CALORIES IN ITALIAN BREAD RECIPES

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 5 3/4 cups flour and salt, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
• Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide in half. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), shape each portion into a 12-inch loaf on a floured surface. Place the loaves on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
• Uncover dough. Brush the loaves with cold water; make 5 diagonal cuts 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf using a sharp knife. Place baking sheet in cold oven, and set to 400°. Bake 40 minutes or until loaves are browned on bottom and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan, and cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Stir to combine and set aside for roughly 30 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom.
• While waiting, whisk together flour and salt.
• After the yeast has bloomed, add your sifted flour mixture and Italian seasoning. Mix until it forms a sticky dough.
• Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm area. Allow the dough to rise for 3 hours. Note that this will not rise as high as a normal bread dough due to the absence of any sweeteners.
• Dust flour on your work area, and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it turns smooth. Make sure it doesn't stick to your hands.
• Form a ball with the dough and transfer this onto your greased baking sheet.
• Cover the dough once again with a damp cloth and set it aside in a warm area. Allow it to rise for the second time for roughly an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 360 degrees F while waiting.
• Score the top of your dough with a sharp knife. Bake the dough for roughly 35 minutes until the crust turns golden. If you prefer a softer crust, bake for roughly 25 minutes instead.
• Once baked, transfer onto cooling racks and set aside until it reaches room temperature. Your Italian bread should sound hollow when tapped, which is a good sign that it has baked nicely.
• Serve your low-calorie Italian bread with ¼ cup of jam and butter. Enjoy while warm!