Tuscan
Bread; One Loaf or Five?
While visiting Tuscany, Ruthie and I loved the
deliciously crusty little bread loaves served on the side; so much in fact that
I learned to bake them myself. And my own Tuscan loaves are pretty good too,
because while they’re still in the oven Ruthie’s already circling like a
vulture with her bread knife. But, before I pass this simple recipe on to you
be warned that like most guys baking anything, I wing it with precise amounts and
all that other boring stuff. That said, let’s begin.
First, I use self-rising flour marked “Ideal for Bread Machines”.
I quit using ours, by the way, because the dumb thing always overflowed gooey
dough down its sides. Next set aside 2 1/2 cups of flour, or 3, or 4, or 5
(we’re winging it, remember) and don’t fret over extra loaves, they make great
gifts.
Add 1 tablespoon of
yeast, although sometimes I put in 2 or 3, to 1 1/4 cups of very warm water. Hotter
than lukewarm, that is, but not too hot or you’ll kill those hard-working
little yeast buds. Add 1 (or several) tablespoons of sugar to excite the yeast
into expanding. Except, then add salt so it won’t get overly-excited and leave
gaping holes in your loaves. The right amount is tricky, since too much stops
the dough from rising. Just cool it with say half a teaspoon and you might be
OK. Now, does the mixture get frothy? If not, the yeast is outdated, so toss it
and go buy more. I usually do, since Ruthie steals it for her own silly baking
projects.
Stir
the liquid and slowly pour it onto the flour spread on the counter. Oh, did you
shape the flour into a crater? No!? Uh-oh, so now you’re chasing this gooey
mess all over the counter, right? Well, just sprinkle on more flour but not
too much! Otherwise, you’ll be adding yet more water, though too much of
that will get it gooshy again. Of course, at this rate you’ll have enough
loaves to take to the middle school for the kids’ lunch hour (I’m not making
this up, I did this once).
Keep kneading and re-kneading the dough until smooth and
free of lumps. And if any sticks to your fingers, then just do what I do…and
eat it. This won’t hurt your diet, either. Having already burned a jillion calories
by kneading it, by now you might’ve even lost a few pounds.
Put the dough ball in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick
stuff, cover, and place in a warm spot for 1 ½ or 2 hours (or sometimes only 1)
to rise. Re-knead, shape into as many ovals large or small that you want,
arrange in non-stick Pyrex bowls (I found three at Practical Cents for next to
nothing), and let rise for another hour. After placing the bowls on the middle
rack of the oven preheated to, oh I don’t know, between 350-400 degrees, bake
for 30 minutes. Or maybe 35.
Now’s the tough part, or it is for me anyway. After placing
my hot loves on wire racks to cool, I have to fight off Ruthie who’s ready to
pounce on these beauties with her bread knife. And naturally, so will you with
kids or spouses irresistibly drawn by that wonderfully fragrant aroma. But no
problem with that, because by using this recipe, trust me. You’ll have
plenty of these delicious Tuscan loaves for everyone. And then some.
