This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used! Learn more on my Private Policy page.
I have commented before that I would love to make more bread. It is not hard, you just need enough time to let the dough rise. This recipe that I saw from Michele’s Woman Cave did not need a lot of rising time. Her recipe used a kneading of her bread machine. I mixed mine in a mixer with a dough hook. This takes a little more effort but I believe gives the bread better texture. It also extended the rise time because I needed to let the dough rise three different times and I kneaded it each time to continue to activate the yeast.
Now, I had planned to make this bread on Saturday, so I would be able to use it on Sunday with sandwiches for the boys. Only problem with fresh bread is it tastes so good and there is nothing like warm bread. You got it. We ate more than 2/3 of it – we said we were only going to taste it. Oh well. I guess that is an worthwhile outcome.
Recipe
Italian Bread (adapted from Michele’s Woman Cave):
- Place in your mixing bowl 3 cups of bread flour, 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast, 1 1/4 cups warm water, 2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp olive oil and mix on low speed until dough becomes tacky and is pulled away from the sides
- Cover with a damp towel and place in a dark spot in your kitchen enabling it to rise
- After an hour, knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes using a dusting of the bread flour as you go
- Repeat this process 2 more times, letting the bread rise for 30 minutes each time
- Beat in a small mixing bowl 1 egg and 1 tbsp water; slit the top of the bread with a serrated knife and then brush the egg wash generously on the top of the bread
- Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
I intended to make cheesy pull apart garlic bread. I needed a good loaf of bread to start with, well let’s just say we never added the cheese or garlic. We ate it as is. My kids loved it!
I am so glad it turned out so well for you. Thx for sharing and I am so glad the kids liked it!
would this be a good recipie for bread bowls? If so, could you tell me what would be the temperature change and time needed in the oven?
Good question. I think it could be. The crust is not quite as thick as a traditional bread bowl. So the two things I would do is to add 25 degrees to the oven temperature and add a steam bath to the cooking. Place a tray in the bottom of the oven, below the bread filled with water. Let me know if this works.
I want to make the beautiful bread round, but I’m confused on step #4. Could you please clarify for me. Can’t wait to make it. Thank you for your post and recipe.
Ree, I looked back at the recipe and Step 4. I changed the word to read each time. Knead the bread or punch down and then let it rise again. Hope this helps.
Thank you Chef. I feel better now to try it out. Have a great evening!
I made this tonight for dinner with friends & it was delicious! I added a few spices & rubbed the outside with salt & pepper for added flavor, but it was so easy to make! My only question is that the dough was a lot thicker & almost more rubbery than what I was used to for other bread so I ended up cooking it another 10-15 minutes to ensure it wasn’t doughy inside. Is it supposed to be that way or could that be because I’m at a high altitude?
Veronica, I would guess it is the altitude. I have heard that before. What spices did you add?
It looks beautiful!
Yum:) Peter, this seems a good bread recipe. I will give it a try:)))