This is a great bread to side with Italian-style dishes. You can use it for Stromboli, Garlic Bread, or whatever you like.
To begin, create a warm environment by turning the light on in your oven.
And to start, in your mixer bowl, pour in 2 cups of lukewarm water. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so it can dissolve and start bubbling.
Then, add in 1 1/2 c of regular white bread flour. Mix it in.
Next, add in 1 cup of cornmeal and 1/2 cup of rye flour (I use fresh-ground)
Mix it up for about 1 minute.
And now we will add 1 1/2 teaspoon each of oregano and basil.
This is what it should look like.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, place it in your oven, and let rest for about 30 minutes.
It will look something like this:
Next, you are going to add in 2 teaspoons of salt…
…2 Tablespoons of good olive oil…
and with the dough hook going, add in 1 cup of wheat flour (again, mine is fresh-ground)
And then gradually add in another cup of the unbleached bread flour, creating a nice dough. Let this knead in the machine for 10 minutes.
If need be, you can add up to another 1/2 cup of the bread flour if it is unmanageable. This dough will remain slightly sticky though.
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl.
Take the dough and form it into a ball, then roll it around in the oiled bowl to coat it with the oil all over. I just swirl the bowl around to do this.
Now, cover it again with a towel and put it back in your warm oven to rise. Let it 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
After it has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it just a couple times. Divide the dough in half and roll one section out into an oblong shape.
Now, roll the dough up.
I have a special pan designed just for making this type of bread. I lightly spray it with some oil before placing the dough in it. If you don’t have one of these pans, that is okay. Just use a baking sheet or stone. Roll the dough and place it seam-side down in the pan, tucking the ends under. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Cover the dough again with the towel and place it back into the warm oven for the final rise. Let it rise 30 – 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Now, set the pan on the counter and heat your oven up to 400 degrees.
When your oven is ready, you are going to spray the loaves with some water. If you don’t have a spray bottle, just brush some on. Alternatively, you can also brush the tops with a little milk. If you want, you can slash the tops of the loaves about three times at an angle. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. This time I didn’t.
Spray the loaves and then immediately put them in the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until just golden brown.
Enjoy!
Did you Make this Recipe? I’d love for you to give me a 5 star rating in the recipe card below. If you share it on Instagram, please tag me! You can also post it to my Facebook Page.
