Italian style bread

300 ml water

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 ¾ cups plain flour

¼ cup gluten flour

1 teaspoon bread improver

2 teaspoons dry yeast

Extra plain flour

·        Put all ingredients except the extra flour into the bread machine in the order listed.

·        Run on the dough setting.

·        After the bread machine is finished, remove dough from the machine.  Press out all the air on a lightly floured tabletop or board. 

·        Shape into either a tornado or a round loaf.  Put onto a tray lined with baking paper (or lightly greased).  Dust the top thickly with flour.  Slash about 1 ½ cm deep across the loaf in 3 or 4 diagonal cuts if using a tornado shape, or cut a circle about 2 cm deep in the top if using a round loaf.

·        Place in a cold oven.  Turn the temperature to 220°C and bake for about 45 minutes.  Check the bread after about 20 minutes and if it is already quite brown it might be necessary to turn down the oven to 180°C for the rest of the cooking time.