Italian Bread, Soldano

Italian Bread
From Al Soldano, Soldano’s Italian Bakery

Makes 10 loaves

22 cups Flour
10 cups water
2 ½ tablespoons salt
8 tablespoons lard
4 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 eggs

Mix flour and salt in bowl, yeast and lard in luke warm water, mixing thoroughly.
Mix liquid with flour a little at a time. Add eggs to mix and stir thoroughly. Cover and keep warm and let rise,(1 ½ hour) Beat down and let rise again (1 ½ hour). Weigh 1 lb 3 oz and put in greased loaf pans, cover and let rise. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Weight is more or less, depending on what you want for size of loaf

Options:

1. make egg wash for top of loaves.
2. sprinkle corn meal in bottom of loaf pans for crusty bottom.
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½ of recipe makes 6 loaves 1/4 of recipe makes 3 loaves

11 cups Flour 5 1/2 cups Flour
5 cups Water 2 1/2 cups Water
1 ¼ tablespoons Salt 2 teaspoons Salt
4 tablespoons lard 2 tablespoons lard
1 1/8 tablespoons yeast 3 teaspoons yeast
2 eggs 1 egg

The following will make 4 loaves
8 cups Flour
2 ¾ cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons crisco
3 teaspoons instant yeast
2 egg

For rye bread, use 2 cups rye flour and 6 cups regular.
For wheat bread, use 3 cups wheat flour and 5 cups regular.

I use instant yeast in all of my breads.

Tim Bowley