Helpful Equipment

French bakers achieve the symmetrical round loaves of bread known as boules by transferring the dough to shallow, linen-lined woven baskets known as bannetons or brotforms for the last rising step before baking. The cloth-lined basket serves two functions: It retains the round shape of the loaf as it proofs, and its breathable construction wicks away moisture from the dough’s surface, for a crisper, browner crust.

If you don't have a banneton, you can create an improvised one at home: Line a metal or plastic colander (don't use a solid bowl) with a linen dish towel (linen is preferable to cotton, since cotton has microscopic fibers that can stick to dough) and dust it liberally with flour. Place the formed loaf upside down in the colander, fold the cloth loosely over it, and place the colander (which allows in more air than a true banneton) in a loose plastic bag to protect the dough from drafts. The method will produce a beautifully shaped boule that would be impossible to replicate if you simply left the dough to proof on its own.

Bread bakers score shaped loaves before putting them in the oven to ensure that the bread expands fully and in the right direction during baking. Professional bakers use a tool called a lame (pronounced “LAHM”), which means “blade” in French. Lames can have straight or curved blades.

While the color and texture of a loaf of bread is the best indicator of its doneness, the internal temperature can also signal when a bread is ready to remove from the oven. Most breads should register a temperature between 195 and 210 degrees F to indicate that they're properly baked.

We use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven to bake the sourdough bread in this class. By heating the pot and lid, we mimic the absorbed heat of a baking stone. Baking the bread covered traps steam to keep the exterior of the bread moist, which encourages a final rise in the heat of the oven. Then we remove the lid to develop a browned crust on the loaf.