Italian Bread
My family laughs at me when I tell them that this poor dough never has a change for an hour, but it makes up for all that punching down with its texture and good taste. My mother-in-law taught me how to make this bread...now the recipe's been passed down to my daughter and two granddaughters.
Reviews
Awesome! Made this bread for the the first time and it is delicious. It raised so well, I could have made 3 loves. After the second rise I needed to punch it down again and reform the loves, place on two sheets and let it rise again.
I just made one loaf, switched out olive oil for the shortening and added rosemary. I live in tropical weather, and used up a cup and a half more of flour for half a recipe. the dough rose vigorously and the wonderful smell carried through my whole apartment. It made a huge and tall, golden football of a loaf with a tender crumb. Can't wait to make more.
Baked up half a batch, used my own experience with dough to gauge stiffness. I actually prefer a looser dough at the beginning for better moisture in the finished product. Pretty happy with this recipe, except I've not tasted it.
I made this today for the first time. Used my KitchenAid to mix
Fabulous recipe! Try this, you will love the results. Can also be divided into smaller portions for sub buns/rolls. Suggested deviations from the recipe as written: bloom the yeast by combining the yeast, sugar and one cup water in a separate container. Stir this vigorously and allow to rest for 5 - 10 minutes while you combine other ingredients. Perfectly fine to sub olive, veggie or another oil for the shortening listed. Do not let the loosely-goosey flour amount throw you. If you have been baking bread for a while you will know how much flour is enough as the dough comes together during kneading. If not, that's okay, I can describe your desired results. Start with five cups flour and add the water, egg, etc and stir well in a bowl. Toss in the bloomed yeast when foamy and ready and combine well, adding perhaps a half to a whole cup more of flour as you do so. You should end up with a very messy looking, shaggy and fairly sticky glop. Turn this out onto a floured surface, flour your hands, and begin to knead. Add flour as you go but be conservative! You're looking to get JUST past the point of stickiness but NO further! I ended up using maybe 7ish cups of flour, but your experience may differ from this. I would expect ten minutes of kneading, and once the dough is barely sticking to your hands, you're done! This dough rises vigorously, unless the kitchen is very cold, it will have more than doubled in an hour. Covered in an oiled bowl, placed in the unlit oven is best. Punch down, divide,knead a tiny bit more and shape your loaves. These will get big FAST in a warm environment! Start peeking after 30 minutes of baking, all ovens are different. Your kitchen will smell fantastic as these bake and you will be amazed at the result. Truly a winner!
I used extra virgin olive oil instead of shortening and add 3 tbsp of flaxseed meal to the mix.
Awesome bread! Light and very tasty. Personally, I found no problem with the recipe as written. It turned out great! Guess you just need to know what "stiff dough" is. LOL
Very good recipe. Light soft bread. We added Italian herbs to the butter after baking. This is a keeper!
I hate it when people write recipes incorrectly. i.e. your step 1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the sugar, shortening, salt, egg, remaining water and 4 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.Really?
I love making bread. I made half the recipe with four cups of flour and made two absolutely beautifully light and large loaves for an Italian cuisine dinner party. The guests enjoyed it so much that they insisted on taking home the second loaf.