Go Back

Rustic Italian Bread

Prep Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups of warm water
  • 1 Tbls salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 6 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 4 ½ tsp instant dry yeast

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 170, and then shut off and open door.
  • Put 2 cups of warm water with the salt and sugar in a large bowl.
  • Blend in 3 cups of sifted flour
  • Add yeast to flour water mixture and mix well.
  • Add about 1 half of the remaining flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
  • Mix in a little more flour to make a soft dough
  • Throw the dough on a floured surface and let it sit for around 10 minutes.
  • To knead the dough use the heels of your hands and gently push the dough away from you.
  • Fold the dough and repeat continuously for about 5 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  • Sprinkle a very little amount of flour on the dough if it becomes too sticky to handle.
  • Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in a large greased bowl. Just dab some olive or vegetable oil on a paper towel and grease the entire bowl all away to the top.
  • Turn the dough over to coat with oil.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place (the oven) for around 1 hour until dough has doubled.
  • Punch down the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes.
  • Cut into two equal balls and cover for another 10 minutes.
  • Shape the balls into loaves and place on a greased baking sheet.
  • Cover loaves loosely with a towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled.
  • Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.
  • To get the bread nice and crusty, splash some water in the bottom of the oven - or, boil water in a kettle, pour the boiling water into a shallow dish, and slide that on to the bottom rack of your oven.
  • Bake the bread for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to 400 degrees.
  • Bake 20 to 30 minutes total or until golden brown.