Italian Bread

Italian bread. What a magical thing. If you can find a good loaf. You’ll be surprised how easy it really is to make. Once you learn how, you can always find a good loaf. Right in your kitchen! Bread dough is like clay, and you can shape it any way you want. We’ll start with an easy one. Let’s bake!

Ingredients

• 2.5 – 3 cups of flour
• 1 cup water
• I package dry active yeast.
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• I tbsp.  Olive oil or Shortening

The Dough

Combine water (hot), salt, sugar and yeast. Let sit for about 10 mins.

Add water mixture with flour and oil and mix with dough hook.

Knead dough and let rest for 20 mins covered with a towel. (It’s tired)

Shape dough and let rise for 15 mins.

Cut across the top with a knife if it’s a long loaf.

Cut a cross in the top if round.

15 - 18 mins at about 450-500 on a stone if you have one.