Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread Recipes

Steps:

• ----ForBread Machine----.
• Add all ingredients except cornmeal to bread machine pan in the order recommended by your machine's manufacturer.
• Select dough cycle and start machine.
• ----ConventionalMethod----.
• In large bowl, dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and ginger in warm water.
• Let stand 5 minutes until yeast foams.
• Add salt and bread flour; beat well.
• Stir in whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough.
• Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead 10 minutes or until dough is springy, smooth and satiny.
• Wash bowl, grease it, and add dough to bowl; turn over to grease top.
• Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• ----Shapingand Baking----.
• Lightly oil or grease a 14x17" baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal; set aside.
• Punch down the dough.
• Divide in half and, on a lightly floured surface, shape into long loaves, rolling each piece first into a 5x12" rectangle, then rolling each up along the long side to make a long, narrow loaf.
• Pinch edges to seal, and taper ends.
• Place loaves, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet.
• Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Make 4-5 slashes across each loaf with sharp knife or razor blade.
• Brush each loaf with water and sprinkle with whole wheat flour.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, until loaves are browned and crisp.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• NOTE: I also use a spray bottle filled with water and spray the loaves and oven walls once or twice at 5-minute intervals at the beginning of baking.
• You could also make this into one large oblong loaf or a round loaf, but baking time would need to be increased.

Steps:

• Put hot water, salt and sugar into bottom of bread machine pan. Sprinkle flour on top of water. Make a well in the flour and fill with the yeast. Start dough cycle on machine.
• When dough cycle is complete, turn dough out onto a floured surface and kneed lightly. Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or very lightly greased. (Do not use a dark non-stick pan- it will cause the bread to become too dark on the bottom).
• Mix together the cornstarch and water and brush onto the top of the bread. Using a shrap knife or razor slash an "X " onto the top of the loaf. You can sprinkle the top with sesame seeds if you like.
• On the LOWEST rack of the oven place an oven safe baking dish (such as a 9x13" pan) and fill 2/3 full with very hot water. Place baking sheet with bread on the MIDDLE rack. Turn the oven on to 400'. The bread will rise as the oven heats. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Stir all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, instant yeast, and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Whisk water and oil together in a cup; pour into flour mixture. Mix on low speed until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a ball.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead just until dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Divide and shape dough into 3 balls for small loaves or 2 balls for larger loaves. Dust loaves with flour and place onto a baking sheet; cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Slash an "X" about 1/4-inch deep in tops of loaves with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely on a wire rack.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, pour 1/2 cup of the warm water; Add yeast and sugar; stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl with a whisk or the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 2 cups warm water, olive oil, honey, sale and 2 cups of the whole-wheat flour; Add the yeast mixture; Beat vigorously until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Add the remaining whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time; Add the unbleached flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed; Switch to a wooden spoon when necessary if making by hand.
• Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface; knead until soft and springy yet resilient to the touch, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking, about 6 minutes.
• If kneading by machine, use dough hook and knead 5 to 6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and springy.
• Do not add too much flour, or the loaf will be too dry and hard to work.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat; cover with plastic wrap; let rise until doubled in bulk, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Grease or parchment-line a baking sheet; Combine the whole-wheat flour and wheat bran and sprinkle on the baking sheet; Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface without punching it down.
• Pat into large oval and sprinkle evenly with half the drained raisins and half the walnuts; Press the nuts and fruit into the dough and roll it up; Pat the dough down into an oval once again and sprinkle it evenly with the remaining nuts and raisins.
• Press the addition in and roll the dough up again.
• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal portions.
• Shape into 3 tight round loaves, or 2 baguettes about 14 inches long; Gently pull the surface taut from the bottom on both; Place the loaves on the pans; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to an hour.
• Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the over to 400F, with a baking stone, if desired.
• Slash the round or baguette loaves quickly with a serrated knife with two parallel lines and one intersecting line no more than 1/4 inch deep; Place the baking sheet directly on the stone or on an oven rack and bake until loaves are brown, crusty, and sound hollow when tapped with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes for the round loaves and 25 to 30 minutes for the baguettes.
• Transfer to a cooling rack; cool completely before slicing.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine olive oil, white sugar and salt. Add boiling water and stir to dissolve sugar; let cool to lukewarm.
• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• When sugar and water mixture has cooled, add yeast mixture, eggs, whole wheat flour and 2 cups bread flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Divide the dough into twenty four equal size pieces and form into rounds. Place the rounds on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.