My family laughs at me when I tell them that this poor dough never has a change for an hour, but it makes up for all that punching down with its texture and good taste. My mother-in-law taught me how to make this bread...now the recipe's been passed down to my daughter and two granddaughters.
Italian Bread
Italian Bread
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
40 min
Yield
2 loaves (16 slices each)
Ingredients
- 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
- 3 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons shortening
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 8 to 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the sugar, shortening, salt, egg, remaining water and 4 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 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 lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets.
- With a sharp knife, make four shallow diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350° for 37-42 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Brush with butter.
Nutrition Facts
1 slice: 135 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated fat), 8mg cholesterol, 227mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein.
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