Italian Bread

It is so easy to make Italian Bread at home with just a few simple ingredients. Nothing beats soft, crusty bread warm from the oven!

This Italian Bread has a similar consistency and taste as Classic White Bread, but is in crispy loaves like French Bread. Of all the yeast breads you could try to master, this one is one of the simplest!

A Simple Yeast Bread

Making homemade bread really isn’t difficult, especially making simple loaves like this Italian bread recipe. You don’t even need to pull out a mixer; all you need is a large mixing bowl!

This recipe only requires SIX ingredients, and I would bet you already have most of them on hand. And the finished product is not just one, but two loaves of delicious homemade Italian bread!

So don’t let the yeast intimidate you. This crusty Italian bread recipe really is quite simple!

How to Make Italian Bread

Making artisan Italian bread is easy and worth the effort!

DOUGH. Whisk together water, yeast, sugar, oil, and 2 cups of flour in a large bowl till smooth. Let sit in a warm place till bubbly, about 30 minutes. Add the salt and enough flour to make a soft dough.

KEAND + RISE. Knead a few times on a floured counter till smooth. Return to bowl. Cover and let rise till doubled, about an hour.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a long loaf about 12 inches long. Place both loaves on a greased baking pan.

• Sometimes I like to cut the dough into four pieces during this step and make smaller loaves. They are perfect for taking to neighbors!

Let loaves rise till doubled, 30-45 minutes. Cut a few diagonal slits across the top of each loaf.

BAKE. Bake in an oven preheated to 375°F for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let the loaves cool on wire racks.

I like to brush the tops of my loaves with butter when I take them out of the oven. It makes for a softer crust. For a crisper crust, skip that step.

Proofing tips

Speed up rise time. This recipe requires 2 rise times. The temperature of the kitchen, humidity, and elevation can all have an effect on how long the dough takes to double in size.

The dough rises faster at a higher elevation so you may not need an entire hour. Higher humidity and warmer environments can also cause bread dough to rise faster.

Creating a warmer environment. I like to use a heat-proof glass or metal bowl to proof my dough so that I can place it in warm environments to let it rise almost twice as fast. It’s also helpful to use an oiled bowl to keep the dough from sticking.

My favorite method is to pour very hot water into a separate smaller bowl.

• Place the bowl of dough on top of the hot water bowl making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl of dough.
• The steam from the water will warm up the dough causing it to rise faster.
• Once you have the dough set out on a baking pan, I pour the hot water into a 9×13 baking pan and place the baking sheet on top.
• Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise. 

How to tell the bread has been proofed long enough. Eyeball the dough first. When it looks like it has doubled in size poke it with your finger. If the dough springs back and fills in the dent, let it rise longer. If the dent stays, it’s ready.

Ingredient Tips

Yeast. This Italian Bread Loaf calls for instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast. This yeast doesn’t need to be activated in water before use. Active dry yeast may be used.

• Add very warm water to a bowel and sprinkle in the yeast and sugar.
• Allow it to sit for a few minutes until bubbly.
• Then mix the oil and flour into the yeast mixture.

Flour. I used all-purpose flour for this recipe but bread flour can also be used to create more of a chewy and airy texture. In STEP 1 only mix in 2 cups of flour. The remaining 3 cups of flour are used as needed.

Add another 1-2 cups in the latter part of STEP 1 to mix a soft dough. Add more flour as you knead the dough. The amount of flour used will be determined by the humidity of your environment.

Additional Recipe Tips

Bread not rising. It can be a bit tricky to determine why a certain recipe didn’t work out. However, there are a few common reasons that can cause bread to not rise:

• Not using the yeast correctly.
• Using expired yeast. 
• Mixing the yeast directly with the salt can kill it. 
• Not allowing the dough enough time to rise. 
• Overproofing the dough can cause it to fall. 
• Keep the dough covered so that it doesn’t dry out and impede the rise.
• Over or under-kneading will affect how the bread proofs.

How to knead. Kneading the dough activates the gluten which creates an elastic dough vital to achieving the desired shape and texture of the final loaf.

• Stand mixer. Use a stand mixer with a dough hook and let it mix for 5-6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should eventually pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough remains sticky add a little flour.  
• By hand. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough in half and press it with the palm of your hand. Repeat for 7-8 minutes. Add a bit of flour until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers as kneading. 

Scoring bread dough. Scoring bread dough just means using a sharp blade or scissors to make shallow (¼ to ½ inch) slits in the top of the dough before baking.

These slits act as a vent for rising air to escape during the bake time. Without the “vents,” the air still rises and causes the bread to slit in odd areas.

Serve this with

This rustic Italian bread is perfect on its own, especially slathered with some butter or dipped in flavored olive oil. But it also makes fantastic Garlic Bread!

Because the bread is soft and absorbent on the inside, I also recommend dipping it in some soup. Some of our favorite dishes to make this with, include:

• Spaghetti
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Italian Sausage Pasta
• Zuppa Toscana Soup

Storing Info

Because homemade bread like this Italian Bread doesn’t contain any preservatives (like bread from a store), they only stay fresh for a short period of time.

STORE. To keep your loaves fresh for as long as possible, store them in an airtight plastic bag at room temperature, or wrap them with plastic wrap making sure the entire loaf is covered.

FREEZE. Let the Italian White Bread cool then place it in a freezer-safe bag to store.

FREEZE the dough. I would recommend baking the dough and then freezing it for later. However, the unbaked dough can be frozen, just note that it may not rise quite as well as it would have when freshly mixed.

Since some of the yeast will most likely die while in the freezer, increase the amount you use by ½ to ¾ teaspoons of yeast.

• Complete steps 1-3 as directed in the recipe.
• Do not let the dough rise a second time, instead place the shaped loaves in the freezer.
• Once frozen, wrap each loaf tightly with plastic and again with aluminum foil.
• When you’re ready to bake the dough allow several hours for it to thaw and rise before baking. 

Recipe FAQ

For more delicious bread recipes, try:

• Sourdough Bread
• French Bread
• Focaccia Bread
• Homemade Naan Bread