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Italian Bread Recipe

Italian Bread Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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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.

This recipe is:

Diabetic Friendly

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Italian Bread Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + rising Bake: 40 min.

Yield: 32 Servings

20 40 60

Ingredients

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
3 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 to 10 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

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.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets.
With a sharp knife, make four shallow diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350° for 37-42 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Brush with butter. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Nutritional Facts 1 slice equals 135 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 227 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1 starch.

Originally published as Italian Bread in Country April/May 1992, p51

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Reviews for Italian Bread

Italian Bread

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Reviewed on Feb. 17, 2011 by maan

I made this with the olive oil dipping sauce with balsamic vinegar and my kids loved it. Will definitely make it again

Reviewed on Jul. 16, 2010 by angiegillespie

I really enjoyed this recipe. My only wish is that it would have been specific when mentioning the amount of flour instead of stating 8 to 10 cups. I felt like I was guessing.

Reviewed on Jan. 07, 2010 by markimalekat

This bread turned out beautifully light yet moist. Definitely a keeper!