Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Italian Bread

This bread is so soft- it's irresistible! 
I've been making it several times a week for the last few weeks and using the dough for everything under the sun...from rolls to cinnamon rolls to loaf bread. (A great sandwich dough!) It's just that soft and yummy :)
And did I mention it's super easy- especially if you have a mixer?

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 t salt
2 T sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 t yeast
3 cups bread flour (or plain or unbleached)

Pour all ingredients into bowl. You can work the flour in by hand or turn your stand mixer on and let it go. 
Knead the dough well, until smooth and elastic. 
Shape, score, and place on flat sheet to rise until doubled.
(Or bread pans, etc)
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until golden. 

 

5 comments:

Maria S. said...

Hi Donna, about how long does the bread need to rise before it's baked? I recently found your blog and am anxious to read more! Thank you so much for this recipe :)

Donna said...

Hell Maria!

You will need to let it rise until doubled- 45 to 50 mins, approx.

If my kitchen is cold, I have a warming eye that I turn on low and can raise it in about 35 mins.

Sometimes, I will rush it by warming the oven slightly and tossing it in for about 25 to 30 mins. (You just wanna turn the oven on for about 5 mins to warm.)

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Blessings and I'm so glad you found my blog!

Maria S. said...

Ok, I'll try it and see how it goes. Homemade bread...the ultimate comfort food :) thanks for the quick response!

Bev @ The Make Your Own Zone said...

I was wondering the same thing as Maria about how long it would take the bread to rise so I'm glad you answered that question. Now I'm curious, however, about what a warming eye is. Some kind of heat lamp?

Donna said...

Hello Bev,
It's a fifth eye on a flattop stove. It doesn't heat as high as a regular eye would. It just warms/keeps things warm. A wonderful feature!

However, you could of course get an even better heat with a slightly warmed oven :)