italian bread recipe

A delicious and easy recipe for homemade focaccia!

Quick Sourdough Focaccia

liquid

yeast

whole wheat flour ((4 1/4 oz.))

all purpose or bread flour ((8 oz.))

water, lukewarm ((10 oz.))

sea salt

olive oil (I like Sciabica's)

Combine the starter, yeast, water and flours in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or dough hook attachment (both work!). Mix on low a couple of minutes until combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then increase to speed 3 and beat for 8 minutes. The dough should be very wet and sticky, almost batter-like, but not liquid. Add more flour or water as you knead if the dough seems overly wet or dry. Sprinkle on the salt, and beat on 3 for another five minutes. The dough should still be sticky, but should pull away from the sides of the bowl while it&#039;s mixing. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and let rise 1-2 hours until doubled or tripled in bulk.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and place a baking stone on top, if you have one. Place a sacrificial metal or cast iron pan on the floor of the oven - you will put ice in it to steam the oven, and it will become rusted and nasty. (UPDATE: a reader reported that the recipe works beautifully without this step, so I&#039;m calling it optional!) Preheat the oven to 500º.

Line a 9x12" (1/4 sheet) pan with a sling of parchment paper (the paper should lay flat in the bottom with the long ends sticking out.) Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil all over the bottom and sides of the paper. With a plastic scraper, turn the dough over in the bowl a few times, tamping out some of the air bubbles, then blob it onto the center of the oiled parchment. Drizzle the remaining oil on top and use your fingers to dimple the dough outwards towards the sides and corners. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, until it mostly fills in the pan, dimpling out the dough a few more times to fill in the corners. The olive oil will pool in the corners, so use a teaspoon to "baste" the top of the focaccia with that oil. Sprinkle a bit of crunchy salt over the top, and any other toppings you like, and give the dough a last dimpling.

Fill a 1 cup measure with ice cubes. Quickly place the focaccia pan on the baking stone and toss the ice cube into the sacrificial pan on the floor of the oven. Close the door and don't open it again for the next 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, rotate the focaccia, then turn the oven down to 450º and bake for another 5 - 15 minutes, until golden and lovely on top. Remove to a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then lift out of the pan and cool completely before snarfing.

Store the focaccia at room temperature in a plastic bag for up to a few days (but I doubt it will last that long!)

Recipe video included. You won&#x27;t believe how easy this Italian bread is to make! With its soft interior and crusty exterior, it tastes like a loaf straight from your favorite bakery.

Italian Bread

water (~100°F)

active dry yeast ((2.25 teaspoons))

bread flour

brown sugar

olive oil

salt

egg white (lightly beaten)

sesame seeds

Stir the yeast into ½ cup of the warm water. Let proof as you measure out the dry ingredients.

Combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast mixture, remaining water, and olive oil. Using a dough hook attachment, mix on the lowest speed of electric mixer (stir setting on a KitchenAid) until a dough starts to form, adding more flour as needed, up to an additional ¾ cup. Knead on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid) for 7 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.

Place a baking stone on the center oven rack and preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a metal baking pan on the lowest rack.

Place the dough on a baker&#x27;s peel heavily dusted with flour, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a floured dish towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

If using the topping, brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the dough lengthwise about 1/4-inch deep, keeping the blade at a 45-degree angle.

Just prior to placing the bread in the oven, pour 1 cup of water into the metal pan you placed on the bottom rack of the oven. Then, transfer the loaf from the peel to the stone in the oven.

Bake the dough until golden brown and a hollow thud is heard when tapping the bottom of the bread (it should register at least 195 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 30 to 40 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/8L1T5Q1V.mp4

You won't believe how easy this Italian bread is to make! With its soft interior and crusty exterior, it tastes like a loaf straight from your favorite bakery.

Italian Bread Recipe

This olive and rosemary focaccia recipe is the perfect bread to make and pull out of the freezer when you&#8217;re entertaining. Or, if you&#8217;re not sure about this one, we&#8217;ve got an excellent spring onion focaccia bread too.

Olive and rosemary focaccia

strong plain flour,

caster sugar

tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,

sachets fast-action dried yeast

semi-dried tomatoes

mixed olives, pitted

rosemary leaves

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl, and make a well in the centre. Pour in 1 tbsp of the extra-virgin olive oil. Dissolve the yeast in 300ml lukewarm water, pour into the well and quickly mix to a soft dough, adding a splash more warm water if needed. Add the chopped semi-dried tomatoes and knead the dough, on a lightly floured surface, for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the dough with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Carefully place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and roll it out into a large oval (about 35cm x 23cm). Press your fingers all over the dough to make dimples and scatter with the mixed olives, rosemary and garlic. Drizzle with another 1 tbsp of the oil and scatter with sea salt. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes until puffed and doubled in size once more.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden brown. Cool completely, wrap well in baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheat from frozen, wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes at 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6, until warmed through. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top.

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Quick Sourdough Focaccia

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Top 3 italian bread recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian bread recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Quick Sourdough Focaccia

Italian Bread

Olive and rosemary focaccia

The most viewed italian bread recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine