Authenic Italian Bread

I got in the mood for homemade bread today.  Instead of cooking one of my two usual recipes (which I’ll have to share later), I decided to try a new recipe.  I searched on the web for an Italian bread.  The one I found seemed pretty interesting because the mixing order is different than what I typically do.  You only add part of the flour in with the yeast and let it rise for a couple of hours.  The resulting mixture is a yeasty, bubbly soup, which you then add the remaining two cups of flour.  I followed the recipe below exactly, except that I used 1 block of live yeast (see below).  It’s the only kind of yeast you can buy in Denmark.

The bread turned out really good.  It had an authentic flavor due to the addition of semolina flour.  We dipped the warm bread into a bowl of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Of course anything will taste good with the olive oil we have.  We bought it in Greece and it is the best that I have tasted.  I will find it very difficult to go back to the grocery store variety of olive oil after tasting oils from Greece.   

 
Authentic Homemade Italian Bread

• 1 cup warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup warm skim milk (between 105 and 115 degrees F)
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• coarse cornmeal
• olive oil-flavored nonstick cooking spray

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine water, milk, and honey. Sprinkle yeast over top. Allow to stand 10-15 minutes until foamy. Add 2 cups of bread flour. Using electric stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat on low for 4 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel. Place in an unheated oven and allow to stand 1-2 hours.

Remove bowl from oven and add remaining cup of bread flour, semolina flour, salt and olive oil. Using your electric mixer with a dough hook, beat for 5 minutes. Spray another large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Pour dough into that bowl. Turn over until dough is covered with oil. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

Sprinkle a cookie sheet with several teaspoons of cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into an oval mound. Flatten slightly until each half is about 6 inches across. Spray tops of dough loaves with nonstick spray. Put cookie sheet into unheated oven to rise another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled. Remove dough from oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, make 3 slits across top of bread about 1/4 inch deep. Fill a small round cake pan with 1/2 inch of water. Place on cake pan on bottom rack in oven. Place cookie sheet with bread dough on it on the middle rack of the oven. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. If bread browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

Makes 2 loaves, 8 slices each.

Recipe taken from www.suite101.com, which adapted it from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.