Italian Bread Ring

This is the flavorful, round Italian loaf, with a hole in the middle, that I remember from my childhood in Newark’s old Fourteenth Avenue Italian community. We had at least four great bread bakeries and one of them made this coarse, peasant ring.

There are several important points to remember about this preparation. First, it must be mixed by machine. Most of the gluten develops during the initial mixing of the sponge, so it is easiest and most efficient to mix it vigorously in a fo