This makes great Muffaletta bread! Sturdy enough to hold all the delicious sandwich fillings, yet soft enough to eat. Not making a Muffaletta? No worries! Pagnotta is an all purpose Italian, country bread! Rustic, yet impressive, chewy, yet soft--this bread goes great with all meals! #MuffalettaBread #ItalianCountryBread #ChewySoftBread #BreadBowlBread
Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups Bread Flour
1-1/4 cup warm water
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
In a stand alone mixer bowl, add water and honey. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand about 5 minutes.
While yeast is standing, in a medium bowl, mix flour and salt .
When the yeast is foamy, add the flour and salt mixture while the mixer is on low speed. Use a dough hook. As the ingredients start mixing better, add the olive oil and turn speed up to medium. Keep machine on medium for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Scrape the bowl sides to incorporate all ingredients into the dough.
When dough has a smooth, look but is sticky and elastic, turn off mixer and remove from bowl.
Find a bowl you want the bread to be the size of. Add a coating of olive oil to the bowl and put the dough in the olive oil lined bowl.
Cover the bowl with piece of saran wrap, sprayed with non-stick spray (sprayed side facing bread) and then cover saran with a clean, dry towel. Let bread rise 1 hour, or until double in size.
Carefully tip dough out onto a plate. Fold the edges of the dough into the center to create a circle. Set aside.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 400° F
Take the bowl the dough was rising in and line it with a clean kitchen towel. Generously sprinkle the towel with flour. Place dough with seam side up into the floured towel in the bowl. Cover with another kitchen towl and let rise for about 30 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and line the parchment with flour, semolina, or cornmeal and gently place the bread, seam side down on the baking sheet.
(It is easier if you remove the entire towel with the bread, set on a flat surface, then gently lift the bread off the towel, carry quickly to the baking pan and gently turn it upside down onto the pan.)
Bake about 30 minutes or until golden.
When bread is finished bakiing it will produce a hollow sound when you knock on the top.
