Cookbook:Italian Bread
Appearance
Italian Bread | |
---|---|
Category | Bread recipes |
Yield | 2 loaves |
Time | 3–3½ hours |
Difficulty |
Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Recipes | Italian cuisine | Vegetarian cuisine | Bread
Ingredients
[edit | edit source]Ingredient | Count | Volume | Weight | Baker's % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Active dry yeast | 1 package | 7 g | 1.4% | |
Warm water (110°F) | 1½ cups | 375 g | 75% | |
Vegetable oil | 1 tablespoon | 14 g | 2.8% | |
Salt | 1 teaspoon | 6 g | 1.2% | |
White granulated sugar | 1 tablespoon | 14 g g | 2.8% | |
Flour | 3½–4 cups | 500 g g | 100% | |
Wheat germ (optional) | ½ cup | 70 g | 14% | |
Cornstarch | 1 teaspoon | n/a | ||
Cool water | ½ cup | 118 g | n/a |
Procedure
[edit | edit source]- In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Stir in oil, salt, and sugar.
- Add 2½ cups flour and mix to blend.
- Using a spoon or heavy duty mixer, beat until elastic (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in (you may want to use dough hooks) another cup of flour and the wheat germ to make a stiff dough.
- Knead on a board or pastry cloth, floured with some of the last ½ cup flour, until dough is springy and smooth and develops small bubbles just under the surface (about 20–25 minutes—you may want to do this with the dough hooks).
- Put in greased bowl, turning to grease top, then cover with a cloth.
- Rise until doubled, about an hour, depending on temperature.
- Punch down dough, turn out, and divide in half.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Shape each half of dough into a slender oval loaf about 15 inches long.
- Place on greased baking sheet, cover lightly and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30–40 minutes.
- Combine cornstarch and cool water. Bring cornstarch mixture to a boil and stir until thick and clear. Brush loaves with mixture.
- Slash loaf tops ½ inch with floured sharp knife or razor blade.
- Bake until loaves browned and sound hollow when tapped, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool on wire racks.
Notes, tips, and variations
[edit | edit source]- 1 cup of whole wheat flour may be substituted for 1 cup of plain flour.
- To get a rapid initial rise, use water about 130–135°F, and pour into bowl with yeast mixed with initial flour and salt and sugar and start mixing.
- All rising should be in a warm place, like near the refrigerator.
- A baking stone, ceramic brick, or even an iron skillet or griddle preheated in the oven (to place the baking sheet on) will give a good "spring" or quick rise when the loaves are first placed in the oven.
Uses
[edit | edit source]- Great with cheese and cold meats on a picnic.