Italian Bread

• servings: 36 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

7 cups all-purpose flour, divided, or as needed

1 tablespoon salt

cooking spray

Directions

Gather all ingredients.

Add sugar and yeast to the warm water and let proof.

Stir in 4 cups flour and beat until smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Beat in salt and then add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until soft and smooth. Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Once doubled, punch down and form into two fat "footballs." Grease heavy cookie sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the bread on the sheets, cover with a towel, and let rise 30 min

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

Place loaves in the preheated oven with a pan of water on the rack below

Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, 20 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition

• Calories: 90 kcal
• Total Fat: 0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Sodium: 194 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 0 g
• Protein: 3 g