Best Bon Appetits Italian Pepper Bread Recipes

BON APPETIT'S ITALIAN PEPPER BREAD

Steps:

• Oil large bowl and set aside. Warm salt pork in large skillet over low heat until some fat is rendered. Increase heat to medium-high and saute until crisp. Drain pork on paper towels. Reserve 1/4 cup fat from skillet.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups warm water, reserved pork fat, salt and pepper in large bowl. Dissolve yeast in remaining 3/4 cup warm water. Let stand until foamy and proofed, about 10 minutes.
• Add to pepper mixture. Add salt pork and 3 cups flour, stirring vigorously until mixture forms smooth batter.
• Blend in remaining flour 1 cup at a time to form stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer to prepared bowl, turning to coat entire surface. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and cut in half. Divide each half into thirds. Roll each piece into 12-inch-long rope. Place 3 ropes on ungreased baking sheet and braid together, pinching ends to seal.
• Repeat with remaining dough. Cover lightly and let stand in warm, draft-free area until doubled, 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375*F. Brush loaves with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until crust is golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped, 40-45 minutes. Cool on racks.
• Italian Pepper Bread can be prepared ahead, wrapped tightly in foil and frozen.

SHOCKINGLY EASY NO-KNEAD FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Whisk yeast, honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
• Pour 4 Tbsp. oil into the biggest bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
• Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan (for thicker focaccia that's perfect for sandwiches) or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Using a fork in each hand makes this process even easier and less messy!)
• Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over the dough and coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it's ready, poke the dough with your finger. The dough should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn't ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren't, you can chill it up to 1 hour.)
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you may not need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, as if you're aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20-30 minutes.
• Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and grate in garlic (use 2 cloves if you're garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted, about 45 seconds. Brush garlic butter all over focaccia. If you don't want to serve the focaccia immediately, hold off on brushing so it remains crisp.

GRILLED BREAD SALAD WITH SWEET PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Toss bread with 2 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Toss bell peppers and onions with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Grill bread, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Grill vegetables, turning often, until very tender and charred in spots, 8-10 minutes for peppers and 10-12 minutes for onions; transfer to a cutting board.
• Trim root end from onions and separate layers. Transfer to a large bowl, add vinegar and paprika, and toss to coat. Remove as much skin as possible from peppers; discard. Cut into 1 1/2" strips.
• Add peppers, grilled bread, 2 tablespoons chives, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to bowl with onions and toss to combine; season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired. Serve topped with more chives.

CIABATTA

Steps:

• Make biga:
• Place water in processor. Sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup flour; process until blended. Scrape down sides of work bowl. Add 1 cup flour; repeat processing and scraping. Add remaining 1 1/3 cups flour. Process until small moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball (dough will be firm); place in large bowl. Cover; chill overnight (biga will soften, resembling thick oatmeal in texture).
• Make dough:
• Pull biga into walnut-size pieces; place in a clean large bowl. Add water, yeast and 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons semolina. Using 1 hand, squeeze ingredients together 2 minutes. Work dough 4 minutes by scooping sections from sides of bowl and pressing into center, blending into very soft, shaggy mass. Using spatula, scrape dough from sides of bowl into center. Let dough rest in bowl, uncovered, 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle salt over dough. Using 1 hand, knead dough by rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, scooping dough from sides and folding down into center until dough starts to come away from sides of bowl, about 5 minutes. Scrape dough from hand and sides of bowl. Cover bowl with towel; let dough rest 20 minutes.
• Rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, fold dough over onto itself 6 times; turn dough over in bowl. Cover with towel and let dough rest in bowl 20 minutes.
• Bake bread:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle work surface with additional semolina. Turn dough out onto semolina. Using pastry scraper or large knife, cut dough in half; keep halves separated. Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with additional semolina. Transfer each dough half, semolina side up, to 1 sheet. Stretch each dough half to 16x4-inch rectangle. Press fingertips into dough in several places to dimple surface (characteristic of this bread). Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Double-wrap in aluminum foil to freeze.)