Rustic Italian Bread
from Italian Traditional Food

Rustic Italian bread is just delightful

This is a basic, rustic Italian bread recipe from Italian Traditional Food. This is a crusty, rustic Italian bread. It is a delicious bread to serve with soup, pasta dishes, or just enjoy toasted or for sandwiches. Rustic Italian bread will make a pleasant change from manufactured bread. Also try Olive bread, Grissini, Bread rolls, Ciabatta, and Focaccia breads.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Resting Time: 120 minutes (approx)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Oven Setting: Preheat to 190C (375F) or Gas Mark 5

Ingredients for rustic Italian bread:

3 cups plain flour (all-purpose)
1 cup (approx) lukewarm water
1 pack dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup cornmeal
1 beaten egg

Method:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water.

2. Set aside for a few minutes.

3. Sift the flour into a large warmed bowl.

4. Sprinkle in the salt.

5. Make a well in the flour using a wooden spoon.

6. Pour the yeast and water mixture into the flour well.

7. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of flour over top of the yeast mixture. Wait (about 10 minutes) for bubbles to appear in the yeast.

8. Once the bubbles have appeared, you can start to mix together the ingredients to form the dough.

9. The result at this stage should be a round, firm ball of dough. If it is too dry, add a little more lukewarm water. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour.

10. Remove the bread from the bowl.

11. Place on a lightly floured surface.

12. Knead it by pushing your palms into and then turning it one quarter.

13. Keep kneading and doing quarter turns for about 10 minutes.

14. Place the bread dough in a lightly floured bowl.

15. Cover with a damp dish cloth.

16. Let it rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. It should double in size.

17. Lightly flour a work surface.

18. Prepare a baking pan or loaf tin by lightly oiling it.

19. Sprinkle the cornmeal in to the base.

20. Remove bread from bowl and place on floured surface.

21. Punch it down once, hard, with your palms.

22. Shape it into a loaf.

23. Put the loaf on the baking pan or into a loaf tin.

24. Cover with dish towel.

25. Let the bread dough rise for about 1 hour. It should double in size.

26. Coat the top of the bread loaf with the beaten egg.

27. Put in preheated oven at 190C (375F) or Gas Mark 5.

28. Bake for about 30 minutes depending on how brown you want it to be.

29. Remove from oven.

30. Place the rustic Italian bread loaf on a wire rack to cool.

Tip:

1. If your yeast doesn't bubble (see Step 7), it's no longer active or you didn't use lukewarm water. You will need to start all over again, because the bread will not rise.

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