Italian Bread I Food

ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• 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.

BASIC ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
• Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.
• Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
• Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.

ITALIAN BREAD I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
• Whisk together the oil, egg, and buttermilk in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and dried herbs. Stir in cheese and onions. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Add garlic and tomatoes until evenly distributed. Spread batter into prepared pan. Smooth top, and tap pan on counter to remove bubbles.
• Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, until golden. Cool loaf on wire rack.

ITALIAN BUTTER

Steps:

• Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind together red and black peppers, dried herbs, garlic powder, minced garlic, and salt.
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of herb mixture onto a small plate. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top, and serve. Store remaining mixture in an air-tight container.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• In large mixer bowl, combine 3 c of flour and the yeast.
• Combine the water and salt.
• Add to the dry mixture.
• Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, scrapping the sides constantly.
• Beat at high for 3 minutes.
• By hand, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a very stiff dough.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and very elastic (15-25 minutes).
• Shape into a ball.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place till double (about 1 hour).
• Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Divide the dough in half.
• Cover with the bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Roll each half into a 15x12 inch rectangle.
• Beginning at the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up tightly, sealing as you roll.
• Taper the ends of the loaf.
• Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle them each with cornmeal.
• Place each loaf diagonally seam side down, on baking sheets.
• Make diagonal cuts 2 ½ inches apart (1/8 to ¼ inch deep) on the tops of the loaves.
• Add tablespoon of water to the beaten egg white and brush over the top and sides of the loaves.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place till double (about 20-45 minutes).
• When ready to bake, place a large shallow pan on the lower rack of the oven and fill with boiling water.
• Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, brush with the egg white mixture.
• Bake 20 minutes longer.
• Cool on a rack.
• Tips: Raising tip: In a cold oven, place the dough on the top rack.
• On the rack beneath, place a pan filled with very hot water then close the door.
• This will create a warm, draftless environment for raising your dough.
• Temp: be sure to use a thermometer to test the temp of the liquids before adding to the yeast.
• Temperature is very critical- too cold and the yeast won't activate, too hot and they die- either way the bread will not raise.

MOM'S ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

BASIC ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Biga: Mix the yeast and water together, and then slowly start adding the flour, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or refrigerate overnight.
• Bread: Place the water in a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over top and mix well. Let sit 10 minutes until bubbly.
• Add the biga, flour, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon (or mix with your hands) until everything is mixed. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky at this point.
• Cover and let stand in a warm spot for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in volume. Punch down the dough, folding it over on itself two or three times, cover and let rise once more until doubled, about 1 hour.
• To bake the following day, refrigerate the dough at this time and leave it overnight.
• Turn out your dough onto a floured baking sheet, and without overworking it too much, shape into one large or two smaller round or oval shaped loaves, using as much extra flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Slash across the tops of the loaves with a serrated knife or razor just prior to baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F and place a casserole dish with boiling water on the lower oven rack. Bake for 30 minutes, turn the baking sheet around, and reduce the heat to 300°F and bake for another 30-45 minutes. Bread should be golden brown and should sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
• Allow the bread to cool to room temperature and serve.
• Baking Tip: You could also use a baguette pan to make long thin loaves, or spread your dough across a well-oiled cookie sheet to make focaccia.
• Variations:*Roasted Garlic & Basil Bread: Coarsely chop 1-2 heads (bulbs) roasted garlic and add to flour along with about 1 teaspoon crushed dried basil.
• Rosemary Bread: Add 4 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary to the flour. Brush the loaves with water and sprinkle with coarse sea salt just prior to baking.
• Olive Bread: Add 12 ounces flavorful, pitted olives, coarsely chopped to the flour.
• *To roast garlic: Heat oven to 350°F Peel away paper like skin from around the garlic bulbs leaving just enough to hold bulb intact. Trim tops of garlic bulbs about 1/2 inch to expose cloves. Place bulbs stem ends down on 12 inch square of foil. Drizzle each bulb with 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil. Wrap securely in foil and place in pie plate or shallow baking pan.
• Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until garlic is tender when pierced with toothpick or fork.
• Cool slightly. Gently squeeze garlic out of cloves (1 ounce bulb of roasted garlic= about 1 Tablespoon mashed garlic).