Italian Bread

Yield
6
Cooking Time
3 hours and 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 5 3/4 C bread flour
  • 1 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1/3 C active dry yeast
  • 2 C water
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Heat water to 110F and pour into your stand mixer bowl. Add yeast and leave it for about 5 minutes. When you come back the yeast should be fizzing slightly with a layer of foam on top. If not, try adding a pinch of sugar and leaving it for another 5 minutes. If still no activity you're going to need new yeast.
  2. Using a dough hook attachment to your mixer, turn the mixer on low and add the flour and sugar to the water. Mix until the dough starts to form, then drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat for about 2 more minutes. When the dough starts to look smooth and elastic, transfer to a kneading surface and knead by hand for about 3 minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer you can do all the kneading by hand.
  3. Drizzle a few drops of oil into a large bowl and rub around the bowl surface. Then set the dough ball in the bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a clean towel and set the bowl in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until it's doubled in size.
  4. After it's doubled, use a fist to press into the center of the dough ball and release it's excess gas. Turn onto a kneading surface and knead and shape it into an oblong loaf shape.
  5. Preheat the oven to 425F and put a pizza stone in the oven if you have one.
  6. Dust a baker's peel with flour or cornmeal and place your loaf on it. Allow to proof for 30 minutes with a damp towel covering the dough.
  7. Whip an egg white in a bowl then use a basting brush to cover the top of the dough with egg white. Sprinkle a bit of coarse salt on top and the sesame seeds if desired. At this point you can use a sharp, non serrated knife to cut slits in the top of the dough at a 45* angle, or leave it uncut.
  8. Get a clean spray bottle filled with water and spray the dough generously. Transfer the dough from the baker's peel to the pizza stone in the oven and bake for a few minutes. Spray the dough with the spray bottle every 3 minutes, twice, then leave the bread the oven closed for the remainder of the time. Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack before serving.