This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve always been a little fearful of yeast recipes, as yeast can be so fickle, but I’ve made this Italian bread countless times, and it’s turned out wonderfully.
Use caution when working with yeast. It’s easy to kill with hot water, but if it’s not warm enough, it won’t dissolve properly. The water should be warm but not scalding, around 110 degrees is ideal. Follow the instructions carefully and you can start in the morning and have an amazing warm and crusty loaf with your dinner.
The bread can be adapted many ways; we have made grilled cheese sandwiches, folded olives into the dough, dipped it in olive oil and vinegar, or eaten it with fondue. It’s wonderfully crusty with a soft texture inside, and it’s easy to sub in whole-wheat flour alternatives if you want to make it denser and healthier. Enjoy and happy baking!
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups warm (not scalding) water
¾ tsp. instant yeast
¾ Tbsp. kosher salt, divided
5½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1½ cups bread flour
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing, divided
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried parsley
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
PREPARATION
• Pour the water into a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast and œ teaspoon salt until combined. Add the all-purpose flower and bread flour and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
•Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky. (If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook to knead on medium speed about 5 minutes.)
• Lightly grease a large, clean mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to lightly coat it in oil. Cover with oiled plastic wrap, then place a paper towel or kitchen towel on top and let rise 1 to 1œ hours in a cool dark place, until doubled in size.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead 2 to 3 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, recover and let rise again 1 hour, until doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Oil a standard loaf pan. Place the dough into the pan, cover with the plastic warp and let rise 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the olive oil, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic and remaining Œ salt in a small bowl.
• Uncover the loaf and brush 1 tablespoon olive oil mixture on top of the dough. Use a sharp knife to cut 3 slashes evenly across the top of the bread.
• Place the loaf pan in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool.
• Slice and serve with the remaining olive oil mixture for dipping.
This article appears in March 2016.
