Crusty Italian Bread

If you've been following the blog from its inception, you will know I love making bread. So far I've shared a Cinnamon Raisin Bread, a Maple Whole Wheat Bread and a French Bread. This past Christmas I got an Italian Loaf Pan. I really wasn't sure how to use it. The directions said use a solid, sturdy dough. The dough from the French Bread is really sticky so I didn't think it would be a good tester loaf. So I started exploring and I found this great recipe from Cook Like Your Grandmother. It wasn't easy to find either, it was tucked away on the 10th page of Google results.






































This bread is a little time intensive, but I've found if you decrease the rising times it still works out beautifully. I would recommend rising 1 hour for the first rise, 20 minutes for the second rise. This is a serious reduction of the original rising time. If you have the time, do the full 2 hours and 40 minutes of rising, but if you don't, don't be afraid to decrease the time.

After the first rise, take the entire ball of dough and roll it into a long loaf then cut it in half with a dough cutter and line on your Italian Loaf Pan. According to the original recipe, you can also bake the loaves on a pizza stone or on the back of a baking sheet, so don't worry if you don't have an Italian loaf pan, although it helps make a crusty bread.

The bread goes great with anything. Traditionally we have it with spaghetti on nights before long runs, but we've also had it with pasta and peas and most recently as a sandwich with Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages sauteed with peppers and onions. It's also great paired with a soup.

For more detailed instructions, check out Cook Like Your Grandmother's post. The author, Drew Kime, provides step-by-step instructions. 

Crusty Italian Bread Adapted from Cook Like Your Grandmother

Ingredients

• 2     1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water   

• 1 cup warm water

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

•  1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Combine yeast and 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl. Let sit 3 minutes or until small bubbles form and yeast dissolves.

Pour 1 cup warm water in large bowl. Add dissolved yeast. Combine.

Add flour, sugar and salt. Mix until combined.

Once combined, add olive oil.

Knead for five minutes. Transfer dough to oiled bowl. Let rise one hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll dough in long loaf. Cut in half. Place on Italian loaf pan. Let rise 20 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Cover loaves with aluminum foil. Continue to bake an additional 10 minutes.

Sugar Coated Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

I'm longing for road trips. Trips to DC, the North Carolina mountains, the coast, somewhere. With the bright sun on the dashboard and either the quiet companionship of a good book or some cheerful tunes.

Perhaps my favorite things about road trips though are lunch breaks, with a good peanut butter sandwich, apple slices and water.

Some of my fondest memories of trips involve pit stops either at awkward middle of nowhere fast food places or rest stops. I can't forget the time my family inadvertently tried to get on Quantico Marine Corps base three different times - we were just looking for a gas station! There's also the time we met a cat coming home from the Outer Banks. We astutely named her Plymouth after the town the rest stop was in.

So back to the peanut butter sandwiches. What could be better than to have them on cinnamon raisin bread? If you're going on vacay, and don't want to have to eat out every day or go to a grocery store, baking a loaf of the bread the day before will at least help for the lunches.

This loaf is gorgeous with its cinnamon swirl, specks of raisins and sugar coated topping. 

Sugar Coated Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread Adapted from Peter Reinhart (Check out all his fabulous books here)

Ingredients

• 1   3/4 cups bread flour (recommended KAF)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 5/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 5/8 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance shortening
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 3/8 cup water 

• 3/4 cup raisins

Cinnamon Swirl/Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon  

For greasing loaf

• 1 tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine ingredients from first column - flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon. 

Once combined, add applesauce, shortening, almond milk and water

Knead dough for 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, incorporate raisins.

Transfer dough to oiled bowl and let rise for 2 hours.

Prepare cinnamon swirl topping by mixing sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

Roll dough into a rectangle, about 10 x 12 inches. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up tightly, pinch ends and transfer to greased 9 x 5 loaf pan, seam side down.

Let rise an additional 2 hours. (Loaf will not rise above pan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake loaf for 20 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the center of the loaf reaches 190 degrees.

Immediately brush loaf with butter and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar over loaf. (Tip: Do this over a pan to catch extra butter/cinnamon sugar.)

Maple Whole Wheat Bread

My obsession with baking probably started with a Whole Wheat Bread recipe from a bag of King Arthur Flour. Although I still love that recipe, I did it just a few too many times. To reenergize my bread baking, I was on a search for a new recipe. I'm always a little wary because some bread recipes are dry or quickly become dry. However, my fears were diminished with this recipe from Recipe Girl. Below you'll fine step-by-step instructions for the bread, as well as instructions for kneading! (It's not hard, but really therapeutic.)

This method for making bread is different than the usual ones I use, in that you don't dissolve the yeast separately. You simply combine your dry ingredients, heat your liquids in the microwave and then add to the dry. Stir until a dough starts to form.

After this you can start kneading. It seems like everyone's excuse for not making bread is the kneading. Well, I'm hear to tell you it's not that hard and really it gives you time to reflect and relax. So, no more excuses, let's knead!

The above pictures show the steps of kneading.

• Step 1 (Top Left Picture) - Find a seam in the dough. It should magically appear. If not, simply hold your dough from the top, or vertically.
• Step 2 (Top Right Picture) - Form your hand into a fist.
• Step 3 (Middle Left Picture) - Punch dough in the center of the seam.
• Step 4 (Middle Right Picture) - Fold dough in half
• Step 5 (Bottom Left Picture) - Pick up dough and find new seam. Start all over by punching in the middle of the seam and folding in half. Continue until dough is desired texture.

If this is too confusing, take a look at my kneading video. Let me know if you have any questions. Once you figure out kneading, the rest is really simple and fun!

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 + 1/3 cup water (Just in case that's confusing, add about 0.83 cups of water or 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread

Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients from first column in large bowl.

Heat all liquid ingredients from second column in medium sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about one minute. The liquids should measure around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add heated liquids to dry and mix until a dough forms. Once formed, knead for 5 minutes. Oil your bowl and return completed dough. Allow to rise for one hour.

After first rise transfer dough to cutting board and roll into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle. Then roll the loaf up into a log. Transfer to a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. First place in seam side up. Then invert and place seam side down. Allow to rise an additional hour or until loaf rises above pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake loaf for 20 minutes. Check to see if dough measures 190 degrees. If not, cover loaf with aluminum foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until dough measures 190 degrees.

Gingerbread Loaf

Since the spring, I have been eyeing this Gingerbread Loaf. I couldn't wait until the fall to try it. I made it early this October. I loved it, but I was inspired to make my own version. I was a little wary, as in the past my versions of recipes have been near disasters. However, I braved the waters and tried it. It worked! This loaf is perfect to decorate and give to neighbors. With my substitutions, the loaf comes together quickly.

The loaf really comes together in about three steps. The first is to combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Next combine liquid ingredients in a medium bowl. Once mixed, pour liquid into dry and whisk together. 

Once a thick batter forms, transfer to a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Once cooled, the loaf can be wrapped and decorated. Cut a long piece of plastic wrap and place loaf face down. Then fold up wrap around loaf. Secure with a small piece of tape. Then decorate with a bow and a candy cane.

I hope you all have a joyous holiday filled with delicious baked treats!

Gingerbread Loaf Adapted from The new Me

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice

• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup almond milk (sweetened recommended)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 4 loaf pan. 

Mix all dry ingredients, from top column, in a large bowl. Mix all liquid ingredients, from second column, in a medium sized bowl.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix with a whisk until batter comes together.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes, then invert on cooling rack.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice (about 10)

Calories                         250

Total Fat                        8 g

Saturated Fat                 1 g

Cholesterol                     0 mg

Sodium                          235 mg

Potassium                     110 mg

Total Carbohydrate        42 g

Dietary Fiber                  1 g

Sugars                            20 g

Protein                            3 g

French Bread + A Sandwich

For years now, I have been making French bread for my family's pasta nights. I don't remember how I came across the recipe, but I did save the website. The other night I had the revelation it would make a great sub. So the next day, I whipped up another batch and served it hot for a Tofurky sandwich making buffet. With the holidays, we can all get sucked into cookies, candies and casseroles. Although they all taste great, sometimes it good to have a lighter day in between. In the following, I will detail the bread and the sandwich.

The first step for the French bread is to mix warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Then mix hot water, oil and additional sugar in a large bowl. To the large bowl, add two cups flour and mix until combined. Once combined, add yeast mixture. It will become very wet. Add another cup of flour and mix until nearly combined. For a minute or so, knead the dough until it comes together. Set aside for one hour.

After dough has risen, transfer to baking sheet. Stretch the dough diagonally across the pan, as seen below. Let rise an additional 30 minutes.

Once risen, place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

If you'd like to make a sandwich, cut the bread up in thirds. My loaf was about 15 inches long, so each sandwich was about 5 inches long. Not each was equal, some were thicker than others, but that's OK. Then slice each horizontally, but don't slice all the way through. Then pile in with your favorite toppings. I recommend Vegenaise, Tofurky Peppered Deli Slices, mixed greens and a little cheese.

French Bread Adapted from La Fuji Mama

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tsp salt

• 3 cups all purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix yeast, warm water and 1/4 tsp sugar in small bowl. Set aside.

Mix hot water, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, oil and salt in large bowl. Add two cups all purpose flour and mix until dough forms. Add yeast mixture. (Mixture will be very wet.) Add one cup flour and mix until dough forms. Let rise for one hour.

Transfer to baking sheet and stretch into long baguette. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

French Bread Tofurky Sandwich - Makes one

Ingredients

• 1 5-inch sub
• 1 tbsp vegenaise
• 3 slices peppered Tofurky
• Handful mixed greens
• 2 slices cheese

Instructions

Slice 5-inch sub horizontally. Spread vegenaise on one half. Pile with Tofurky, cheese and mixed greens.