Italian Bread

[Norman Walsh]

On a recent visit to Toronto I had for the first time Italian bread and it was the best bread I have ever tasted.

I would love the recipe for this bread or does it use ingredients only obtained commercially?

Any information on this would be very gratefully received.

Thanks

norm

[prasantrin]

Can you be more specific? Was it hard and crusty in a sort of roll-shape, or soft and flat, but a little greasy like focaccia, or soft and flat, but not so greasy like ciabatta, or...?

You need to give more information if you want more help.

[Anna N]

prasantrin is right! Bread labelled "Italian" in the Toronto region can range from stuff that is barely better then supermarket sandwich bread to some superbly flavoured breads. Tell us more.

[Norman Walsh]

prasantrin is right!  Bread labelled "Italian" in the Toronto region can range from stuff that is barely better then supermarket sandwich bread to some superbly flavoured breads.  Tell us more.

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The outside was hard and crusty, inside was chewy and in a long roll shape.

I bought it from a small Italian bakery in the Italian district off St.Claire.

Thanks

Norm

[djyee100]

Possibly the bakery was using an extra-good flour with some malted barley in it. But I bet the secret was really the method, not the ingredients. Have you tried to bake artisanal breads like the Italian bread you tried? The Italian bread in Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice cookbook starts with a prefermented dough or biga, & that's what gives the bread a great flavor. His recipe has an optional ingredient of barley malt powder, also. The other ingredients are bread flour, water, dry yeast, salt, a little oil. No special ingredients here.

I can recommend Reinhart's book, that's the one I use.

Edited April 30, 2008 by djyee100 (log)