Anthony’s Italian Bread Recipe
http://www.spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com/italian_bread.html

My recipe calls for a lot more rising of the dough. I have found the process of letting the dough rise three times really makes a hearty bread. Just wonderful!

Mangiare, ottenere grandi! (Eat, Get Big!), That’s what my Italian Grandmother always used to tell me ;-)

P.S. ~ I love the small photo of the DC’s Jumbo Pizza Slice! I want one of those now!

1) Bread flower is always recommended over all purpose. Bread flower has a higher gluten content, so the end product will be more elastic and less brittle. -You always want the dough to be a little sticky, but not so much to be messy. You may have to add a little extra flour to do this. Variables that effect the dough include external temp and humidity, as well as actual temp of the flour when you start the process.

2) I followed the recipe to the letter, and it turned out as represented. That means I did not ‘bloom’ the yeast first, and I did use ‘room temperature’ water.

3) The biga/starter component… It did work as written but my experience tells me to either double the water or cut the flour down to a single cup. Theoretically you’re creating a bacterial starter for flavor, and you’ll get more flavor with a soupy biga. *It works so well because you’re not adding salt at this phase*.

4) Raising ad proofing. Since the dough took a refridgerated biga, and room temp water, and I didnt really add heat, it took about 5.5 hours from start to finish. You will speed the process up by using water 80-100F and if you were to add a T of sugar… BUT this is not required. -As with all bread, don’t wait until the product starts to collapse on itself. This indicates that there is no more jump in the yeast.

5) Doneness. I’ve never used a thermometer. I usually go by 2 things… the color of the bottom and the sound of the bread. Lift up the edge and see it the bread’s a nice pretty brown. 2nd, tap the bread; you want a nice dull thump. This bread has a killer crust on it, so you’ll get a nice sound.

5) Things I’ll try next time… thinner/moister biga, adding 1T of dough conditioner, egg or milk wash, maybe sprinkling the topp with a little kosker or ice cream salt, using compressed yeast, herb flavorings.

I know I have been promise to try making a rye bread for a while, but I think I am actually going to get around to doing it soon.

Thanks for this wonderful blog.

I am now trying a dark onion rye. I used a rye wild yeast starter. Set out for 2 days, added all the good stuff, honey, molasses and dryed onion. It smelled incredible. Now the recipe says to let it rise for 4 hours before forming. I ran home for lunch and it has only grown a little. I’m hoping by 5:00 it will be large enough to form a loaf. Then I’ll have to wait another 90 minutes for the boule to rise. I’m thinking i’ll put it in the fridge over night and take it out tomorrow morning and bake it at 5:00.

I hope this one isn’t as dense as the others. I think the problem is the rise time is very slow and I don’t have the patience. I’m trying to. I love good rye bread.

I’ll keep you posted and maybe take a picture if it turns out.

thank you.