Italian Bread

"This is a versatile recipe that makes a lovely loaf of bread. It can also be made into rolls instead of loaves, and the addition of roasted garlic or spices makes it a wonderful taste treat. Makes 2 loaves or 6 rolls"
 
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photo by Marg (CaymanDesigns) photo by Marg (CaymanDesigns)
photo by Marg (CaymanDesigns)
photo by cicconedebbie photo by cicconedebbie
photo by ginablaha photo by ginablaha
photo by ginablaha photo by ginablaha
photo by missy h. photo by missy h.
Ready In:
1hr 15mins
Ingredients:
10
Yields:
2 Loaves
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • In large bowl thoroughly mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast.
  • Add butter.
  • Gradually add warm water to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes with mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
  • Add 3/4 cup flour.
  • Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
  • Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
  • Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8-10 minutes).
  • Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  • To make loaves: Divide dough in half.
  • Roll each half into a 15x10 inch rectangle.
  • Starting at wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
  • Taper ends by rolling gently back and forth.
  • To make rolls: Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
  • Roll each piece into a rectangle 8x5 inches.
  • Starting with wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
  • Taper ends.
  • Place the shaped dough seam side down on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal.
  • Brush dough with oil.
  • Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
  • When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and uncover carefully.
  • Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  • Make 3 or 4 diagonal slits in dough with a sharp knife or razor blade.
  • Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes for rolls, 20 minutes for loaves.
  • Remove from oven and brush with egg white beaten with cold water.
  • Return to oven; bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until golden.
  • **Note: I sometimes add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (adjust amounts to your preferences) of dried oregano OR basil OR rosemary to the dry ingredients.
  • Sometimes I also add 1 bulb (head) of roasted garlic cloves to the dry ingredients.
  • To roast garlic: Peel as much of the outer skin away as possible, leaving the cloves unpeeled and the head intact (optional: trim the tips of the cloves off to expose the"meat" to the oil).
  • Place head (s) in covered casserole or on a piece of heavy aluminum foil.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, and bake covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (mine takes over an hour in a terra-cotta garlic baker), or until cloves are soft and can be squeezed easily out of their skins.
  • Let roasted garlic cool before adding to the flour for the bread.

Questions & Replies

  1. Is it correct that this recipe does not require a first rising?
     
  2. I made this recipe yesterday. I must have done something wrong because it didn’t raise much. It tasted good but it was very dense and the crust a little too crisp, almost hard. I followed the recipe exactly, including refrigerating for 2 hours. I’m thinking that maybe the water I added to the dry ingredients may have been too hot. I’ve made other bread recipes before and have not had this happen. Any ideas?
     
  3. How can I better seal the bottom seam and the ends? They seem to open during baking.
     
  4. Someone mentioned a second rise - which is normal in making bread. However, I didn't see that in your instructions.
     
  5. Can I make 2 round loaves? Baking time changes? Thanks, Mar
     
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Reviews

  1. This was so easy... and so good! I followed the directions as is, except that I used "quick rise yeast", which meant that within an hour and a half (give or take) from start to finish, I had bread! I did not put the dough in the fridge. Really good! Thanks for sharing!!!
     
  2. TERRIFIC BREAD! And I'm a big bread snob! this was amazing--great crust. A few things I did: 1) I didn't let it rise in the fridge, since my fridge was way too packed to allow two loaves of bread to rise in it. :lol: Next time, I'd like to see how it might rise with the lower temp in the fridge and will plan ahead to have fewer things in my fridge then. 2) I put a pan of water in the oven to humidify it when I started to preheat it to 425. 3) I baked this on my pizza stone. in order to do this, I had to "bend" the bread into a U-shape. (See picture!) This bread would look more authentic if it were a straight baguette shape, but I was constrained by my pizza stone. this was a great recipe, Dee!!! thank you for posting--I'll definitely make this more than one time! UPDATE: I have made this bread probably 7 or 8 times since my first review in June 2004, but felt the need to update this time. I did do the refrigerator slow rise this time for 6 hours, and it was ready in time for my 3:30 easter dinner (I had to get up early!) Also, I bought some cheap straight razors at the grocery store and found that my slashes were SOOOOO much better than with my sharpest knife....a good tip I picked up from another cooking site. Anyway,this is a terrific recipe and seems to be no-fail for all I've put it through in my varied attempts. Thanks again, Dee!
     
  3. This recipe was by far, the best Italian bread recipe i've ever made. It was also the easiest. I was a bit skeptical about not proofing the yeast, but wow, just wow! Super easy and super delicious. Next time I may try making one of the loaves in a bread pan. Would appreciate the feedback if you have tried that. Thank you Dee. This will definitely be weekly fare in this house.
     
  4. I made this recipe 4 times now and it's been great every time. The only things I do differently from the recipe is that when I separate the dough for the loaves is that I gently stretch it out by hand instead of rolling it out. The only other thing is that I put on a baking pan with water in underneath the baking stone.
     
  5. Hi fdavis. Try stretching the seam over the loaf after rolling it up and pinch it onto the loaf. I usually go over the seam a few times. Pinching it tight. Be sure to lay seam side down when forming the loaf is complete. For the ends, pinch them tight and then push them into the loaf. Pinch them closed again. I like to pick up the loaf and just lightly toss it to shape it. As long as the bread was kneaded well enough, your seams should nearly disappear.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Great recipe. A keeper for sure. Flavor was nice, and it was soft and chewy on the inside, Nice and crusty on the outside. Thanks
     
  2. I only used my stand up mixer with the dough hook to kneed it, as my hands can not withstand the kneeding.
     
  3. Not too shabby, looks like bread, tastes even better! I always enjoy a bread recipe with a healthy kneading time! I am firm believer in the knead to make delicious bread! A lot of times I get stuck just trying to make sure it looks like it does at the store! This recipe not only looks store bought but tastes artisanal. The only tweak I used was himilayan red salt, and a tablespoon of evolio,.... quick and tasty!
     
  4. I made this for the first time tonight. Wow it came out perfect!! I used bread flour for the recipe, and I didn`t have any olive oil so I used canola oil instead. It still came out perfect. In fact both loaves have all gone. The loaves didn`t even have time to cool before my hubby and sons devoured the lot!!! I`ll definitely be making this again. Next time I`ll double the recipe so I can have some to make toast for breakfast the following morning. Thanks so much for the recipe Dee....it`s a keeper for sure.
     
  5. I made this bread tonight and it was very easy and very delicious. I did use extra virgin olive oil instead of the butter/margarine. I also sprinkled my loaves with sesame seeds before baking. When I put the breads into the oven, I put a pan on the bottom shelf and poured boiling water into it to keep the bread moist on the inside and crusty on the outside. This recipe is a WINNER!!! Thank you for sharing.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I'm married (46 years to the same lucky guy) and have 2 kids, a daughter 41, a son 36, and 2 beautiful grand daughters (8 yrs and 6 yrs). I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, especially breads :) One of my favorite quotes:?? Computers are like air conditioners; they stop working when you open Windows.
 
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