Ingredients

½ tbsp Instant Yeast

2 ¼ cups Warm Water

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1½ tsp Kosher Salt

4 ½ cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Shredded Fresh Parmesan

1 ½ tsp Cracked Black Pepper 

Instructions

1) Mix yeast and warm water in a large metal bowl with a whisk.

2) Add olive oil and 1 tsp salt.

3) Add flour one cup at a time. Use a whisk for the first two cups, then use a rubber spatula to add remaining flour.

4) Fold in parmesan and cracked black pepper.

5) Form the dough into a ball. Remove dough from the bowl, spray the bowl with baking spray, and return the dough to the bowl.

6) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour.

7) Press dough down and fold into a ball. Return the dough to the bowl with the seam side down.

8) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

9) Place dough on a lightly-floured counter and fold into a long cylinder. With a sharp knife, score the top of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining ½ tsp salt over the dough. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Allow the dough to rise, uncovered on a greased pan, for 20 minutes.

10) Bake for 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

This bread is perfect for sandwiches and Italian pasta. Most bread recipes require a separate bowl to mix the dough and one for rising.

As long as all of the flour ends up in the dough when you mix it, you don’t have to put the dough in another bowl for rising. Save yourself the trouble of cleaning two bowls and just use one.

I made this bread for my cousin Amy and her husband when they visited last year. They enjoyed it, and I hope you will too.