We use this recipe for making personal pizzas or to make flatbreads to go with curry, but you can bake it into a nice crusty loaf, too. After the initial two hour rising time, you can use it straight out of the fridge to have pizzas or a side in 15 minutes or less.
Boule Bread
from our friends at St. Isidore Farm
The dough should be refrigerated and will keep for 2 weeks. The second week it will start to get a slight sourdough flavor.
Ingredients
3 cups lukewarm water
1 ½ Tablespoon granulated yeast or 1 ½ packets of yeast
1 ½ Tablespoons salt
6 ½ cups all purpose white flour
Cornmeal, for sprinkling on pan (if making loaves of bread)
Directions
Mix yeast and salt with the water. Mix in flour with a wooden spoon and stir until uniformly moist. Allow to sit at room temperature, covered with a cloth or loose lid, for two hours. Refrigerate. Use within 2 weeks.
For flatbread/pizza crust: Dust dough with flour and cut off a ¼-pound (peach-sized) piece. Shape into ball. Using rolling pin and minimal flour, roll out to uniform ⅛” thick and 8-9” diameter. Heat 12” cast iron skillet over high heat. When water droplets flicked into pan skitter across surface and evaporate quickly, pan is ready. Add 1 Tablespoon oil or ghee. Drop dough into skillet, decrease heat to medium. Check for doneness at 3 minutes. Flip when underside is richly browned. Add sauce and topping if making pizzas. Cook 3 minutes and broil for pizzas.
For loaves: Dust surface of dough with flour and cut off a one-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece. Dust piece with more flour and quickly shape into ball by stretching around to the bottom on all four sides. Allow to rest and rise on cornmeal-covered peel for 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with a baking stone or sheet placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with rising bread. Sprinkle loaf liberally with flour. Slash using serrated bread knife. Slide loaf onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler tray and quickly close oven. Bake about 30 minutes.
Dubuque Urban Farm 