Authentic Italian Bread
Submitted by playcaredaycare
Authentic Italian bread is a two-day, two-loaf recipe built on an overnight starter with barley malt and a single teaspoon of yeast. Crackling crust, open chewy crumb, and the deep wheaty flavor of slow fermentation.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minAuthentic Italian bread is the round, crackle-crusted loaf that anchors every Italian bakery in the old country. The two-day method is what makes it taste authentic. An overnight pre-ferment (the starter) develops the deep wheaty flavor, the open hole structure, and the chewy crumb that quick-rise breads simply cannot replicate.
Barley malt syrup in the starter is the small detail that does big work. It feeds the yeast slow-release sugars, builds caramelized color in the crust, and adds a faint malted-grain sweetness that plain sugar can’t match. Find it at homebrew shops or natural grocers.
The starter needs to look bubbly and bloated before it gets folded into the final dough. Four hours minimum, but overnight is genuinely better. The longer fermentation builds organic acids and volatile aromatic compounds that make this bread smell like a real bakery.
Spraying the loaves with water during the first 15 minutes of baking is the home-oven version of professional steam injection. Wet surface plus high heat creates that shattering thin crust crackle that signals proper Italian bread.
Pro Tips
- Weigh your flour. 860 grams is precise; volume measurements vary by 15% or more depending on how you scoop.
- The dough should feel slightly tacky, not dry. A drier dough makes a denser, less open crumb.
- Slash each loaf with a sharp blade just before baking to control where it expands. An unslashed loaf bursts unpredictably.
- A baking stone preheated for 45 minutes gives the best bottom crust. Slide the loaves on parchment for an easy transfer.
- Let cool fully on a rack before slicing. Hot bread is still cooking inside; cutting early gives gummy texture.
Variations
- Use white wheat flour or replace 1 cup of all-purpose with whole wheat for a heartier loaf.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon olive oil for a Tuscan-style herb bread.
- Top one loaf with sesame seeds and the other with poppy for visual contrast on a bread board.
Ingredients
Directions
This takes 2 days but is worth the wait. Makes 2 round loaves Starter Stir the yeast and malt into the water; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and beat in the flour with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon about 100 strokes until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until bubbly, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
Dough 2 cups water, at room temperature 6¼ cups (860 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt Cornmeal Mix the starter and the water in a mixer until the starter is well broken up. Add the flour and salt and mix for 2 to 3 minutes at low speed.
The dough will be smooth but won’t pull away from the side of the bowl. Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary, until the dough is elastic but slightly sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Finish kneading by hand on a floured work surface.
First rise Place in a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours. The dough is ready when it is very bubbled and blistered.
Shaping and second rise Cut the dough in half on a floured surface and shape into 2 round loaves. Place on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Baking Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃). Bake about 1 hour and cool on racks.
To get a really good crust spray the loaves with water 3 times in the first 15 minutes of baking.
Comments
I believe this is the exact recipe for Rustic Como Bread from Field's "Italian Baker", no?
The ingredient list is all wrong. Be sure to read all the way through to get the correct amounts.