Sunday, April 22, 2018

Easy Italian Bread

The weather has been warming up here in Idaho recently, which makes me very happy.

We often have some misleading weather, and this year has been no exception.  In January, we had multiple days where the weather seemed positively spring-like, and I was even able to get some things done in our yard in preparation for spring, and was able to clean up a large amount of "presents" from our two pups, which are anything but a gift, to be sure!

Then, we were later hit by snow, wind, and freezing temperatures as we moved in February, and even this past month, we received more snow, which is the last thing I desire in the springtime.  But thankfully, we've had temperatures into the 70's for the last few days, and I have been enjoying every minute of it!

When we experienced our most recent snowfall a week or so ago, I decided to make some Italian bread, with the intent of making garlic bread to go along with some pasta I had planned for later in the week.

This bread is super easy to make, and is a wonderful accompaniment to any meal!  It also makes simply scrumptious garlic bread when paired with my homemade garlic butter and set under the broiler for a few minutes.





















Easy Italian Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 c. warm water
2 1/2 c. bread flour
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.  Add 2 cups of the flour, the olive oil, and the salt, and stir until the dough comes together. Begin kneading in the remaining flour until the dough becomes soft and elastic (7-10 minutes).

Shape the dough into a ball, and place into an oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough in the oil.  Cover with a tea towel, and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400.

Punch down the raised dough, and turn out onto a very lightly floured surface.  With your hands, flatten the dough into a rough rectangle, about 12 inches long, and then fold the long sides into the middle, and roll into a 12 inch log.  Place on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Cover with the tea towel again, and let rise for 20 more minutes.

Slash the top of the dough with a serrated knife about 1/4" deep. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

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