Easy Italian Recipes

This is a good crusty loaf and quicker to make than the Rustic White Bread. It is speeded up by the addition of beer yeast and can be made with either a biga or a madre. This recipe has two risings, giving a lighter loaf. It could be made with just one like the Quick White Bread, resulting in a denser loaf but still with a good crumb, but the biga gives a much better flavour and crust, For bigger holes in the dough and a more even, lighter result, let the dough rise three times before baking.

Makes 1 big white loaf
200g biga (1/2 quantity of "starter dough" recipe)
450g strong white flour 300ml tepid water
20g fresh yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Follow the instructions for preparing the Quick White Bread until you have a loose ball of dough. Add the biga and knead on a lightly floured work surface for 10 minutes, until smooth. Try to use additional flour sparingly. For a lighter loaf, leave the dough to rise in an oiled bowl, covered in a little oil and then with clingfilm or a tea-towel. This should take about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Shape the loaf or loaves and leave on a large oiled baking tray. to prove for 30-40 minutes, until light and puffy- looking and doubled in size. When ready, put the tray in the oven, spraying around the loaf with water. Quickly close the door, trapping the steam inside. Bake the bread for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Bread with olives is made in various forms in Italy. In Milan I bought short sticks flavoured with olives and others with walnuts but there is no reason not to mix the two. Or to swap the olives for raisins; we served a raisin and walnut bread with cheese at our restaurant in Bray.

Makes 2 leaves or 6 sesame seed rolls
1 quantity of Quick White Bread dough
150g olives, roughly chopped and dried on kitchen paper
50g walnuts

Follow the instructions for preparing the Quick White Bread, leave the dough to double in size and then put it on a floured work surface, spreading it out into an oval about 3cm thick. Lay over the olives and/or walnuts. Fold the dough over from either side into the centre. Now pull the dough from the top and bottom edges into the centre and push down on the seam, creating a backbone. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the folding 15-20 times, until the olives and nuts are all incorporated. (Some will fall out; pop them back in the centre and keep folding and turning until amalgamated.)
Form the shape into two rounds and slash a cross in the top. Leave on a large oiled baking tray until
doubled in size, 1-11/2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Variation: Sesame Seed Rolls
Split the risen dough into six portions. Fold the sides of each piece in, then pull the top and bottom edges into the centre and push down on the seam to create a backbone. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the folding five times. Roll each piece gently to give a longer shape, seam downwards. Wipe over a little egg white and pat on some sesame seeds. Slash the tops and leave to rise until doubled in size. Bake as above.