Italian Pane Basso Bread Perfect With Fish

by allthegearnoidea Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:46 am

Recipe information:

Serves: 16: makes 2 loaves
Prep time: 230 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Nutrition per serving:
188 calories, 0.7g fat (of which saturated fat 0.11g), 0.6g salt, 0.77g sugar
Italian pane basso bread
This recipe from Tuscany uses unbleached plain flour & bread flour.
Ingredients
40g fresh yeast or 20g dried yeast
600ml warm water
15g salt
400g plain flour
475g strong bread flour
Method

If using dried yeast, leave it to dissolve in the warm water for about 10 minutes.
Put the yeast water or water & fresh yeast in a large mixing bowl with the salt & gradually add the flour, stirring it in with a fork or spoon until the mixture is stiff enough to mix with your hands.
Knead the dough, adding a little more flour if necessary, until it is smooth & elastic.
Using extra flour, shape the dough into two round or oblong flat loaves.
Sprinkle the tops well with flour, place them on a floured baking sheet and leave to rise in a warm place for 1-4 hours, depending on the temperature, or until they have doubled in size & have a deeply cracked surface.
Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, gas mark 5.
Bake the loaves in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the crust is hard & golden.