My Nonna on Making Bread

When I was about 6 years old, I can remember kneeling on a kitchen chair in my grandmother's kitchen.  She was about to make bread.  I watched her scoop out flour onto her wooden board and mix it with a bit of coarse salt from her salt jar. She made a well in the flour. In a bowl she added yeast, and warm water from a pitcher and sugar.  She gradually added the wet mixture to the flour. As she began kneading I asked her, "Nonna, how do you know how much flour and water and salt to use?"  She smiled and answered in Italian.  "Picolina, quanto basta."  (Little one,  when enough is enough).  As she kneaded the bread, she guided my hand in hers and told me to "feel" how to do it.


She made fresh Italian bread every week.
I would always talk to her in English and she would answer in Italian.  She said she wanted to learn English and I should learn Italian!  Sometimes I needed her broken English translations!


My Nonna's Bread (Makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
2 cups warm water (not over 110°F)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 to 6 cups unbleached all purpose flour  (quanto basta)


To Mix the Dough:
In today's kitchen you would add yeast and sugar to warm water in a bowl stirring gently until yeast and sugar dissolve.  Then gradually add flour and salt and mix and fold until the the forming dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.


Kneading the Dough:
Turn out the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.  Hand kneading is an art but it is not hard once you do it.  Fold the far edge of the dough back over itself towards you and press down with the heels of your hands.  Then turn the ball 90 degrees and fold the far edge of the dough back over itself again. Press down with the heels of your hand.  Continue this for about 3 to 5 minutes (quanto basta) until a smooth ball is formed.   


Transfer and Let Rise:
Place dough in a lightly buttered bowl, turning over once to be sure the top is buttered. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise about 1 to 2 hours (quanto basta) until doubled in size.  I place mine in the oven to prevent drafts affecting the dough.  


After First Rising--Forming the Loafs:
Gently grasp the dough in the bowl and transfer it to your floured surface.  Gently knead it let the gas bubbles escape.  Cut the dough into two pieces.  Form the dough pieces into two loaf shapes and place into two greased loaf pans.  Cover the pans with a damp towel and let rise until double in size.  (Again I place mine in the oven to avoid drafts)

Nowadays you can also make a more artisan bread by forming the loaves and placing them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and letting them rise. 


Baking the Loaves:
Remove the towels from the loaves and place in oven.  Turn the heat to 400 degrees F, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  The crust should be golden and you'll know when its done when it sounds hollow when you tap it.  Take the pans out of the oven and remove loaves, wrapping them in a towel to cool.

Alternately, make some slashes in the tops of the artisan loaves on the baking sheet.  Place in the oven and turn to 400 degrees F.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  The crust and you'll know when its done when it sounds hollow when you tap it.

Or if you can't wait, slice with a bread knife or tear off a piece and enjoy hot out of the oven!