Maryetta's Italian Sausage Bread
Submitted by queenzi
Maryetta’s Italian sausage bread wraps sweet Italian sausages in a saffron-and-fennel-scented yeasted dough, then bakes them in a clay pot until the loaf thumps hollow. Rustic regional Italian with an unforgettable golden crumb.
YIELD
1 loafPREP
140 minCOOK
60 minREADY
3 hrsThis is regional Italian home baking of the kind that rarely leaves a family’s kitchen. Sweet Italian sausage gets wrapped individually in a yeasted bread dough perfumed with saffron and fennel seed, then baked in a presoaked clay pot that steams the loaf into a crackling, golden-crumbed result.
The saffron does double duty. It tints the crumb a warm gold and adds the faintest floral note that makes the bread taste distinctly Italian-Mediterranean rather than generic. Fennel seeds echo the seasoning already in the sausage, linking the two layers of the bread together.
Soaking the clay pot for 15 minutes is a must. Water absorbed into the porous clay releases as steam during baking, which is what creates the signature shattery crust without needing to rig up a pan of water in the oven.
Start the bread in a cold oven. Gradual heat rise is what prevents the clay pot from cracking and gives the dough a final burst of oven spring as it warms.
Pro Tips
- If sausage seems very fatty, simmer it briefly in water first and prick the casings to release excess grease.
- Knead until the dough pushes back when poked, about 10 to 15 minutes total.
- Cornmeal on the foil keeps the loaf from sticking and adds subtle crunch to the bottom crust.
- Tap the top of the loaf with a knuckle, a hollow sound means done.
Variations
- Swap sweet sausage for hot Italian for a spicier loaf.
- Add pitted olives or roasted red peppers to the dough for extra Mediterranean flavor.
- Brush the top with beaten egg before baking for a glossier crust.
Ingredients
Directions
If you think your sausage has too much fat, simmer in shallow water in a frying pan, pricking the sausage with a sharp knife to allow the fat to escape.
Combine the lukewarm water, salt, yeast, saffron, and fennel seeds in a metal cup and maintain a lukewarm temperature to keep the yeast active.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, and make a well in the center of it.
Pour in the yeast mixture and mix well (you will have to use your hands).
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), then pour the oil over the dough and knead until no longer sticky (about 5 minutes).
Place in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and put in a warm place until it doubles in size.
(Press the dough with your fingertips; if they leave a stubborn imprint, it has risen enough.)
When the rising time is almost over, presoak a clay pot, top and bottom, for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Place the sausages (about 5) on top of the dough, wrap each in its own pocket, and pinch the ends closed.
Place each pocket side by side to form one loaf.
Trim a piece of aluminum foil, cover the bottom of the bottom of the presoaked pot and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Add the dough to the pot and put lid on, then put the covered pot in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled in size (about 60 minutes).
Cover the pot and place it in a cold oven.
Set the oven temperature at 450℉ (230℃).
Bake for 45 minutes, then check the bread and let it continue baking, uncovered, in the oven to brown for an additional 15 minutes (total cooking time about 60 minutes).
The bread will be done when a finger thump on the loaf’s surface sounds hollow.
Allow the bread to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
NOTE: This recipe can be safely doubled, but use 2 pots for cooking.
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