I like nothing in this world better than the smell of freshly baked bread. Even better if it is homemade crusty Italian bread! The amazing smell fills the house and makes me happy by bringing all my family members to the kitchen. Sometimes we can’t even wait for dinner, and we eat it right then and there with melted butter or garlic spread.
How To Make Crusty Italian Bread?
We will start by proofing the yeast. In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Wait for a few minutes until the mixture becomes foamy. This means the yeast is alive and active.
Add the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, and 3 cups of flour to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer, mix until a soft dough forms. You may need to add more flour little by little until the dough separates from the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm and dry place like the inside of your oven (make sure the oven is turned off) for 30 minutes.
Once it has risen, add a little flour to your counter and place the dough on it. Divide it in half and form each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise, covered with the damp cloth, for another 30 minutes.
When the loaves have risen, brush them with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes or brown. Place the loaves in the middle of the oven and a shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack of the oven.
What Makes The Bread Crusty?
When we place the shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack, as the water evaporates, it will make the loaves develop a crusty outside. If you do not place the dish with water, the loaves will be soft and not crusty.
You don’t have to bake your own bread to enjoy a crusty bite. Savory Party Bread Recipeis an amazing way to use store-bought bread and turn it into something amazing.
It can be stored uncovered for one day, but if you keep it longer than one day, wrap it with foil or place it in a paper bag.
This will keep the bread fresh for a second day. If the bread lasted for more than 3 days, it would be better to freeze it covered in plastic wrap.
When we do wait for dinner, we share it on our “Italian nights” and eat it with a bowl of pasta. Some of our favorite dinners include Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake Recipe or a delicious bowl of Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e fa*gioli. The possibilities are endless! Cheesy Taco Pasta, even though isn’t classic Italian pasta, is my kid’s favorite.
There's nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread!
Ingredients
1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 ½ - 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten plus one tablespoon of water to make the egg wash
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water, sugar, and yeast. Let it stand until it becomes foamy and the yeast is activated
Add the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, and 3 cups of flour. Using the hook attachment of your stand mixer, mix until a soft dough is formed. You may need to add more flour, but do it little by little just until the dough forms and separates from the side of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in a warm dry place like your oven (make sure it is turned off). After the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl, divide it in half and form two loaves. Place them in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut a slit all along the length of each loaf and let them rise again for another 30 minutes
Once they have risen, brush the loaves with egg wash and place a roll made with parchment paper between them to prevent them from sticking to each other if they grow to be too close together. Place a shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack of the oven, and bake them at 350 F for 30 minutes or until brown.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 131Total Fat: 1gCarbohydrates: 28.5gProtein: 3.7g
Did you make this recipe?
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Well it's simple, bread flour has an increased amount of protein or more gluten which results in a lighter, fluffier dough which produces a less dense finished product.
But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.
Perhaps the most well-known and popular Italian bread, ciabatta is a slipper-shaped bread. It has a unique, almost plasticity, texture, which makes it possible to do practically anything with this bread.
High-heat nonfat milk powder is processed at a higher temperature, which means it has a higher denatured protein content. High-heat milk powder also has a sweeter, slightly more caramelized flavor. The added sweetness and protein helps bread dough rise—particularly enriched dough like brioche.
Simply put, you have to control the temperature of the bread. Allowing ample time for your bread dough to rise and the yeast to form will create the holes in the bread that give it a lighter texture. Letting your dough get puffy and grow before it goes into the oven is critical.
These dry patches won't stretch during rising to develop an elastic dough, resulting in a dense, squat loaf – not something you want! For best results, use a non-porous, tight fitting cover such as a saucepan lid, bowl cover or even a sheet pan laid on top of the bowl, weighted down with something.
Sugar acts as a liquifying agent in the dough. Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer.
Very overproofed dough just gets sloppy to work with and won't hold its form as well, and makes denser bread. It's delicious and probably especially nutritious. Dough would have to be sitting around for a very long time to become “unsafe”…
The fat and lactose in milk help with tenderizing the crumb of the bread making it softer and sweeter. The crust of the bread also gets more caramelization.
Possibly the most crucial part of making delicious bread is choosing quality flour. Flour is the main ingredient in bread making. While many experienced bakers know that the quality of flour is important, it's a factor that is often overlooked by novice bakers.
Focaccia is a traditional type of Italian bread that is known for its fluffy and chewy texture and delicious flavour. Its origins date back to ancient Rome when it was known as "panis focacius".
Focaccia is ½" to 1" thick with a light crust on the top and bottom. It's often described as "flatbread" or "Italian flat bread," but unlike the flat bread we're used to, it isn't flat at all, but thick and fluffy. The "flat" term in question simply refers to the pan in which it's baked compared to other breads.
The main difference between these two loaves of bread comes down to the hydration levels. Ciabatta is baked with a much higher hydration level, making the holes within the dough much bigger than a baguette. Ciabatta is also baked with a much stronger flour, which has a more delicate and sweet taste.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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