😉
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That loaf looks tremendous and I had to laugh about you referring to your shortness.. I used to do dishes in a restaurant and the pots were HUGE and HIGH! I literally had to drag over a box to stand on, so that I was able to get above the pot to reach down into it to clean it! And i am not really that short! Though all my life i have wanted to be described as willowy (sigh) alas.. I am not..more whippy than willowy. i bet smidge is willowy!! c
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I bet she is too! You both are beautiful and I certainly consider you willowy! I’ve always wanted to be 5′ 10 and willowy…but no such luck. I’m stuck with 5’4 and getting a little stocky with all the cooking (and eating) I do for this blog!
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I see my spell check changed “short” to “sure”.. one thing’s for sure.. I’m NOT willowy, never have been.. more of the short 5’4″ now 5’3″ type like you two:) Sorry, c, you had me wrong! I even have a section in my kitchen that is lower just so I can bake:) The only willows here are in my neighbor’s yard… Maybe us short gals try harder??
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I’m familiar with that website, April, and have baked some of their recipes. It’s been a while, though, and I’d no idea they had GF recipes. This bread looks delicious, I like its crust & crumb. As you’ve probably guessed, I’ll be sending this post to my cousin, encouraging her to give it a try. I’m sure she’ll like it if she does. With 2 pre-schoolers, it’s not so much a question of desire as it is of time! 🙂
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If she were to make the dough on a Sunday and refrigerate it, then she would be able to bake fresh bread daily for the whole week. It is about a 2 hour wait time though. 90 to rise and 30 to bake. If her kitchen is cold, I wonder if she would be able to form the loaf before she went to bed and allow it to rise on the counter while she slept? I’m thinking if she has a cool kitchen it wouldn’t over rise. Then she would only need 30 minutes each morning of baking time.
Heating the dutch oven up to 500 degrees and then heaving it in and out of the oven was a little intimidating, I must say. I did a little research and there are other ways to bake the boule which I will try this week. One is on a baking stone with a water bath on the lower rack. I will try that over the next couple of days and see if I like it better.
Have a good day! ~ April
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That’s a great looking gluten-free bread. I’ve been wanting to know how to make GF bread for a long time because what’s available in the shops near where I live is just horrible. xx
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I think it turned out OK. I’m going to bake it a few different ways over the next couple of days so I’ll see if I can come up with something better. The only store brand of gluten-free bread that I have found that is tolerable is Udi’s (not to be confused with Rudi’s – which is horrible!)
Have a good day! ~ April
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Beautiful bread!
Well done April 😉
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Thank you. 🙂
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