Basic bread recipe continued: shaping and baking freestanding loaves
A boule or round loaf
Freestanding loaves traditionally have a more open, holey texture than loaves baked in a tin, so when handling the dough, be as gentle as possible and avoid knocking or squashing any bubbles out.
The simplest freestanding loaf is a boule or ball. To shape it, simply place the dough on a floured surface, and work your way around the edge, folding each edge in turn into the middle. Once you have a roughly circular shape, squeeze the gathered edges together to produce a taut surface around the rest of the boule. Turn it over onto a piece of baking parchment so the squeezed seam is on the bottom of the loaf. Cover it with oiled clingfilm/plastic wrap, and leave to prove at warm room temperature until approximately doubled in height - this should take around an hour, but you will need to preheat the oven during this time. The loaf is ready to bake when you can poke it gently with a finger and the indentation rises very slowly instead of springing straight back up. Instructions for baking are here, following the instructions for shaping a bâtard.
A bâtard or torpedo loaf
A bâtard (it means what it sounds like, so named because it's a hybrid of a baguette and a boule) or torpedo loaf traditionally has a more open, holey texture than a sandwich loaf, which means you must handle the dough more gently so as not to degas when shaping. Remember that the quantities given in the recipe make two loaves, so you will need to divide the risen dough in half.
To shape a bâtard, start with a fairly amorphous lump of dough on a lightly floured worktop and flatten it slightly. The side of the dough that is in contact with the worktop is going to become the outside of the loaf; the upper side will be tucked inside.
Fold the dough at the furthest point from you towards yourself, into the centre.
Then fold the furthest corners diagonally in to the centre.
Repeat the above process from the nearer side, giving you a roughly symmetrical, hexagonal shape.
Fold the whole shape in half, tucking the dough in as you go to make a taut outer surface
Make sure the outer surface of the dough is lightly floured, then press down with the side of your hand to press and seal the seam.
Place the bâtard on baking parchment so the seam is on the bottom of the loaf. Cover it with oiled clingfilm/plastic wrap, and leave to prove at warm room temperature until approximately doubled in height - this should take around an hour, but you will need to preheat the oven during this time. The loaf is ready to bake when you can poke it gently with a finger and the indentation rises very slowly instead of springing straight back up.
Baking
Baking a free standing loaf, rather than one in a tin, is usually done at a higher temperature and for a shorter time. While the loaf is proving, preheat your oven, with a baking stone in place on a middle shelf and a deep baking pan on the oven floor, to the highest setting, which should be something like 230°C, 450°F. Just before you put the loaf into the oven, pour some boiling water into the preheated pan on the oven floor to provide some steam. Dust the top of the loaf with flour and slash to a depth of about 1 cm with a sharp knife or razor blade.
Slide the loaf (complete with parchment) onto the hot stone and spray some water around it with a plant misting spray for more steam. Close the oven door then repeat the spraying a few more times over the next 5 - 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lower the heat slightly, to about 80 - 85% of maximum, and turn the loaf round so it bakes evenly. It should be done in around 25 - 30 minutes, but check it after 20. If you have a digital probe thermometer, you can check that the internal temperature of the loaf (right in the middle) is at least 95°C/200°F, or you can knock the bottom of the loaf with your knuckles - when it is cooked, it will sound hollow (although this is rather an imprecise way of checking). If in any doubt, another 5 minutes will not hurt the bread: a dark crust is desirable for the best flavour. Leave the loaf on a wire rack to cool completely before you cut it, otherwise much of the moisture will escape as steam and the bread will go dry and stale very quickly.
