Italian Bread- A Homemade Recipe

How to make it

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• In the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast to the warm water and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
• (If the yeast doesn't get foamy, check the yeast's expiration date.
• Turn on your mixer with the dough hook and add, the five cups of flour one at a time, making sure that the previous cup of flour is mixed in well.
• Use the #2 setting on the mixer or mix at a low speed until all of the flour is mixed into the dough
• Add the salt and oil, keep mixing and slowly add the last two cups of flour.
• The dough should seem a bit sticky at this point.
• Keep mixing for five minutes, letting the dough hook blend everything together.
• Turn off your mixer, remove the hook and dip your fingers into some flour.
• Take your fingers and poke the dough down against the sides of the bowl forcing the dough to form a circle.
• Cover the dough with saran wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for one full hour.
• *Tip: Before I start the dough, I put water in a large pot and bring to a boil and set it in the oven on the bottom. I place the bowl of dough into the oven and let it rise.
• Set your timer for an hour!
• After the dough rises, place some flour on your countertop or table and remove dough slowly from the bowl.
• Punch the dough down with your hands, removing as many air bubbles as possible.
• Cut the dough equally into four sections.
• Form each section on the floured countertop into balls and set aside.
• *Take 2 large baking sheets, butter them or spray with an oil and sprinkle very lightly with cornmeal. You will place 2 loaves on each pan to bake.
• To form long loaves, take each ball and roll it out to a circle about 10 to 12 inches in diameter, pressing any air bubbles that may form out of the dough.
• Starting at one end of the circle, fold dough up about 1/2 inch and pinch the rolled end into the dough on the countertop and keep rolling and pinching the dough as you go in order to form the baguette shape.
• Pinch the ends well into points and then roll the dough with the palms and fingers of your hand into a long form that will fit lengthwise on to baking sheet.
• Finish rolling out all four loaves, covering with a warm kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 40 more minutes.
• * I reheat the pot of water in the oven and slip it back inside to let the dough rise again.
• If you are using the oven to let the dough rise, remove dough after 30 minutes and let rise somewhere else that's warm while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
• (Remove the pot of water and add about 2 cups of hot water to a baking loaf pan and slide it into the bottom of the oven while preheating to add moisture to the oven's heat.)
• Paint the egg white over the top of each loaf and using a razor cutter or very sharp knife, make a slit in the bread gently leaving one inch on both ends uncut.
• (You can sprinkle the bread with sesame seeds at this point, if you like.)
• Place the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Rotate your loaves once during the baking.
• Remove the baked bread and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.
• * I wrap the COOLED loaves into saran wrap, sealing them completely and store them that way.
• As there are no preservatives in the bread, know that your bread will form mold after four days. This is why the art of making croutons comes in!
• Easy Crouton Recipe
• Take any leftover bread and cut into cubes. Sprinkle with olive oil and garlic powder and mix well. Place in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until dry. Store after the croutons have cooled in ziplock baggies. You can freeze these.

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