Italian Bread

1. Add the yeast and water in an electric mixer’s bowl and leave it be for 5-10 minutes until it has risen and bloomed.
2. Add the flour and sugar to the yeast mixture.
3. Using the dough hook of the electric mixer, start beating the ingredients until a light dough like consistency is formed.
4. Add in the oil and salt and keep beating on slow speed for about 8 minutes.
5. Transfer this dough into a large bowl that is greased with cooking spray or butter. Lightly spray the dough with some cooking spray and set it aside for 12 hours by covering it with a cling film. The dough should double in size after 12 hours.
6. Remove from the plastic cover from bowl, punch and knead the dough and roll it out on a clean and flour dusted surface.
7. Make a long oval shape of the dough that resembles a loaf.
8. Place a parchment paper in a baking tray and put the dough on it.
9. Dust some semolina flour on top of the dough.
10. Brush the dough with sesame seeds and egg evenly.
11. Using a sharp knife, make slanted slashes on top of the dough. They should be about3 inches deep.
12. Spray the dough with some water.
13. Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F for about 3 minutes. Spray some water at 3-minute intervals twice again.
14. Bake for an additional 45 minutes straight. The bread should be able to have a hollow thud sound when whacked on a surface.
15. Let the bread cool off and enjoy.

Trivia

• Bread is one of the most common, inexpensive and popular foods in the world with over 2000 different types eaten every day.
• The ancient Greeks were already making 70 types of bread back in 2500 BC.

There are over 20 types of bread eaten in Italy.