Ok I think I am getting this Artisan bread technique a little better now that I have the book.
My dough batch came out better this time, more elastic, and I understood how to 'cloak the loaf' now.

Look how pretty my simple boule came out this time!




If I can coax it to puff up a bit more with more bubbles inside the loaf, it'll then be perfect. But it was pretty good, nice and chewy and moist but with a crisp crust.
We ate half of it with chicken soup for dinner just now, and DH said he just LOVED it.

This afternoon while my car was getting fixed we went to a couple of good kitchen shops and I bought a few kitchen goodies to help with bread baking...a new bread knife, parchment paper, a peel, dough cutter, some new cutting boards, etc. It's a pleasure to cook when you have the right tools.