Basic Italian Bread

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This is probably the worst bread recipe. First, there is too much yeast. Do not use 1/3 cup of yeast for such a small amount of flour. The professional bakers I know use only 14 oz of yeast for 50 pounds of flour in their Italian bread. So, the correct amount is one-fourth ounce to one half ounce. Second, be careful about the moist towel. It is better to put the bread into a ?turned off? oven with a tray of very hot water on the rack below it. This creates a proof-box in which the dough can rise. Third, for the second rising, put the dough back into the proof-box/oven where the humidity will be high, the temperature will be warmer, and drafts will be at a minimum.

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I'm used to store bought I.B.
This is my first time making my own...I think the receipe is great, the taste is great, with a really nice crust, however, the insoide was a bit dense compared to store bought. How do they get it nice and airy on the inside??

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I'm always a little intimidated by bread recipes as it always takes a couple tries for me to get a new recipe to work, but this recipe was awesome. I don't have a stand mixer, but I prefer to mix by hand any way.

1. I didn't have cake yeast nor have I ever used it before, so I used three packets of dry active yeast. Just mix it with the 2 cups of warm water and let it dissolve for the 5 minutes.

2. I used all purpose flour because I didn't have any specialty flour and there was no difference.

3. I didn't need the full recipe amount of flour. I whisked in/mixed the flour 1 cup at a time until each cup was fully incorporated. I found the perfect amount of flour to be 4 1/4 cups. Make sure to mix in the salt and oil half way through before the dough is completely formed.

4. I didn't have a spray bottle for misting of the loaf while it was in the oven so I just used my fingers to "toss" water on the loaf making sure to hit most of the top of the loaf.

In the end it turned out fantastic and my whole family loved it. It is certainly a keeper for my favorite recipes!

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THANK YOU EMERIL!!! Currently living here in Saudi Arabia and was desperate to find a bread recipe that would give me a great crust and be soft inside! This Italian Bread recipe was so quick and easy to prepare, and the baked result is FANTASTIC! The ingredients are simple so I'm not sure where the wonderful flavor comes from -- but I don't care -- this is definitely a bread recipe that I will use for my weekly bread making. Note: The loaf made as instructed is BIG -- I will make two smaller loaves next time. And instead of 1/3 cup yeast, I used approximately 1 tsp. per cup of flour (we can't get compressed or packaged yeast here -- it turned out perfect!

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I blended in 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 cup of your favorite cheese and 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan.

I then divided the dough in half and made two rounds.

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I purchased a rectangular pizza stone, made this bread and it was fabulous....

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1st: Just use One packet of regular dry yeast (Trust Me
2nd: After yeast blooms add brown sugar & Olive Oil to it-Mixes better that way-I dont have mixer--I kneed by hand for 10 mins
3rd Add salt to the flour (put in 4 teaspoons of italian seasoning if u want to the flour I use 5 cups-(thats enough
4th: When u punch it down-Flaten it into a rectangle(long ways straight out from u. Not left to right wide. Then just roll it up. Pinch seam and place seam on bottom
3rd: Do the 475 degree oven temp and water spray as listed
4th: After 3rd spray--put oven to 350 degrees bake for 45 mins. Spin it once half way through otherwise back wall of oven crisps one side too much.
If you dont reduce temp the crust will burn before inside is done & u have to take it out too early

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Hello,
I'm a bread newbie, and I don't know exactly how to roll up the dough as described in the recipe. It states 'flatten dough, roll tightly and seal each seam' and that the result will be an oval. When you flatten the dough, is the starting shape supposed to be a square, and how/when do you 'seal'? I can understand rolling the dough like it were a cake roll but haven't myself seen or done different types of rolling up bread dough and 'sealing' the seams.
thanks,
charles

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This has the makings of good italian bread. I like the easy recipe compared to another web site. The girl that just got an electric mixer could do this by hand. I saw it called for one so I moved forward and mixed it by hand. No problem,. Don't get caught up on the electic gaggits and you'll do fine. My bread is cooking now so I'll let you know the results. It does smell good. PS you do need Philly water !!

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This is the second loaf of bread I've made since obtaining a stand mixer and I was really excited to make it. I thought my stand mixer was going to die during the inital mixing period, but it pulled through like a champ and the bread turned out great. I wasn't expecting such a huge loaf (1.5'x6"x6", but it was so good. The crust was kind of thick, but crunchy in a good way and the inside was soft, just the way I like it. It went perfect with my Spinach and Artichoke dip and I toasted some slices the next night for garlic bread. This is now my favorite bread recipe.