Mom's Italian Bread

We wanted some bread for making pizza, so I tried this recipe from Taste of Home Baking Favorites.  It’s the simplest and cheapest of doughs – 2 nice, big loaves only cost 54¢!  This bread is also excellent with Italian meals or toasted, or for croutons or garlic bread.  To get a little more chewy crust, I brushed mine with egg white, since I had some left over from rice pudding. This may not be the same as you would get from an artisan bakery, but it’s better than what you can buy in most supermarkets, and it’s cheap, quick and easy too.   

Mom's Italian Bread

  1          Package  Instant Yeast—2 teaspoons

  2          Cups  Water -- 120°-125°

  1          Teaspoon  Sugar

  2          Teaspoons  Salt

  5 ½      Cups  Flour, All-purpose -- 1 pound 8 3/4 ounces

Beat together 3 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, yeast and water. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.  Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. 

Change to dough hook and knead 6 minutes or knead by hand 8 minutes.

Cover and let rest in a warm place 10 minutes.

Deflate dough.  Divide in half (about 1 pound 5 1/4 ounces each).  Shape each portion into a long loaf, placing seam side down on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cover and let rise until doubled, 20-25 minutes, while preheating oven to 400°.

With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashed across top of each loaf.  (I brushed the loaves with an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tsp. water).  Bake at 20 -25 minutes at 400° or until golden brown.

Remove from pan and cool on wire racks.

  Yield:  "2 Loaves" about 1 pound 3 ounces each baked.

Per Serving: 106 Calories; trace Fat (2.5% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 179mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Other Carbohydrates.