I have never made homemade bread. I have to go to wherever REAL Italian bread is available and buy a few loaves at a time and freeze them. REAL Italian bread is not made in any supermarket - though some markets might carry bread from a local bakery. REAL Italian bread has a very crisp outer crust and the long loaves can be used as a baseball bat (well, almost!) The bread comes in different shapes - choose whatever shape you prefer.
If you eat the bread with any meat course, you cannot keep Kosher and use butter. The bread in an Italian meal is generally served with the meat course - but don't worry. Traditional Italians (at least my ancestors from the South of Italy) use olive oil mixed with lots of black pepper and dip the bread instead of spreading the bread with butter.Try this method - you will be surprised how good it is and might never miss the butter.
If you have fresh tomatoes, I learned from my father this Italian treat. Cut the end from a long loaf of Italian bread - about 6 to 8 inches of bread. Remove the pulp from the bread to make a cavity. Drizzle wine vinegar and lots of olive oil in this whole and sprinkle with lots of black pepper. Chop and season tomatoes with salt, pepper and a chopped garlic clove and basil. Fill the hole with the tomatoes and enjoy a unique Italian Sandwich. (Don't eat it as you would a sandwich, hold it upright and eat from the top down - the best part is the very end where all the flavors seep to.
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