skyes almost as good as bakery crusty italian bread

Ingredients skyes almost as good as bakery crusty italian bread

1 cup warm water heated to 100 degrees F
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cup bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 (1/4 oz) pkg active dry yeast
1 cornmeal (for sprinkling on pan)
1 egg white beaten (for brushing the top of bread)

how to make skyes almost as good as bakery crusty italian bread

lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off.

in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. mix well.

add warm water and oil. mix well. at this point I let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. knead dough 10 minutes or until soft and smooth.

place dough in a lightly greased bowl. cover with plastic wrap and cloth towel. let rise in a warm place until doubled. usually anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

sprinkle ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal.

turn out dough and punch it down. cover dough with inverted bowl and allow to rest on counter for 15 minutes.

shape dough into baguette-shaped loaf about 12 inches long. place on cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. cover and let rise in warm place for 30 - 45 minutes ot until doubled in size.

pre-heat oven to 350°F

with a very sharp knife, make 1 deep lengthwise slash down center of the top of the loaf. brush loaf with egg white.

bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped lightly.

make sure to stop and enjoy the touch and feel of the dough... and smells coming from your oven and filling your kitchen from baking your own bread

allow loaf to cool. .. slice it up... and enjoy