ITALIAN LOAF RUSTICA

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour (used 2-1/2 C)

1/2 cup unsifted whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package rapid-rising dry yeast

1-1/2 cups hot water (120-130 deg)

2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cubed (2 cup shredded used)

1 7-oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1 large egg beaten

2 to 3 teaspoons sesame seeds

1. Crumble sausage into large skillet (if sausage come in casing, remove and discard casing. Add onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned. Drain off fat, set sausage mixture aside to cool.

2. In large bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, the whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in water and butter. Mix well. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour to form a soft dough. Cover dough in bowl and let rest 10 minutes.

3. Grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Stir down dough. With buttered fingers, press about 2/3 dough in bottom of greased pan. Add cheese and peppers to sausage mixture; spoon into center of dough. WIth spoon, spread and press filling toward edge of pan, leaving a 1/2 inch rim of dough at side. Drop remaining dough by tablespoonfuls over filling. With back of spoon or buttered fingers, carefully spread dough to cover and enclose filling. (top will be rough) Cover loaf loosely with cloth. Let rise in warm place, away from drafts, until dough is double in size- 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Heat oven to 400 F. Brush top of dough with beaten egg; sprinkle iwth sesame seeds. Bake loaf 25 to 30 minutes or until bread pulls away from side of pan and loaf is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen loaf from pan with knife; remove side of pan. To serve, cut into wedges; refrigerate leftovers.

protein: 20 gm; fat: 19 gm; carbohy: 35 gm; fiber: 3 gm; sodium: 650 milligm: cholest: 84 milligm; calories: 400

Miranda DeSantis-$2000 winner in the flour category of the 33 Pillsbury Bake-off

Country LIving, May, 1990