Recipe: Appetizing Basic Italian Bread

Basic Italian Bread.

You can cook Basic Italian Bread using 5 ingredients and 15 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Basic Italian Bread

1. You need of warm water, around 100f, no higher than 115f.
2. It's of active dry yeast.
3. You need of Kosher Salt.
4. You need of olive oil.
5. Prepare of AP White Flour, about 3 1/2 Cups.

Basic Italian Bread step by step

1. Add water to a stand mixer with a dough hook, the yeast, sugar, and salt. Let sit for the yeast to soften or foam. I usually just mix it in the dry ingredients as I've never had yeast fail. That was in the old days with the yeast cubes that some still use..
2. Add 350g (flour 2 1/2 cups) flour and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes..
3. Reduce speed and add 150g (1 cup) flour a little at a time..
4. Adjust flourer for a soft dough that doesn't stick to the bowl..
5. Remove and form into a ball, put into a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double, about an hour..
6. At this point, I cut the dough in half, wrap in greased plastic and freeze for another time. I use the other half for todays bread..
7. For a full recipe, cut the dough in half and form each into two loaves..
8. Either put them on parchment paper on a peel or sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet. Or, if you're brave, sprinkle the peel with cornmeal to slide the dough..
9. If using a stone, preheat the oven to 375f for 45 minutes..
10. Cover and allow to rise until about double..
11. Without a stone: Preheat the oven to 400f about 15 minutes before baking..
12. Make 3-4 shallow slits in the top of the dough with a serated knife or razor blade. This keeps it from splitting when cooked..
13. On a stone: Gently slide the dough onto the stone and bake for 40 minutes until lightly brown and hollow sounding..
14. Without a stone: Put the pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown and hollow sounding..
15. Cool on a rack and serve or wrap in plastic rap..