Fabulicious!: Teresa's Italian Family Cookbook by Teresa Giudice Read Free Book Online

“Teresa.” That’s who I was named after. My dad wanted to honor her because he never got to meet her.
     
     
     
    If you saw us visiting my hometown in Italy on the The Real Housewives of New Jersey, you know Sala Consilina is a rustic town built right into the mountains. I bet there’s not an electric bread machine within a hundred miles! People (and not just Andy Cohen) always ask me how I have such great, muscular arms. I don’t lift weights. I lift babies and bake bread. Want an old-school Italian workout? The only kitchen utensils we use for making our bread is a wooden spoon and the hands God gave us. Work it, Sweetheart!
     
     
    ***     Knead Me     ***
    I n case no one ever taught you how to “knead,” allow me. The trick is to dig into the dough with the heel of your hand, then push it away from you. Grab it back, flirt with it a little, fold it over, then shove it away again. (Somehow I knew you’d be good at this!)
     
     
     

 
    Rosa’s Rustic Italian Loaf
     
    Makes 2 loaves
     
     
2 (¼-ounce) packages (4½ teaspoons) instant or quick-rise yeast
2 cups cold tap water
5 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, as needed
2 teaspoons salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the bowl and baking sheet
    1. To make the bread by hand: Combine the yeast with water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that is too stiff to stir. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let stand for 10 minutes. Then, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding more of the flour as needed, until the dough is smooth, springy, and tacky to the touch, about 8 minutes. Do not add too much flour—as long as the dough isn’t sticking to your hands or the work surface, there is enough.
    To make the dough with a heavy-duty stand mixer: In the bowl of the mixer, combine the yeast with the cold water. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. With the machine on low speed, add 2 cups of flour and the salt. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that comes together and doesn’t stick to the bowl. Wrap the top of the bowl with a damp towel and let stand for 10 minutes. Then, remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. Knead the dough on medium speed, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is soft, springy, and tacky to the touch, about 8 minutes. Do not add too much flour—as long as it doesn’t stick to the bowl, it has enough flour.
     
    ***     Bread Butts     ***
    E ver wish you could do something with that extra bread “butt” that got too hard to eat instead of just throwing it away? You can cut the bread into cubes and freeze them in a freezer bag for up to six months. Once you have 6 cups of cubed bread, you have exactly what you need to cook up a batch of homemade croutons!
     
    2. Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat the dough with oil, leaving the dough smooth-side up. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles in volume (it’s ready when you stick your finger an inch or so into the dough, and the indentation remains), about 1 ½ hours.
    3. Turn the dough back onto the floured surface and punch it (see why I’m such a good bread baker? Just kidding!) to get the air out. Then knead it for 2 minutes. Cut the dough in half, and form each into a ball. Place on the work surface and cover with the damp towel. Let stand for 10 minutes.
    4. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. One at a time, shape each portion of dough into whatever loaf shape you want: round, oval, or long. The thing to remember is to stretch the dough as you make the shape so the surface looks taut. Transfer the loaves to the baking sheet and cover with the damp towel. Let stand in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 hour.
    5. Meanwhile, position a rack in