Harper Alexander

Basic Bread

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Preparation info
  • Yield:

    1

    • Difficulty

      Easy

    • Ready in

      3 hr

Appears in
The Italian Family Kitchen: Authentic Recipes That Celebrate Homestyle Italian Cooking
The Italian Family Kitchen

By Eva Santaguida and Harper Alexander

Published 2024

  • About

Bread is the fundamental base of the Italian diet. Every meal is served with it. Perhaps the most important function of bread is to make the scarpetta. There are many kinds of bread in Italy; this is a very basic and easy recipe that will serve for most general purposes—from bruschetta to scarpetta.

Ingredients

  • 4⅛ cups (500 g) bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon (4

Method

  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and yeast. Gradually add the water while mixing with a wooden spoon. When most of the water is incorporated and a rough dough begins to form, mix in the salt. Add the remaining water and keep mixing until a sticky, even dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Wet your hands to