These semolina boules have been on my long list of breads to bake out of the book Tartine Bread and I'm quite pleased with the way they turned out. I got to practice my shaping techniques and the seeded one has a nicely round shape that I can't help but stare at it in admiration LOL. The book offers two variations to the formula -- one savory with toasted sesame, fennel and poppy seeds (I used chia) and the other one, a sweet version that makes use of golden raisins and orange rind. Both are very good but I can't help but wish that I had put a little less fennel on the savory one than what's written in the formula. OK I wish I omitted the fennel completely. I guess it's not one of those flavors I'm used to eating especially in bread but I definitely think that it overpowered the delicious flavor of the sesame seeds. The fennel however, complemented the flavors of the orange and raisins in the sweet variation so it was a perfect match.
