Italian Sweet And Savory Bread Food

ITALIAN SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place the first 7 ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed)., When the cycle is completed, turn dough onto a floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each portion into a ball; flatten slightly. Place in 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes., Beat egg and water; brush over the dough. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning if desired. Bake at 350° until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

SWEET ITALIAN HOLIDAY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, orange zest and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk and oil until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened., Shape into a 6-in. round loaf on a greased baking sheet. Brush top with egg yolk; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cover top loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove from pan to a wire rack; serve warm.

ITALIAN SWEET AND SAVORY BREAD

Steps:

• Place all bread ingredients in bread machine pan according to manufacturer's directions.
• Select dough cycle and check after 5 minutes of mixing.
• If needed, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water or flour.
• When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a floured surface and divide in half.
• Shape each half into a ball and flatten slightly.
• Place in two greased 9" round cake pans, cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).
• Beat egg and water and brush over dough.
• Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
• Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool.

MOIST ITALIAN SWEET BREAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; cool to 110° to 115°., In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the butter mixture, eggs, extracts, nuts and cherries and 4 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down; divide into thirds. Shape each portion into an oval loaf; place in three greased and floured 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Remove from pan to wire racks to cool. , In a small bowl, beat icing ingredients until smooth; drizzle over cooled loaves.

SWEET ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Put all ingredients into bread machine.
• Mix on dough cycle.
• When cycle is complete, put dough onto greased surface and let sit for 20 minutes.
• After dough has rested, cut in half.
• Form into 2 long loaves.
• Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes.

SAVORY ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Cut bread to but NOT through the bottom into 12 slices.
• Place on a baking sheet.
• Combine parmesan, mayonnaise,basil, garlic powder, oregano and onion salt in a small bowl, and mix well.
• Spread the mixture between the slices and over top of bread.
• Bake bread until golden, about 12 minutes.
• you can also add 1/2 cup chopped cooked shrimp to the mayo mixture before spreading it on the bread, Add a few drops of lemon juice and worcestershire sauce for extra flavor.
• variation: butter can be used in place of mayo, and any cheese can be substituted, romano, mozzarella, swiss, cheddar.

ARTISAN ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• SPONGE STARTER (This makes enough for two recipe batches or 6 loaves): Mix all the sponge starter ingredients together using a KitchenAid with dough hook, on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until a somewhat elastic and very stiff batter has formed.
• Scrape the sponge into a plastic container and cover it with a see-thru lid (or plastic wrap). Let the sponge rest about 6 hours at room temperature until it has risen to the point where it just begins to collapse. The sponge will triple in volume and small dents and folds will begin to appear in the top as it reaches its peak and then begins to deflate. The sponge starter is now ready. NOTE: At this point you can refrigerate the starter and it can stay refrigerated for up to 1 month (just bring starter to room temperature before using).
• TO MAKE THE BREAD: Combine the warm water and yeast in your KitchenAid bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes.
• Add the cool water and 1/2 of the sponge starter to the yeast mixture and mix for about 1 minute, breaking up the sponge. The mixture should look milky and slightly foamy.
• Add the flour and salt and mix to incorporate the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl until the dough gathers into a mass. It will be wet and sticky, with long strands of dough hanging from the dough hook. If the dough is not sticky, add 1 tablespoon of water.
• Add a Tbsp or so of flour and knead for 2-3 minutes, until it becomes supple and fairly smooth. This is a sticky, wet dough; don't be tempted to add too much flour. Turn off the mixer, and using a large dish towel or plastic wrap, cover the bowl while still on the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes (autolypse stage).
• Remove plastic wrap and knead the dough again for 2-3 minutes, until it is stretchy and smooth yet still slightly sticky. Dump the dough onto the counter and shape it into a loose ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn the dough in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm dark place for 1 hour then transfer the bowl to the refrigerator for 8 hours (up to 24 hrs) to let it relax, develop flavor, and become more manageable.
• Take the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until it begins to warm up and starts to rise.
• Flour a work surface well and gently dump the dough onto it. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, gently flatten, pressing out some of the air bubbles, and stretch it into a rectangle(You can hold the dough up in the air and use the gravity to help form the rectangle). Fold the top third down and the bottom third up as if you were folding a business letter. Seal the seam with the heel of your palm, then repeat with the letter fold. (You want to gently draw the skin tight over the surface of the loaf while leaving some air bubbles in the dough or deflate its airy structure).
• Now form the loaf into a baguette by rolling the dough into a loaf shape. The loaves should now be about 10 inches long. Place loaf onto a sheet of parchment paper (cut to fit your stone) with enough room for the other two loaves.
• Make the other two loaves. The loaves will be soft and slightly irregular in shape. Leave space between the loaves as they will spread as they rise. Cover the loaves with well oiled plastic and let them rise for 2 hours.
• Place a baking stone in the oven on the 2nd rack from the bottom and preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Diagonally score each loaf in about 4 places about 1/8" deep, being careful not to deflate them too much. Carefully slide them with the parchment paper onto the baking stone in the oven.
• Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the loaves and the sides of the oven with water (careful not to spray the light bulb), then quickly shut oven door. Mist the loaves again after 2 minutes, and again after another 2 minutes. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the loaves sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom and the crust is a medium to dark brown. (If the crust is not brown enough, the loaves will soften as they cool). Transfer the bread to a rack to cool. Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.