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What is your soup missing? What would go great with that salad? Got some extra jam or butter laying around and you aren’t sure what to do with it?
You know what you need?
…
…
…Bread!
Delicious fluffy carbs, wrapped in a scintillatingly crispy crust. And everyone knows bread tastes best when it comes fresh from your oven.
Nothing makes the house smell better than fresh bread, and nothing feels better in your hand on a cold day than a steamy chunk of bread slathered in delicious butter and honey!
The recipe I bring to you today is a classic. Italians are known for their pasta, but they make a wicked Olive Oil bread as well. This salty sourdough-like bread is perfect paired with our old fashioned spaghetti or made into delicious garlic bread to pair with an indulgent lasagna!
A little effort is required, but the end result is well worth it!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup luke-warm water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast into 1/4 cup of the warm water, taking only up to 10 minutes to do so. Add 2 cups of the flour, then gradually mix in 3/4 cups more water until sticky dough is formed.
- Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 10 minutes, pushing forward against the dough, folding in half, and rotating a quarter turn**. Dough should be elastic but not sticky. When you push your finger into it the surface should rebound a bit. **If you do not want to knead, you can put the dough in stand mixer with a dough hook until it looks like described above.
- Lightly flour a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size – about 2-3 hours.
- Place two cups of flour onto a work surface. Place dough in the flour and begin kneading again, gradually adding 3/4 cups of water. Then add olive oil and salt. Knead until ingredients are combined.
- Add back to floured bowl and cover with damp towel, allowing to rise for another 2-3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat 2 loaf pans with olive oil.
- Take dough out of bowl and slap it on your work surface several times. Divide dough in two and shape into loaf shapes. Place in pans.
- Place pans in preheated oven. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375 degrees. Continue baking for an additional 45.
- When baking is finished, remove from pans and place on cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Try out our Asiago bread for a cheesy twist on this classic recipe or spice it up with our Pepper Jack or Cheddar Jalapeno loaves!
