My daughter wants to go "old school"!

Some kids need to keep whatever roots they have alive. I guess that's why my daughter has been "hocking" me to find out how to make her own Italian bread.

Mind you, back when I was a kid, I avoided going by the "bench" or the oven at all costs. The work was way too intense, my father hated the thought that his sons would be condemned to a life of having to bake for a living....and I had other plans anyway!

But there are just some things you don't forget...and even if I never baked, I was around it so much there was no way to avoid knowing what to do "just in case".

So, here's the letter I wrote to my daughter, giving her, to the best of my recollection, my recipe for Italian bread:


Eebs,

OK, here's what you need.

Flour
Water
Yeast (see if the bakery will sell you a sliver of the yeast cake....if not, then go to the supermarket and see if you can find the dry yeast in the package.
a pinch of salt
maybe some seeds
possibly a cookie sheet.
possibly some sesame seeds


I would mix some warm water, salt, and yeast together to melt the yeast. Then, place the mixture in a bowl with some flour and mix it until it's firm but not too sticky. When that's done, knead the dough, then place it on a plate with a towel over it and a little flour on the top so it doesn't grow a skin on it, and give it a chance to rise.

Once it's gotten airy, cut the dough into as many loaves as you want, and knead them again so that they are nice and tight.

Let them sit a while longer to rise. You might also want to moisten the top of the dough, and place some seeds on them.

Preheat the over ( I'm guessing around 350 ), and if you can, also a small pot with some water in it in the oven to make the heat moist and give the bread a shiny coat. Then, put the dough in a pan with a cookie sheet or some Pam so that the dough doesn't stick. (It would be better if you had a baking stone to put the bread on, but I don't want you to have to go for your lungs!) Make sure you pierce the top of the dough so that it doesn't crack while baking.

Bake till a golden brown.

That's all I can remember for now......you can channel Grandpa Augie and curse all the while you're doing this. He always did and the bread always turned out fine!

Love,

Daddy