Everydaybread Recipes

TRADITIONAL ITALIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water.
• Stir in the softened butter or margarine, whichever using.
• Sift in one cup of flour at a time until you have a dough that can be easily kneaded by hand without sticking to your hands.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is soft and not sticky.
• Lightly grease a medium-sized bowl with olive oil and flip dough over so that the top is also greased.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel or wrap paper and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
• Grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle it with coarse cornmeal, if desired.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured table, and divide into two equal parts.
• Roll each dough half into an approximately 15 x 9-inch rectangle.
• Roll the dough tightly along the 15-inch side, pinch the seams, and taper the ends of each loaf with your hands at a 45-degree angle.
• Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet and cover. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F. Make 3 deep diagonal slashes on each loaf.
• Bake the bread for 20 minutes.
• Lightly beat the egg white and cold water in a small bowl to create an egg wash . This step is key for a traditional Italian bread.
• Remove the loaves from the oven and brush with the egg wash.
• Return the loaves to the oven for another 5 minutes.
• Serve bread warm or cold and enjoy.

EASY EVERYDAY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Butter two rectangular 4-pints pans.
• Mix all the dry ingredients carefully.
• Add buttermilk and treacle, stir thoroughly.
• Distribute the batter in the pans.
• Bake for 100 minutes.
• Check the loaves after 50 minutes. If they have gotten a beautiful dark color, cover them with foil for the rest of the baking time so they don't get burned.
• Let them get cold under a baking cloth before you put them in plastic bags and into the freezer.

EVERYDAY BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the yeast and the sugar in the lukewarm water and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Measure the flour into the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Stir in the salt and then pour in the liquid mixture. Mix the dough on low speed until it is nice and smooth. (If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large bowl and mix first with a wooden spatula and then with your hands.) Cover the bowl with plastic and top the plastic with a towel. Set on a wooden surface (marble or stone are too cold) and let rise away from drafts for at least an hour.
• Flour a prep area and turn out the dough. Divide the dough into five equal pieces. Using a pastry scraper, gently fold each piece of the dough over itself and roll while pushing the dough outwards until it becomes a long rope. Don't handle the dough more than you have to. Place a few of the dough "ropes" on a well-oiled, perforated bread pan. Leave it to rise again, this time for 30-40 minutes. (Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator to use later in the week, or freeze, wrapped individually.)
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Use a very sharp knife to score the bread with evenly distributed, diagonal marks; about 5-6 scores per loaf. Brush the loaves lightly with egg white and sprinkle some coarse sea salt. Fill a small pan with water and place it on the bottom rack of your oven. (This helps keep a good amount of moisture in the oven while the bread bakes.) Place the bread loaf pan in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the loaves are crusty and golden brown. When they are done, let them cool on a rack for 5 minutes or so before you slice them. Enjoy without guilt!