Making Italian Bread

Firstly, I would like to thank the following for giving me the inspiration to try this. You can find their complete recipes and more on their sites... cookography.com (there is also a handy diagram on how to fold the dough here) and amysbread.com

Okay, now let's have some fun...




make sure your biga has come to room temperature.




What you need...

• Warm water... 1  1/3 Cups


• Active dry yeast... 1 tsp.


• Bread flour... 3 Cups


• Salt... 1 ½ tsp.


• Biga... all of it (click here for recipe)


• Big bowl... (this dough is going to rise as much as 3-times its size)


• Bowl scraper


• Plastic wrap


• Parchment Paper


• Baking pans... 1 or 2


• Oil... for coating the bowl and plastic wrap


• Spray bottle filled with water...set on mist

Putting it together...

• Add water and yeast to the mixing bowl


• Let the yeast swim around until it's foamy (about 5 minutes)


• Add the flour while mixing on low speed


• Once flour is adding and is combined, turn-off mixer, cover bowl with towel and let rest for 20 minutes


• After 20 minutes, with mixer on low, add the biga and the salt


• Continue to mix until the dough comes away from the sides, but it will stick to the bottom (remember, this is a very sticky dough)


• Using your bowl scraper, gently place dough into a well-oiled bowl


• Oil the plastic wrap, cover bowl tightly, and place in a warm place for 1 hour (I use the inside of my oven with the oven light on)


• After one hour, using your scraper gently fold ¼ of the dough toward the center and repeat with remaining 3 sides. You are trying to turn the dough into a square

• Cover and let rise for 1 hour


• Repeat folding procedure, cover and let rise for third time for 1 hour


• Take parchment paper and trim it to the size of your baking sheet and spread flour liberally on the bottom (this dough WILL stick to it)


• Take your scraper and gently dump your dough onto the parchment, so that the dough that was on the bottom of the bowl is facing up


• Dust dough with flour and add as needed to be able to work it


• Using your scraper, cut the dough into two or three pieces and form into your desired shapes (you may need more than one pan. See photo below to see why.)

• Loosely cover with well-oiled plastic wrap and let rise for another hour


• take loaves and using a very sharp knife or razor blade, cut a slit (about 1/2 inch deep) lengthwise down the loaf

• Pre-heat oven to 475°


• When you place the bread in the oven to bake, use your spray bottle and mist each loaf about 5-6 times with water (this will give you the hard crust)


• Close oven door and after 1 minute, mist again


• Bake at 475° for 10 minutes


• After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 450° and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown


• Remove and let cool

This is why you may need two pans...



Personal note: I also now use this recipe to make Focaccia bread ( I add 1 tsp of garlic powder, ½ tsp of basil, and ½ tps of thyme). If you wish to do the same, just roll-out the dough to cover the parchment, cover with well-oiled plastic wrap and let raise. Just before baking, make indentations all over the bread (I use my fingers), sprinkle with coarse salt, and Parmesan cheese. Bake as usual.

Enjoy!