Italian Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water (105-115 F)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cornmeal

Makes 12 Servings (1/12 loaf per serving)

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup of the water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of water through the feed tube until the dough just forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.
3. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, 40-50 minutes.
4. Punch down the dough; lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough; form into a 12 X 16-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, lengthwise, and pinch he seams to seal, forming into a 12-inch tapered oval loaf.
5. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray; sprinkle the cornmeal in a 12-inch strip down the center. Place the loaf on the baking sheet; cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
6. Dust the loaf with about 1 teaspoon flour; with a sharp knife or single-edge razor blade, cut 2-3 slashes into the top. Place the upper third of a cold oven; set the oven to 400 F. bake about 20 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 25-30 minutes longer. Remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on a rack.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. If you love Italian  bread, you'll love this version of homemade Italian bread. I highly recommend making this bread on the weekend because making bread takes time. This bread is so delicious, you'll have it again and  again  and you'll forget it's goof for you. Plus, there is no sugar in this bread so no need to worry. You can use this Italian bread as toast, make slices for a bread basket, as a hoagie or even spread it with olive oil and garlic for homemade garlic bread.