Italian bread is the greatest, all-versatile bread you can make. It can be served at lunch or dinner.

You can make delicious hoagies with it or turn it into pizza bread. At breakfast, Italian bread is perfect for scooping up the egg yellow on your plate and, when sliced thin, it can be used to make delicious little French toasts. Yield: 2 loaves Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes Ingredients: 1 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp or 2 pkg. (1/2 oz.) active dry yeast 1-3/4 cups warm water, 95 to 110 degrees F 1 Tbsp soft butter or margarine 5 cups bread or high gluten flour, about 1 egg white 1 Tbsp cold water Preparation: 1. In large bowl, stir together sugar, salt, yeast, and water. Stir in soft butter. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough that can be kneaded by hand. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is soft and not sticky. Place dough in greased medium bowl and flip dough over so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let set for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place. 2. Grease large baking sheet. Sprinkle baking sheet with coarse cornmeal, if desired. Remove dough from bowl onto lightly floured table and divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each dough half into a 15 X 9-inch rectangle. Tightly roll dough along the 15-inch side. Pinch seams and taper the ends of each loaf. Place loaves on baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place for only 20 minutes. Preheat oven 425 degrees F. Make 3 deep diagonal slashes on each loaf. Bake bread for 20 minutes. Lightly beat egg white and cold water in small bowl. Remove loaves from oven, brush with watered egg, and return to oven for another 5 minutes. Serve bread warm or cold.

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Ingredients 2 cups water, lukewarm 1 3/4 ounces cake yeast (1/3 cup) 5 3/4 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 1 egg white, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons sesame seeds Directions Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends. Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone. Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle. Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/basic-italian-bread-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Classic Sandwich Bread For sandwiches, toast, and French toast, you just cant beat a classic American sandwich loaf, with its creamy-white interior, golden crust, and soft, easily sliceable texture. 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour* 1/2 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole, your choice)** 1/2 to 2/3 cup hot water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough** 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter or vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water OR 2 teaspoons instant yeast *For added whole-grain goodness, substitute great-tasting King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour for up to half of the allpurpose flour in this recipe. **Mix the cold-from-the-refrigerator milk with 1/2 cup of the hot-from-the-tap water to make a lukewarm combination. Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8" log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 60 minutes, until its domed about 1" above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly. Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until its light golden brown. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or by measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.Yield: 1 loaf.

Ingredients

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500g/1lb 1oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra flour for finishing 40g/1oz soft butter 12g/2 sachets fast-action dried yeast 2 tsp salt about 300ml/10fl oz tepid water (warm not cold about body temperature) a little olive or sunflower oil

Preparation method
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast at one side of the bowl and add the salt at the other, otherwise the salt will kill the yeast. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine. Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until youve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough. Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent). Turn out your dough onto the greased work surface (make sure you have plenty of space). Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle of the dough, then turn the dough by 45 degrees and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated all over in olive oil. Now use your hands to knead the dough: push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Work quickly so that the mixture doesnt stick to your hands if it does get too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands. Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work: the dough should double in size. This should take around one hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room (dont put the bowl in a hot place or the yeast will work too quickly). Line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof). Once the dough has doubled in size scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading it firmly to 'knock' out the air. Use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by 45 degrees and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Gently turn and smooth the dough into a round loaf shape. Place the loaf onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until its d oubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven. After an hour the loaf should have proved (risen again). Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts (about 1cm/in deep) across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern. Put the loaf (on its baking tray) into the middle of the oven. Pour cold water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust. Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes. The loaf is cooked when its risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

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