Italian Mini-Loaves!!!

my new obsession has been baking bread (i am becoming quite the lil house-wifie :D ). i first tested out this recipe wednesday night cuz any cook knows that you should never try a recipe for the first time for guests (and especially on a food centric holiday like thanksgiving). we figured the test batch wouldn't go to complete waste since we could let them dry out and they would be perfect for stuffing (btw...it was yummy stuffing--trust me i'm a stuffing connoisseur and if it were socially acceptable to live solely on a diet of stuffing, i would).

anyways, i digress....i picked these loaves out so that we could have a bread with a nice crust and a soft fresh interior. they were based off of a recipe by emeril, but adjusted due to ingredient availability, loaf size, and the wondrous southern humidity (once upon a time i despised said humidity since it made my hair look awful, but after my recent visit to vegas and some seriously dry skin/sinuses for many days following, i have grown to appreciate our moist ocean air even more).

also please note that if you do not prefer mini loaves, you can certainly disregard the steps to split the loaves and makes this recipe into one big loaf.

italian bread loaves (makes 8 mini loaves as pictured -- where mini loaf = large sandwich roll = 2-3 dinner rolls)

1 C lukewarm water

3 tsp active dry yeast

2 2/3 - 3 C bread flour (note: do not substitute all purpose flour since it lacks the gluten that bread flour contains)

1/2 Tbs dark brown sugar

1 Tbs Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbs salt

1 egg white, lightly beaten

corn meal for dusting the paddle and pizza stone

Place the water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in the mixer bowl and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5-10 minutes (i just sprinkle the dry yeast on top of the lukewarm water and wait for this to foam). Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour (i add the flour 1/2 cup at a time since the total amount used depends on the moisture content in the air that day) and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. you will know you've added enough flour when the ball forms and starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl and stay with the dough hook. Drizzle the oil and add the salt into the dough and increase the speed to medium for 8 to 10 minutes. When the dough is ready it will appear smooth, firm, and elastic in nature.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and coat the ball in a thin coating of oil (I used extra virgin olive oil since this flavor was already used in the dough). Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. We place our bowl of dough on the stove near the oven heat vent while the oven pre-heats for baking and it usually takes just about an hour to rise in this location.

Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Split the dough in half, and then split each half in half again and again until you have eight even balls. Roll each ball up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll and form into an elongated loaf shape.

Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with cornmeal. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size (again we place it near the oven's heating vent to proof). Brush the dough with the egg white and using a sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.

Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. With the mini-loaves we placed three in the oven at a time on a large square baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving (or however long you can stand to wait :D ).