Description
Delight in the rustic flavors of traditional Italian bread with this recipe straight from Grandma’s kitchen. This simple yet rewarding recipe yields two loaves of crusty, homemade bread that will transport you to the cobblestone streets of Italy.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Yeast Mixture:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups warm water
Bread Dough:
- 8 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup of hot water for baking
Instructions
- Prepare Yeast Mixture: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the 3 1/2 cups warm water.
- Mix Dough: Add 3 cups flour, shortening, salt, and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer and gradually add remaining flour until a sticky dough forms.
- Knead Dough: Turn out onto a floured surface, knead for 7 minutes, adding minimal flour to prevent sticking.
- Rise Dough: Let dough rest, rise for 2 hours, then shape into loaves.
- Bake: Preheat oven, place loaves on a pizza stone, score the tops, and bake until golden brown.
Notes
- This recipe yields two loaves.
- You can substitute dry yeast with 1 package.
- For rising, preheat the oven, then turn it off before placing the dough to rise.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (estimated)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
