I'm so new I don't even know what to call it. Just got started and my breads baked in a loaf pan are doing great. At some point I want to try one of those big round free standing loafs. I would guess that the dough must be stiffer than what I am using in the loaf pan. Can you point me toward where to learn about these loaves? Thank you.
Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" is also a great introduction to all types of breads. In general, free standing loaves, (which I believe Mr. Reinhart calls "hearth loaves") are actually wetter, slacker doughs than pan loaves. Their ability to stand up on their own depends on shaping technique. There are a lot of helpful posts on shaping here on TFL. The search function is a valuable resource.
Found shaping videos. Thanks for replys.
The round,freestanding loaves are called boules and the football shaped ones are batards. The long skinny loaf of french bread is a baguette.