Can anyone tell me, what are the differences in "Italian bread" ?!
Answers: and other breads in USA. Is it just a basic bread recipe with that shape?
the slices are much bigger than normal bread, plus its very soft. It also has kindof crispy crust.
PS-best answer?
Nope sure isn't here's some recipes:
Ultimate Sourdough Baguettes
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 cups proofed sourdough starter
5-6 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons yeast
4 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
Glaze
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten (with 1 T water)
Optional
italian seasoning
sesame seeds
poppy seeds
In a large bowl combine water, starter, and 3 c flour, mixing until smooth.
Stir in the salt, sugar, yeast, and gluten, then add 2 more cups flour.
Stir until starts to pull away from sides of bowl, add only enough flour to make a slack, sticky dough.
Knead 5 minutes and turn into an oiled bowl.
Let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Deflate and divide into 6 thin or 3 thick baguettes or several rolls.
Place at least 4 inches apart from each other.
Baguettes should be aprox. 18 inches long.
Place a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap on top and let rise 1 hour.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle w/ desired topping.
Spray w/ olive oil.
Bake in 450°F oven for 20 min, remove from oven, place rack at top of oven.
Put bread back in and broil till deep golden brown in color, watching closely!
Remove and serve.
or:
Italian Bread
This is a versatile recipe that makes a lovely loaf of bread. It can also be made into rolls instead of loaves, and the addition of roasted garlic or spices makes it a wonderful taste treat. Makes 2 loaves or 6 rolls
5 1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packages )
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups very warm water (120 -130 F)
cornmeal
peanut oil or light olive oil
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water
In large bowl thoroughly mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast.
Add butter.
Gradually add warm water to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes with mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
Add 3/4 cup flour.
Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8-10 minutes).
Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
To make loaves: Divide dough in half.
Roll each half into a 15x10 inch rectangle.
Starting at wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
Taper ends by rolling gently back and forth.
To make rolls: Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a rectangle 8x5 inches.
Starting with wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
Taper ends.
Place the shaped dough seam side down on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal.
Brush dough with oil.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and uncover carefully.
Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Make 3 or 4 diagonal slits in dough with a sharp knife or razor blade.
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes for rolls, 20 minutes for loaves.
Remove from oven and brush with egg white beaten with cold water.
Return to oven; bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until golden.
**Note: I sometimes add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (adjust amounts to your preferences) of dried oregano OR basil OR rosemary to the dry ingredients.
Sometimes I also add 1 bulb (head) of roasted garlic cloves to the dry ingredients.
To roast garlic: Peel as much of the outer skin away as possible, leaving the cloves unpeeled and the head intact (optional: trim the tips of the cloves off to expose the"meat" to the oil).
Place head (s) in covered casserole or on a piece of heavy aluminum foil.
Drizzle with olive oil, and bake covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (mine takes over an hour in a terra-cotta garlic baker), or until cloves are soft and can be squeezed easily out of their skins.
Let roasted garlic cool before adding to the flour for the bread.
or:
Ciabatta
INGREDIENTS
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
DIRECTIONS
To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then over bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.) Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves on a wire rack.
Here are 3 and you can see they are all different and used in many different ways, I like the Ciabatta the best :) wonderful sandwiches and great dippers!
I cant stand the flaky kinds.falls to piece when you cut it.Winn dixies is horrible.I like the thick consistency and the thicker cut.I also like the fact when you go to walmart they offer herbs sprinkled on it in thier bakeryrosemary/everything etc..adds flavor when you use to the italian bread tomake meatball subs hoagies etc...
I think italian bread is always made in the long loaves..
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this explains it ....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_bre...
This 'could' be a very complex answer, but I won't make it one. Because there are so many areas of Italy, what is preferred in North Italy may not even be known in Sicily.
For instance, aside from vegitable, cheese or sausage stuffed breads, those made with different flours.
Bread is a 'staple food' in the Italian diet and actually a provence may have two or three favorites. Many italian breads look like those here in the USA, long with a crispy crust, but there are many shapes - round, cross-shaped, others are braided, some small others large. Here's a poster you might enjoy - one picture is worth a thousand recipies!
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images...
