Shaping Loaves and Rolls

Beginning bakers are often intimidated by the prospect of shaping their bread. Some shapes do take a little practice to perfect, but in any case, bread that doesn’t look perfect has its own homespun charm. This section contains illustrated instructions for shaping a variety of loaves—often called by their French names. For example, a baguette is essentially a stick, a boule is a sphere, and a bâtard is a thick tapering loaf sometimes called a country loaf.