L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano B r e a d m a y b e the one Italian food staple that m o s t v i s i t o r s d o n ' t s e e m t o e n v y . O v e r t h e y e a r s I ' v e h e a r d a l l k i n d s o f c o m - plaints: it's white and taste- less, it lacks body, it doesn't come with a bowl of dipping oil. In a word, hopeless. Please consider that Italy h a s h u n d r e d s o f k i n d s o f bread, most unique to each region. Sardinia offers thin pane carasau, also called " m u s i c p a p e r " b r e a d ; robust Altamura is a sta- ple in Puglia; and focaccia, in all its many forms, is also a bread. Specialist food shops and larger supermarkets stock n o n - r e g i o n a l b r e a d s b u t even then, the variety is lim- ited. Only relatively upmar- ket restaurants offer flavored or seeded breads. Everyday bread tends to be plain. W h y i s t h i s ? W h y i s a country acclaimed for its magnificent cuisine, happy with boring bread? The truth is, bread, for us, is like your pillow, and we don't consid- er it boring. We are used to its familiar flavor and tex- ture and, most importantly, there are endless ways to eat it. Our bread has a different r o l e i n a m e a l . W i t h t h e exception of special occa- sions, bread is nothing more than a discreet companion to the delicious food that so many of us know and love. It's not for dipping - why s p o i l y o u r a p p e t i t e w i t h bread and oil or butter, when so many good things await? It's not for absorbing excess sauce - Italians don't usually over-sauce their pasta, so no bread is needed to soak up any leftover sauce. When you go to a restau- rant, watch the way Italians e a t . T h e y t a k e a s l i c e o f bread, break it up into small cubes and then eat it with soups, appetizers or a second course. In Umbria we tend to eat low salt bread with a light LETIZIA MATTIACCI a n d a i r y t e x t u r e a n d a crunchy crust. It is ideal not only to make bruschetta or c r o s t i n i , b u t i s a p e r f e c t a c c o m p a n i m e n t t o a n Umbrian-style appetizer of c h a r c u t e r i e m e a t s a n d pecorino, or to enjoy with o u r f a v o r i t e s t r e e t f o o d , porchetta. T h i s i s a r u s t i c l o a f o f white, which works beauti- fully with stone-ground flour which makes bread flavorful, aromatic and rises well with hardly any effort. Good qual- ity organic flour makes a worthy substitute but you m i g h t n e e d t o a d j u s t t h e amount of water as every flour is different in its capa- bility to absorb liquids. Ingredients: 550 g (4 and 1⁄2 cups) fine stone-ground flour or organ- ic white bread flour (protein content 11-12%) 10 g (1 and 1⁄2 teaspoon) salt 10 g (2 teaspoons) sugar 2 g ( 1 ⁄ 2 t e a s p o o n ) d r y yeast 2 5 g ( 1 a n d 1 ⁄ 2 t a b l e - spoons) butter, softened at room temperature 3 4 0 m l ( 1 a n d 1 ⁄ 2 c u p ) water, at room temperature If you can't source artisan stone-ground flour, at least try to buy the best available f l o u r . C o m p a r e d i f f e r e n t b r a n d s t o s e e w h i c h o n e g i v e s y o u m o r e r e l i a b l e results and a better flavor. Y o u w i l l f i n d t h a t n o t a l l brands are the same. With a g o o d f l o u r , e v e n a p l a i n bread like this one is very, very good. To make the dough: Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until the yeast d i s s o l v e s . U s i n g a m i x e r , combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Mix briefly. Add the yeast mixture and mix again to obtain a fairly wet, soft dough. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover first with cling film and then with a t e a t o w e l . P l a c e i t i n a draft-free area to rise, for example, a kitchen cabinet. To shape the dough: O n c e d o u b l e d i n s i z e , transfer the dough onto a well-floured worktop and stretch it carefully into a rec- tangular shape. Fold the long sides, one over the other, then roll the dough length- wise into a ball. Fold in the seams to cre- ate tension and shape it into a 35 cm long x 10 cm wide (13 x 5 inch) loaf. Create a loose tent over the dough with foil or a cot- t o n t o w e l , a n d a l l o w t h e dough to rise again for 30 minutes. The dough will still be quite soft so don't worry if it spreads a little, just fold it back into shape before bak- ing if necessary. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 220 °C (430°F). In a small bowl, make a mixture of oil and milk (approximately 1/2 tea- spoon of each) and use it to brush the surface of the loaf. Fill an ovenproof pan with boiling water, which you will use to create steam inside the oven. P l a c e t h e c o o k i e s h e e t with the loaf onto the pre- heated stone in the oven. Quickly place the pan of hot water in the bottom of the o v e n a n d c l o s e t h e o v e n door. Bake the bread for 15 minutes, then remove the pan of water. Continue bak- ing for a further 30-35 min- u t e s o r u n t i l t h e b r e a d b e c o m e s a d e e p g o l d e n color. R e m o v e f r o m t h e o v e n a n d c o o l o n a w i r e r a c k before slicing. L e t i z i a M a t t i a c c i i s a cookbook author and owner of Alla Madonna del Piatto C o o k i n g S c h o o l a n d A g r i t u r i s m o i n A s s i s i , U m b r i a , h t t p s : / / i n c a m - pagna.com. This recipe has been previously published in M r s . M a t t i a c c i c o o k b o o k entitled "A Kitchen with a view." Simple but delicious: Umbrian bread and extra virgin olive oil (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Simple and delicious bruschetta bread

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