Mom's Italian Bread

By dette

“I think Mom used to bake at least four of these tender loaves at once, and they never lasted long. She served the bread with every Italian meal. I love it toasted, too.”—Elsie Laurenzo Palmer, Saratoga Springs, NY

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Details

Servings 24

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
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, 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 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. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across top of each loaf.
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).



Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 106 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 197 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1-1/2 starch.

Prep: 30 min. + rising Bake: 20 min. + cooling30 20