Italian Bread

2 packages yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ½ cups tepid water (110° F)
6 ½ cups unbleached bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cornmeal

Mix the flour with the salt and set aside.

In a glass bowl, dissolve sugar into 1 cup of tepid (110° F) water. 
Stir in yeast. Let stand five minutes to proof. At this point, yeast
should be foaming.

Put the proofed yeast in a warmed mixer bowl, then add four cups
of the flour. Beat mixture for 10 minutes. You want the dough to pull
away from the sides of the mixing bowl. 

Then add the additional 2 ½ cups of flour, knead mixture with your 
mixer’s dough hook for another 10 minutes. Add the rest of the
water as needed, if dough becomes dry.

Grease (I use Olive Oil), a large bowl.
Put the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil, then cover
with a clean towel. Set in draft free warm place to rise till doubled
(about 45 –60 minutes). When doubled, punch down and form
the dough into 2 loaves. Sprinkle the corn meal on a large 
baking sheet. Then place the loaves on it. Now is the time to
sprinkle the loaves with Italian seasoning or a little garlic salt. 
Cover loaves again, wait till they’ve doubled. 

After loaves have doubled (You may want to score the 
tops with a sharp knife diagonally a few times), place in a 
450° F pre-heated oven and bake for about 25 minutes, 
or till golden brown. The loaves will sound hollow when 
tapped when they’re done. 

Cool the bread on a metal rack.



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