Whole Wheat Boule

Check it off the list. I’ve officially made bread.

If you haven’t read Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, you should. My friend Jenny bought it for me, and I’ve only just recently gotten around to reading it [December sometime]. I think I owe this book a little bit of credit for giving me the itch to start cooking and baking again. It takes things I love [food and math] and breaks down the complexity and art of cooking into something basic and primal. X + Y = Z. Period. Then you can modify it to fit your tastes. It also talks about the importance of measuring your ingredients by volume. I’m working on that a whole lot more now, and I think I’m definitely noticing a difference.

Ruhlman’s basic bread ratio is what brought me to this little boule of my very own. That and the method of cooking it in my Dutch oven. I halved the flour between white and whole wheat and gave it a whirl. It ended up being dense and chewy. The crust was crisp. I liked the idea of the Dutch oven imparting steam to really work on the contrast between the crust and the rest of the bread. Yeast still makes me impatient, but I’m working on it.

Ingredients

• 20g flour [I used half wheat and half white]
• 12oz water
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Measure all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Let the yeast sit the water and dissolve for a minute or two.
3. Use paddle attachment to incorporate all of the ingredients and bring them together.
4. Switch to a dough hook and let the machine do its job for about 10 minutes.
5. Test a piece of the dough. You should be able to stretch it thin without ripping it. If it rips, keep kneading.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place until it doubles in size.
7. Test the dough. Poke it, doughboy style. It shouldn’t bounce back at you.
8. Turn out the dough and knead a couple more times before molding it into its boule shape.
9. Place it in a oil coated Dutch oven.
10. Cover with a towel and let it rest for another hour.
11. Preheat your oven to 450º.
12. Prep the boule by covering in a thin layer of olive oil and sprinkling with salt. Slash the top with an X.
13. Cover the boule with the Dutch oven lid and place in the oven.
14. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes.
15. Take the lid off and cook for 10-15 minutes more. Start checking at the early part of the 10 minutes. By 15 minutes, mine started to get overcooked.
16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
17. Eat a piece. Relish in the fact that flour and water never tasted so good.
18. Repeat with almond butter.