Italian Walnut Raisin Whole Wheat Bread Pane Alle Noci E Uva Food

ITALIAN WALNUT-RAISIN WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD (PANE ALLE NOCI E UVA)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, pour 1/2 cup of the warm water; Add yeast and sugar; stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl with a whisk or the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 2 cups warm water, olive oil, honey, sale and 2 cups of the whole-wheat flour; Add the yeast mixture; Beat vigorously until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Add the remaining whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time; Add the unbleached flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed; Switch to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.
• Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface; knead until soft and springy yet resilient to the touch, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking, about 6 minutes.
• If kneading by machine, use dough hook and knead 5 to 6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and springy.
• Do not add too much flour, or the loaf will be too dry and hard to work.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat; cover with plastic wrap; let rise until doubled in bulk, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Grease or parchment-line a baking sheet; Combine the whole-wheat flour and wheat bran and sprinkle on the baking sheet; Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface without punching it down.
• Pat into large oval and sprinkle evenly with half the drained raisins and half the walnuts; Press the nuts and fruit into the dough and roll it up; Pat the dough down into an oval once again and sprinkle it evenly with the remaining nuts and raisins.
• Press the addition in and roll the dough up again.
• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal portions.
• Shape into 3 tight round loaves, or 2 baguettes about 14 inches long; Gently pull the surface taut from the bottom on both; Place the loaves on the pans; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to an hour.
• Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the over to 400F, with a baking stone, if desired.
• Slash the round or baguette loaves quickly with a serrated knife with two parallel lines and one intersecting line no more than 1/4 inch deep; Place the baking sheet directly on the stone or on an oven rack and bake until loaves are brown, crusty, and sound hollow when tapped with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes for the round loaves and 25 to 30 minutes for the baguettes.
• Transfer to a cooling rack; cool completely before slicing.

GARLIC BREAD (PANE STROFINATO ALL'AGLIO)

Steps:

• Combine olive oil and garlic and steep about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degreed F.
• Split loaf of bread lengthwise, then in half to form 4 sections.
• Set bread, cut side up, on baking sheet and spread with garlic infused oil. Rub cloves directly on bread and leave pieces on the bread.
• Sprinkle with dried oregano.
• Bake for 4 - 5 minutes until bread is golden and crispy. Remove large pieces of garlic.
• Season bread lightly with salt.

WALNUT RAISIN WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine yeast, warm water, and milk in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar, 1/2 cup cornmeal, butter, walnuts, raisins, salt, pepper, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of the white flour. Beat well. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, adding the remaining white flour as necessary to make it workable. Let the dough rest, covered loosley with a towel, for 10-15 minutes.
• Knead the dough again, until it is smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with extra flour if you need to keep it from sticking.
• Oil a large bowl and turn the dough in it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl and let dough rise in a warm place till doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape the halves into round loaves. Sprinkle a baking sheet with the remaining 2 tbls. cornmeal, and put the loaves on it, seam side down. Cover with the towel, and let them rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350*F.
• Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven, and bake until the bread is well browned and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped with your finger, 45 minutes.
• Cool bread on a wire rack. Enjoy!