Rich Italian Bread

More from the National Festival of Breads contest of last summer (blog of June 24, 2013 ). This is one I've been wanting to try and waiting for an Italian menu to go with it. Our after-Thanksgiving Saturday dinner was the time. With lasagna, tossed salad and green beans, this bread was just right.
Jane Hinrichsen, from Minnesota, was the contestant who submitted this recipe which was a finalist. She developed it when she was a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and her class was preparing a meal for the football team.

Photo from the National Festival of Breads website

Rich Italian Bread

Prep Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Yield: Makes 2 large loaves, 24 slices each

Ingredients

6-6 ½ cups King Arthur Bread Flour, divided 


1 package Fleischmann’s® Rapid Rise™ Yeast 


2 ¼ cups low-fat milk 


2 tablespoons granulated sugar 


3 tablespoons olive oil 


2 teaspoons salt 


2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning 


2 teaspoons garlic powder 


½ cup finely chopped onion 


¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 


25 pepperoni slices (1.5 ounces), finely chopped (turkey or original) 


1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, (no salt added), drain well 


1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drain well 


1 tablespoon cornmeal, divided 

Instructions

1. In large mixer bowl, using paddle attachment, combine 2½ cups flour and yeast. 



2. In microwaveable bowl, heat milk, sugar, oil, salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder until very warm (120° to 130°F). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Add onion, Parmesan cheese, pepperoni and 1½ cups flour; stir in well-drained tomatoes and olives. Gradually add enough of the remaining 2½ cups flour to make a soft dough. (If tomatoes are not drained well, the dough will be very sticky and extra flour may be needed.) 



3. Knead with dough hook 10 minutes. Cover bowl; let rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle two 16 x 14-inch baking sheets with cornmeal. On work surface, divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into two round loaves and place on baking sheets. Cover loaves with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Let rise in warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 45 minutes. Using a fine, sharp serrated knife or baker’s slashing tool, make slashes about 1/8-inch deep, slashing the top in quarters. 



4. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and its internal temperature registers 204°F on an instant-read thermometer. 

Note: Dough may be used for pizza crust, sandwich buns, rolls or soup bowls.

Nutrition Information

One slice provides approximately 133 calories; 8 g protein; 16 g carbohydrates; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g fat (1 g saturated); 21 mg cholesterol; 39 mcg folate; 1 mg iron and 435 mg sodium.

I kneaded the dough by hand as I have better luck getting a manageable dough with that method. It is a very moist dough, even after draining and pressing the liquid from the tomatoes. I made the dough into rolls (25-30, it is a big recipe), and baked about 30 minutes. After baking the product is very soft, we actually liked the rolls better after they were frozen and reheated in the oven with the baking lasagna, they became a bit more crispy.