Italian Bread BBA Recipe #15

I cant say it enough....so much bread, so little time.


I have spent most of the summer having an on going affair with flour, yeast and water. I can't seem to get enough. I have posted dear john letters, poems and pictures describing this torrid affair. It is a love like no other.


Along comes the Italian Bread. Another accent. Another amazing loaf. Again, I am in love. It is so delicious. I love the texture of this bread and I found myself not being able to stop. Thank god I made this bread on a day a family dinner party was planned. If not I would have ate two loaves right in the kitchen, then went to sleep for the rest of the night, woke up early the next day to begin another recipe of love.

The recipe was easy to follow. Again it was another 2 day process making a biga the day before. The loaves formed up easily and rose beautifully. I am still working on the slashing part....I dont know what happened...I used to be much better. Maybe I am just so excited to get the loaf into the over and then into my mouth that I dont really care what it looks like. Either way it is scrumptious.
I enjoyed sharing the loaves with family. We had one last dinner party out back before the little cousins head off to school. We had veggie white lasagna with with spinach, zucchini and artichokes, lots of cheese and a luscious bechamel. We also enjoyed a peach tomato salad ( http://www.peteeatemall.com/2009/09/wednesdays-pictorial-poem-and-recipe.html ) and chocolate applesauce cakes with port cherries and home made vanilla ice cream. The Italian bread was perfect to soak up the fig balsamic and cheese sauce.


Well the affair continues...next Kaiser Rolls then Lavash Crackers. They look phenomenal and I am excited to make them both. There is plenty of room in my heart for both of them.

I joked today about wanting to be in a salad challenge. I love bread - just a little too much. I really am enjoying the BBA Challenge even more than ever. Be sure to check out The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart. You too can have summer full of bread love!

As always Happy baking!

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing - bake bread.

(Priorities and Choices!)

Check out

French Bread

http://www.peteeatemall.com/2009/08/french-bread-i-am-sucker-for-accents.html
Bagels
http://www.peteeatemall.com/2009/05/enjoying-outdoors-with-my-bagels.html
English Muffins
http://www.peteeatemall.com/2009/08/dear-john-letter-to-bagel.html
Foccacia
http://www.peteeatemall.com/2009/08/wednesdays-pictorial-poem.html