What would a meal be without a great loaf of bread. A simple loaf like a filone is usually what you will find at my family’s house. A filone is a typical yeast bread that originated in Calabria and Tuscany and you will encounter mostly anywhere in Italy.
Filone, pronounced “fill-oh-nee,” means line in Italian. The bread is actually like a long line, sort of like a baguette, but not quite as long as one. A filone is the perfect everyday bread and the perfect bread to do the scarpetta. Do you know what doing the scarpetta is? It is taking a piece of bread and swirling it around your dish to get every last bit of sauce. I’m proud to say that my son is quite the scarpetta expert!
some notes on this recipe: I found this recipe in an older issue of Saveur. The recipe is very long, but the steps to put it together are not difficult at all. I never achieved the crispy crust as the bread photographed in the magazine, but more of a soft and light bread that was really wonderful. I like a more crusty bread, but the kids like a softer bread, so this bread is always a hit!
from Saveur
Filone
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups tap water heated to 115°
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 1/4 cups plus 2/3 cup all–purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus more for greasing bowl
- 2 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Mix 1/3 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast, let rest for 10 minutes. Add 2/3 cup flour and mix until smooth, about two minutes. This is the biga, or starter. Put it in a bowl and let it sit in a cool oven for one hour, then transfer to refrigerator overnight.
- Take the biga out of the fridge and let it come to room temp – about 30 minutes. Add to bowl and add 1 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon yeast and stir until the biga starts to dissolve a bit. Add in the remaining 3 1/4 cups flour with oil and salt. Just mix until the flour is incorporated, let rest 20 minutes. This step apparently hydrates the flour.
- Knead the dough on your counter, adding just enough flour so it doesn’t stick to your hands or the counter. Knead for 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl with olive oil and let rise for two hours.
- After two hours, divide the dough into two loaves. Let rest for another hour. Bake at 425 on a baking stone for 30-40 minutes, adding ice cubes to a cast iron skillet. Bake loaves until dark golden brown and crisp; let cool before serving.
