Mom’s Italian Bread
I think Mom used to bake at least four of these tender loaves at once, and they never lasted long. She served the bread with every Italian meal. I love it toasted, too. —Linda Harrington, Windham, New Hampshire
Ingredients
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Reviews
I followed the measurments but I used bread flour instead of regular flour. I also brushed it with an egg wash then I sprinkled freshly ground pepper and sea salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. It's the best bread I've ever had hands down!!!
I followed the recipe but mine came out like a doughy brick. For some reason all my white breads come out like this. What am I doing wrong? Advice needed, please!
I love this recipe. My husband compared this bread to the Italian bread from our favorite bakery. (That is a huge compliment!) I do have one question. Although my bread was very tasty, it felt heavy, not light and airy. (When I say "heavy" I mean that literally, not heavy in my stomach) Is there anything I can do for that?
My husband and I really like this recipe. It's easy to follow and the bread comes out great. Only thing I do different (besides not using a machine to mix) is that I don't measure the flour. I just add enough to get the right consistency for dough. The exact amount of flour needed for any bread varied based on factors such as humidity, ambient temp, and flour quality.
This is the best recipe and by far the best explanation I’ve found to date!! I have adapted it slightly over time now and wanted to share what I find to be small tweaks to really take this bread to the next level! First, I try to use bread flour if possible. Days like today I’m almost out so I’m using mostly bread flour with a little all purpose to finish. Second change is something I did. Y accident that in my opinion makes it better. Switch the sugar to 2 tsp and salt to 1-1.5 tsp. Third, when mixing the last 2.5 cups in and it’s inevitably too dry add a little olive oil and mix it in. My fourth and final change to get the perfect crisp crust is brush with olive oil before slitting tops. This makes the loaves come out a beautiful golden brown and just gives them the most delicious crisp crust while allowing the middle to be light and fluffy.
Though I did some small changes, I should still give this 5 stars based on the clarity of the recipe and the best result I've had yet with a loaf of white bread. Based on past experience, I use bread flour, instead of All-Purpose. Like the other reviewers said, use a little less flour, too. I used 5 cups and that didn't even all combine in the stirring, so I used the excess for handling the dough. Heed the note about when bread dough is well-kneaded. This does make a great dough you can sense is right. Like another reviewer said, use an egg wash. You can even use a paper napkin if you don't have a brush, just be gentle. Then make the cuts in the top and bake for the full 25 minutes. In my (limited) experience, it looks done when it's still a little undercooked in the center, so use the full cooking time. This made an enticing bread (inside and out) that almost spoiled our dinner because we kept picking bites to eat. Making bread takes some practice, but this is a good template and I bet you will love it.
Delicious! I did an egg white wash before cooking! I was trying to duplicate a recipe a italian neighbor used to make. I did it! Its the same! Sooo wonderful.
Great bread recipe! If you want the brown crust, brush with an egg wash of right before baking - 1 egg wished with a teaspoon of water. I found the bottom darkened so I'd recommend it be in the top third of the over if you're using electric. Mine took just the 20 minutes to bake thoroughly. Made 2 big loafs.
There are a few significant issue with this recipe. First of all, the list of the ingredients needs to be changed... To have 5-1/2 cups written is very confusing as you can see, majority of your commenters have had the same experience as us. 5-1/2 cups of flour is way too much flour, it lacks flavour and takes AT LEAST 45 minutes to start to brown, along with not taking any type of shape and cracking apart in the oven. This ended up turning into ciambelle.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome!