Print

Boule is a bread that originates from France, and it gets its name from its ball shape. When making this delicious bread, we recommend using whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour contains all three parts of the wheat kernel: the endosperm, the bran, and the germ. The three together provide the most nutrition for the body (fiber, proteins, carbs, and trace vitamins and minerals). When consumed whole, it is the easiest for the body to break down into useable nutrients.

Traditionally, all-purpose bread may be recommended because in most conventional bakeware (metal Dutch ovens or borosilicate glass pans), bread made with whole wheat flour may dry out and turn hard due to near-infrared heat. However, when cooking in MEC, the moisture in the whole and natural grain is retained even when baking, keeping the finished product moist and soft! As a result, you can still use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour when making this recipe in MEC, and ensure you get the healthiest value out of your bread.

3-4 Servings | Total Prep Time: 2 hours (If Prepared From Scratch) | Bake Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water, lukewarm (warm to touch, but not hot)
• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• Handful of cornmeal or whole wheat flour (for bottom of MEC Dutch oven)

Baking Instructions:

1. Combine water, salt, and yeast in mixing bowl and stir them together.
2. Add flour and mix (with wooden spoon or palms) until ingredients are evenly combined.
3. Set aside, and partially cover top with plate. Let dough sit for two hours, minimum (leaving it longer/overnight is also okay!).
4. When ready to bake, dust hands with flour to ensure no sticking. Next, take out a grapefruit-sized piece of dough. Stretch the dough out between your hands, and fold the top and pull it down to tuck it into the bottom. Do this a few times so the dough will look like a nicely smoothed out round shape. Make sure not to punch or knead the dough, because you want to keep as much air inside as possible.
5. Lightly flour surface of a well-seasoned MEC pot or pan.
6. Place dough in pot/pan and let rest for ~40 minutes. About halfway through it resting, preheat oven to 200 F.
7. Dust top surface of dough with flour. Using a bread knife, make slashes about a half inch into the top of the dough. Three cuts will give a classic look, but you can experiment with different designs, if desired.
8. Place pot/pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until crust is a golden-brown color. If crispy crust is desired, take off lid about 5-10 minutes before completion. This lets some moisture escape for a crispy crust.
9. Let bread cool for 1 hour with lid partially covered. Cutting into the bread early can damage the texture, because it is still cooking while cooling!
10. Enjoy!

Note: The rest of the dough that you have prepared can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. When ready to bake, take dough out of fridge, and allow it to adjust to room temperature for 5-10 minutes before continuing with step 6.

“Oh my goodness, this was so delish! I used the artisan bread in 5 minutes recipe. It is super easy. It loved the clay pot!”

– Annie, CA USA

We are ever so grateful for customers who send words of encouragement expressing how much they are enjoying MEC. This is exactly what got us started and keeps us going!
Thanks Annie. A wonderful customer from the other side of the country.

5-minute artisan bread has an interesting origin, you can read about it here.

Tags: best pots and pans • clay cookware • clay pots • Healthy cooking • healthy cookware