how2heroes » Italian Bread

Dessert & Baked Goods » Italian Bread

There really is nothing better than freshly-baked bread. Colleen Resendes of Montione's Bakery gives us the "loaf-down" on a classic: Italian Bread! She begins by making something called a "biga" — a pre-ferment often used in Italian baking. This is then mixed in with the rest of the ingredients the following day for a flavorful, textured, and airy final product. You can't have Italian bread without a biga. Fuhgitaboutit.

Print Recipe

Makes 3-4 loaves

Ingredients

Biga

1¾ cups bread flour
¼ tsp instant yeast
8-10 oz water

Dough

3 ¾ cups bread flour
10 ½ oz water
1 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp salt
biga
flour for dusting

Special Equipment

standing mixer
nonstick cooking spray

How-to

Make Biga

In a large bowl, add all ingredients for the biga and mix by hand until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest overnight at room temperature

Mix Dough

In a standing mixer with dough hook attached, add all ingredients and mix starting on low speed, slowly incresing to medium speed until a smooth dough forms, about 7-8 minutes
Remove the dough from mixing bowl and place it in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap
Let dough rise for an hour at room temperature, covered with a lightly-dampened towel

Turn Dough

Place dough on a flour-dusted table. Punch down the dough and dust with flour
Fold the left and right side of the dough into the center and roll twice from top to the bottom
Return the dough to the sprayed bowl, cover and let it rise for another hour at room temperature
Turn the dough again, cover and let it rest and rise for another hour at room temperature
Cut the dough into 3-4 pieces and shape the loaves

Shape Loaves & Bake

Preheat the oven to 450°
Starting from the bottom of the dough, use your fingers to tuck and roll the bottom toward the center of the dough. Seal the seam by pinching them together
Once loaves are shaped allow them to rise for 45-60 minutes
Using a spray bottle or a pastry brush, baste loaves with water to ensure a crust
Using a sharp knife, gently slash the loaves into desired patterns
Bake until a golden brown exterior forms, about 30-40 minutes. For an extra crispy crust, pour additional water into the bottom of the hot oven during the baking time. You can also alternate the pans from top to bottom after about 15-20 minutes so the bottom loaves get some color from the top heat (this step may also vary depending on the oven)