Italian Bread

It’s actually pretty easy to make a loaf of Italian bread. Just six ingredients, this bread kneads with the help of a dough hook, in fact – excluding the rise time, it takes no time at all to put together. The hard part is waiting for it to cool down enough to slice, slather with butter, and pop into your mouth!

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 cup warm water

1. Put 3 cups of  flour into the bowl of a stand up mixer with a dough hook.
2. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and a 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Let stand 10 minutes until foamy.
3. Add to flour in bowl, along with 1 cup warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
4. Turn mixer on a medium speed, until ingredients are combines, then on low to knead the dough for 6 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, and form a ball. Touch the dough, if it’s sticky, add another 1/4 cup flour, and knead for another minute or so.
5. Turn dough out into a greased bowl, and roll it around a bit to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours.  After the dough has risen, gently punch down the dough, wrap with plastic, and let rise for another 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 425º, place a metal pan or cast iron skillet filled halfway with hot water on the bottom rack of the oven.
7. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Place dough on pan, shaping it into a 10″ x 4″ loaf. Cut 4 horizontal slits on the top of the dough, and place the pan on the middle rack of the oven.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 425º, then lower the temperature to 400º and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. Tap on the bottom of the loaf, if it sounds hollow, it’s done. Cool on a wire rack until it’s no longer hot. Enjoy!