Nonna's Tuscan Bread- Corpus Christi or Sunday Dinner

What is a Sunday without Mass followed by dinner at Nonna's house? My mother-in-law brings this big, Italian family together every single Sunday. I'm in awe of this simple yet profound tradition that she is the foundation of. Without fail there is a beautiful meal that she makes with her own hands and some kitchen helpers. One of my new favorites is her homemade bread. It's light on the inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside. It reminds me of my time walking the camino in Spain, you couldn't eat lunch without a piece of bread on the table just like this one. Mmm, so good!

The thing I appreciate most about her recipes is that they are simple and no fuss! So many bread recipes out there have become very complex, and for the working woman or busy mom I find that can be impractical at times. This is something that I know you can do and your family & friends will certainly be impressed with your creation.

If you have a little extra time you can put a lovely design on the top by using these bread stencils or this bread lame to score the top of your loaf in the way you like.

Thank you so much, Diane, for sharing this recipe with all of us. Let's get baking!

Prep Time: 3 hours

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 3 cups 00 flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 package yeast

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

Put 3 cups 00 flour, 1 package of yeast, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and whisk together.

Add 1 1/2 cups warm water and mix with your hands or a stand mixer to combine.

Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise for 2-3 hours.

When it's about time to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put your dutch oven, without the bread, in the oven while it is preheating.

When the oven reaches 450 degrees take the dutch oven out of oven.

Line your dutch oven with parchment paper, then take the dough out of the bowl and place it on top of the parchment paper.

Cover the dutch oven with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.

When the 30 minutes is up remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cut and enjoy with butter, jam, a cheese spread, or just as it is.

Mangia! Mangia!

Did you make this recipe? If so I would love to see it, drop a picture in the comment or send it to me on social media, Facebook @HisGirlSunday or Instagram @steffani_hisgirlsunday.