Italian bread

This is a rather easy bread to make and you can stud it with rosemary, sage and any other hard herb that you want or use olives if you like.  It is like making any other bread it just takes time and the right technique.  I do not really know if you can call this Italian bread as it just is enriched with olive oil but it is a staring place.

You will need

30g/1oz fresh yeast
225ml/8floz lukewarm water
450g/1ld strong plain flour
 2tsp salt
2tbsp  olive oil

Now for this bread star by adding your yeast with a pinch or two of the flour to some of the water, make sure that the yeast has dissolved. Then sift the flour in to a large bowl. Once the yeast has started to froth make a well in the centre of the flour add the yeast and the olive oil and salt and fold the flour on to the liquid forming a dough.

Then turn the dough out on to a floured surface and start to knead the bred for about 8 minutes. Then cover and let it rest for about an hour so it has risen in size.  Then knock the bread back and then gently knead and shape the dough into the shape you want. Stud this bread with herbs, garlic and olives and then once more cover and let it double about one and a half times its size again.

Now cooking this in the oven you want to preheat your oven to 230c/450f for a good ten minutes before putting the bread in then turn the heat down to 190c/ 375f for about 45 minutes until cooked. It will sound hollow underneath when you tap it.

Then take out of the oven and cool on the side .