Italian Bread (Soft loaf)

At our house, we like a loaf of soft Italian bread for different kinds of sandwiches, (especially when we have Italian beef sandwiches). It doesn't take long to make a loaf, it's so easy, and it takes so few ingredients. Let me show you how I make it.

You will need:
1 packet of yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
2 1/2 cups bread flour, (or all purpose)
2 Tabs olive oil
1 tsp salt

 In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it blooms, (becomes foamy).

 Add to the yeast olive oil, and salt, stir in.

Add in the flour, stirring in until completely incorporated.

I like to use bread flour, but you can use all purpose flour.

The dough will come together and become shaggy, (it will pull away from the sides of the bowl).  It will be slightly damp.   Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes.

You can add some more flour to the dough as you knead it so that it forms a smooth ball.  You will know your dough is ready when you press a finger into the dough and it springs back.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow it to rise until it doubles in size, (about 1 hour), in a warm place.

After 1 hour, this is what your dough will look like.

Place your dough on a work surface, and gently shape it into a 12-inch long batard, (torpedo).

 GENTLY transfer the dough to a parchment lined, (or lightly greased), baking sheet.  Cover the dough, and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees, and allow the oven to preheat, and get nice and hot.

After 20 minutes, use a serrated knife and cut 3 or 4 quarter inch slits in the surface of the dough, (this allows the bread to bake evenly throughout).  Bake the dough for 20 minutes, checking it during the last couple of minutes.

You want your dough to be nice and brown.  I test my bread with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it reads 200 degrees internally when I pull it out of the oven.

Note:  if you would like a crispy exterior, you can spray the exterior of the bread lightly with water after it has been baking in the oven.

Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Notice the nice texture of the bread.  And it tastes wonderful.

Sometimes when I want to add additional flavor inside the bread, I will add 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning to the dough when I add the flour.  It gives the bread another level of flavor.

This bread stores very well.

Tonight we are having Italian roast beef sandwiches.  This is just the bread for these sandwiches.  It soaks up the juices from the meat and carries the heartiness of the meat and peppers.

Try this bread at your house.

Enjoy!

Orange Sweet Rolls

Lately several of the grocery stores have been selling large oranges at very good sales prices.  As I was enjoying a sweet, juicy, delicious one I got to thinking about my cherry rolls, and pumpkin rolls.  Then I thought, "Hey, it's time for some Orange Sweet Rolls, just like I remember grandma making".  These are super soft and sweet cinnamon rolls flavored with fresh orange, flaky layers, and topped with an orange icing.  And you can have it in just about 2 hours.  I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen.  Let me show you how easy they are.

You will need:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast
3/4 cup milk
6 Tabs softened butter
1 large orange
1 large egg
1 Tabs cinnamon
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Wash and dry the orange, then grate the peel, (you will need a total of 3 Tabs orange peel).  Next, juice the orange, (you will need  5 Tabs of fresh orange juice).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, and yeast, (2/14 tsp of yeast).  Mix it well.

Place the milk and 3 Tabs of butter in a microwaveable container.

Heat until the butter is melted and the milk is warm, (about 120 - 130 degrees).

Add in 2 Tabs of orange juice.

 Add in 1 Tabs of orange zest.

Add in the egg.

Mix well.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients.

Stir until the flour mixture forms a soft dough and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

 Turn out unto a lightly floured work surface, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes adding in more flour if needed, (1 Tabs at a time), until the dough becomes smooth.

Your dough will look like this when it is smooth and has enough elasticity.  You can press your finger into the center of the dough and the dough will bounce back.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.  The dough will rise slightly.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14 X 8 inch rectangle. Notice the lovely orange zest in the dough.  And it smells heavenly.

Lightly spread the remaining 3 Tabs of butter over the dough.

In a small bowl, combing the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and the remaining orange zest, (about 1 to 2 Tabs.).  Mix together well.

Spread the sugar mixture, evenly over the buttered dough.

Starting at the long end, roll the dough tightly.  Make sure to seal up the ends and the edges, so the filling stays inside.

Cut the dough into 10 to 12 pieces.  In our house, we light larger rolls, so we usually only get 8 to 9 rolls from our dough.

Place the rolls in a greased 9 ince round cake or pie dish.  Cover and allow to rise, until double in size, in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes.


NOTE:  If you want to make these ahead of time for breakfast, you can stop at this point and cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, (BEFORE it has a change to rise).  Then the next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature, (about 1 hour).  And proceed with the directions.

After 60 minutes, this is how much my rolls have risen.  We can not wait any longer, so we will bake ours now.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned.  If your oven bakes hot, cover your rolls after 15 minutes with a piece of aluminum foil to avoid over-browning on top.  When the rolls are done, remove and place on a cooling rack.

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 or 3 Tabs of orange juice. 

Whisk until smooth.

Drizzle or spread over the rolls while they are still warm.

Your rolls are now ready to eat !

OH BOY !  Are these ever delicious.  You can taste the orange, but it's not over powering.  And the layers of flaky dough, so light and airy.

Give these a try.  Not to many ingredients needed for a wonderful treat.