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I have always been a huge fan of the large Italian bread loaves that you find at the supermarket check out stands that says “Fresh Baked” and is still warm and in the paper sleeves. I use it to make killer sub sandwiches and tasty garlic bread, and sometimes just to eat plain. At least I did. Now, thanks to another King Arthur Flour recipes, I can make it at home, and to me it tastes just like the bread from the store, just so much better. This supermarket Italian bread will be gone before it even cools if it is anything like how it goes in my family. It is easy to make, forgiving, and oh so tasty!
My husband loves it sprinkled with the sesame seeds before baking, and I often do that, but this time I did not have any available so I left them plain, and believe me, they are just as tasty this way too. Don’t be afraid make them either way. They will taste great!
Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Italian Supermarket Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup dried potato flakes
- 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (optional)
- 1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional) OR
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the dough ingredients till cohesive. If you use vital wheat gluten, mix it with the flour before adding it to the liquids. Knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes, until it's smooth and supple, adding more water or flour as needed. This can be done by hand, or using a stand mixer. I have done it both ways, but I enjoy the ease of the stand mixer now that it is fixed and I can use it again.
- Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk. I like to turn my oven on to 200, preheat it, turn it off, and then open the oven for a minute to let it cool off some, and then let my bread rise in there with the door closed. Works great, specially in cold weather.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide it into two pieces (I used a baguette pan which has narrower trenches then an italian bread pan, so I divided it in to 3 pieces). Shape each piece into a smooth 16" log. Place the logs into the two wells of a lightly greased Italian bread pan, cover, and let the loaves rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. If you do not have a baguette or italian bread pan, then just place them on a cornmeal dusted piece of parchment on a baking sheet to rise and then bake, works great too!
- Brush the loaves with the egg wash, then sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, or leave them plain like I did. Slash the loaves diagonally, making 3 slashes in each, and immediately put them in the oven. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for about 25 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown. For the crispiest crust, turn off the oven, prop the door open, and allow the bread to cool in the oven. I find it really hard to wait until it cools, so we usually have the loaves eaten before they are even done cooling. Go ahead, go for it!
Notes
These loaves rise quite a bit, so make sure you leave enough room between them if you are using a flat baking sheet.
