Boule (bread)

Boule, from French, meaning "ball", is a traditional shape of French bread resembling a squashed ball. A boule can be made using any type of flour and can be leavened with commercial yeast, chemical leavening, or even wild yeast (sourdough). The name of this rustic loaf shape is the reason the French call bread bakers "boulangers" and bread bakeries "boulangeries".

This bread is found especially in the regions of eastern France, such as Burgundy and Franche-Comté where a small town bears the name of Boulot.

Representation in art
Boule bread appears in certain Renaissance paintings by the Dutch painter Dieric Bouts. A representation of Boule bread can be appreciated in the still life works of the Spanish painter Luis Eugenio Meléndez (1716-1780), and also in the works of the French painter Jean-Baptiste Chardin.