classic italian bread
This classic Italian bread recipe is soft and tender on the inside, with a chewy crust on the outside. Homemade bread doesn’t get much better — or simpler — than this!
Sometimes I wish I had one of those potions from Alice in Wonderland so I can make myself small enough to lay on a slice of this Italian bread like a pillow. A heavenly soft, carbolicious pillow.
But seriously, how wonderful would that be? Because not only are you totally comfy-cozy, you also have a snack right there to munch on as needed. And then when you want to eat the bread as a sandwich or make it into a yummy baked French toast or strata or something, you can take the potion that makes you big again. It’s perfect.
Aaaaaand I’ve lost you. But homemade, soft-on-the-inside-crusty-on-the-outside classic Italian bread, remember? Yes, let’s focus more on that.
How to Make Classic Italian Bread
I am fairly certain that whenever I went to my grandma and grandpa’s house as a kid, my snack diet consisted of snap peas from the garden, kohlrabi stalks (no, really, so good) and sliced Italian bread from the bakery plain or with my grandmother’s plum jam on it (that is truly one of the best things about life ever, and I hope I can get the recipe one day to share it with you). So when Red Star Yeast asked me to make a loaf of Italian bread using their yeast, I was happy to take it on because nostalgia. And homemade bread. It was a no-brainer.
I was a little nervous that my recipe wouldn’t taste quite the same as what I remembered eating as a youth — that soft, aforementioned pillowy center with a perfectly chewy, flaky crust — but my friends, this recipe is just that and it is a glorious thing. It really doesn’t take much time, effort or ingredients to get there, either. Just a little flour, yeast, water, oil and a little know-how on shaping it into a batard/torpedo loaf (which is what’s going on in the photo above and it is very well-explained by the great Peter Reinhart in this video) and you’re well on your way to homemade bread blissdom.
How to Enjoy Italian Bread
So in conclusion, I’ll be making a loaf of this bread on the regular this fall and the Season That Shall Not Be Named. And it will be taking any and all of the following forms: Sandwich, strata, bread pudding, French toast, baked French toast casserole, croutons, grilled cheese, toast. Surely I am missing more options, but that’s just for starters.
Of course, just eating slice after slice plain (as I may or may not have done once this loaf was cool enough to cut into) is going to happen a lot, too.
If this crisp-cool weather (or in my great state of Minnesota, the weird summer-after-fall weather we’ll be having) has got you bit by the baking bug as it has me, then put this easy homemade Italian bread on your list. You can thank me for it later, with a sandwich.
P.S. For more baking tips and recipes, head over to Red Star Yeast or visit their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest pages.
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Easy, homemade classic Italian bread with a chewy crust and soft interior. Plus, step by step photos and instructions on how to make this loaf from scratch!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) Red Star active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 2 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, sugar and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast is foamy.
- Add 2 cups flour, olive oil and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or with a dough hook on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand 10 minutes, adding just enough of the remaining flour until a soft, smooth and elastic dough forms; OR, increase dough hook speed to medium and knead dough in stand mixer 5 minutes, adding just enough of the remaining flour until a soft, smooth and elastic dough forms.
- Shape dough into a ball; place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise 1 hour until doubled.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly grease the surface with oil or cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, punch down dough, then carefully shape into a batard/torpedo about 12 inches long. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 20 minutes until puffy.
- Use a serrated knife to make a few 1/4-inch deep slits in the surface of the loaf. Bake loaf 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
Keywords: traditional bread recipe, soft center bread, easy bread recipe
Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
Oh man, homemade bread like this is the best! Loving this simple recipe friend!
simple!! it turned out so good,that it was gone in one sitting!!!
it’s definately my permanent bread recipe!! thank you for sharing!!!:)
homemade bread is sooo good! I bet this is just asking to be garlic bread! YUM!
I actually just made this last night for the purpose of turning it into garlic bread! The bread turned out perfectly, and I’m so excited to share it with my family tonight!
Yes this makes wonderful garlic bread. Very simple and yummy!
Time at my grandma’s was also all about the bread! I am so trying this so I can make it myself and relive them good old days.
I love baking bread, especially once the weather turns colder. It’s so cozy! Perfect easy recipe that I imagine is a huge hit!
I love baking bread and working with dough with my hands. . there’s something so calming about baking bread. . love it! and the smell of freshly baked bread coming out of the oven is the BEST! love and pinned! I was going to call my sister (she also lives in MN) .. wondering what Minnesotians (sp?) are taking the whole Adrian Peterson thing. . not sure if you are a football fan. .
Seriously, wouldn’t it be awesome to have a bread pillow? lol! It sounds super comfy! But on a serious note…this bread….omg, this bread looks so good!
I would TOTALLY snuggle up onto this bread…with a nice blanket of butter and jam. It really does look perfect.
Ahhhh homemade bread. This is on my list for fall baking, I feel like I just never carve out enough time to make homemade bread, but I just need to do it!
Right?! Sometimes I like to think that when I die I would really like to be baked into a loaf of bread or wrapped up into a pita pockets before I’m buried. So yes, I totally get you.
Carbs = <3 and this bread looks more than perfect. Got me feeling like that heart eyes emoji right now.
Love baking with RSY! This Italian bread is a pure perfection!
A pillow of carbs?! YES!
Also, yes to sandwich bread made at home without 50 funky side-ingredients… I NEED to do this!
This bread was easy to make and tastes great!! Will make this one again!
Sue — So glad you enjoyed it, you speedy baker, you! 😉
Bread pillow! Yes! Then I could eat breakfast without causing a ruckus in the kitchen and risk waking the babe. I’m in. For me, it was rye bread at my grandpa’s house. Bread = love!
Gorgeous! Glad this loaf is not in my kitchen because I’d inhale the whole thing ;).
I can actually SEE the fluffiness of that bread in your photos. GORGEOUS.
Alice — The smell of fresh-baked bread should be a candle, I love it so much. 🙂 And yeah, the whole Adrian Peterson thing is crazy… it’s all over the news!
Please let me know if you get a recipe for that magic potion of Alice’s. I also want to lay my head on this fluffy bread.
That plum jam sounds fantastic though – aren’t grandmas the best?
Sune — Oh, I’ll be sure to let you know, as I want everyone to share in the pillowy goodness. 😉 And the plum jam IS the best — I’ll have to have my grandma share the recipe with me soon!
Napping on bread? YES for pillowy soft!
Looks perfect. Never thought of bread as a pillow but thanks for analogy I know love bread even more. (If that’s even possible).
Bread is one of the highlights of my life. 🙂
So, my husband is the only one in our house who has made Italian bread. How have I let that happen?! I need to change that with this bread!
This bread looks amazing! I’ve never made Italian bread before, but I think that needs to change because it looks really good!
You can never, never, never go wrong with homemade bread!
You know I am going to make this bread! LOVE it!
Halloooo, i just try your recipe and succesful.. The recipe so simple so i can follow easily.. Thanks stephanie.. Greeting from Indonesia ; )
You rule the breads, my lovekins. You certainly do. I want to smear every single spread, both sweet and savory, on that bread. Possibly at the same time. 😉
This is one beautiful loaf!!
Homemade bread (that doesn’t use a bread maker) has always seemed a bit daunting to me, but the thought of pulling a fresh loaf out of the oven that I made with my own two hands sounds so appealing to me! Not to mention all of the wonderful things I would make with it, if only to stop me from eating the entire loaf slice by slice, smeared with butter. Yum!
I made this bread to go with an olive oil and herb dip. The bread was a cinch to make and I love the simplicity of the ingredients. Thanks for sharing! This recipe is a keeper!
Roslyn — I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this bread today and it is great. Best recipe yet, thank you.
I’ve been trying to make a good Italian loaf…and this is it! Thank you!
Arleesha — Perfect! I hope you love it (I mean, how can you not when it’s garlic bread ;)).
Just made this and it was so easy and tastes amazing, just like a simple Italian loaf should. Not to mention how great the entire house smells! I can tell I’ll be making this over and over!
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This bread is wonderful!
I start it in a bread machine using the dough/pasta cycle.
Take it out, form the loaf and finish it in the oven.
It’s perfect!
I just stumbled across your .com this morning and this loaf will be stumbling across plates of pasta tonight. Thanks!!
Thx for the recipe girl friend is allergic to soy and egg and i make an awsome garlic bread 🙂
I have always wanted to bake bread but I have never been too successful at it, until now. This recipe is easy to follow and the bread is excellent. Thank you so much for sharing it.
I have never made bread before and this was the perfect recipe to attempt! I added a bit of thyme and only had walnut oil on hand! Thanks for the simple instructions!
@fernwehfoodie
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I had some issues once putting it on my counter to kneed it. It was so wet it was a mess. I think adding the whole 2 1/2 cups of flour in with the water and yeast would work best next time. For me at least. My fiancé almost had to hose me off haha
Have made this twice the past 10 days. First time I had the same problem as you, Andrea. Seemed way too wet after kneading even though I did add the entire 2 1/2 cups flour; should have added more flour then, but I didn’t. And though it looked good after the first rise, it was still wet and sticky, very hard to handle. Fixed it by flouring heavily, the board when shaping the loaf. My second try I gradually added more flour while kneading, a total of 2 3/4 cups + 2 TBSP. Perfect! Soft and satiny, easy to handle. Brushed the loaf with some olive oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Looked so pretty! Great recipe, my go to for fast, easy, yummy Italian bread.
Andrea — I’m sorry to hear that (although “hose me off,” lol ;)). The ratio of flour to liquid can be a tricky thing and varies so widely depending on flour brands, environment, etc., so always go by “feel” with the dough more than by the exact amount of ingredients. Thanks for your comment!
I have made this bread several times now! It’s always delicious, soft and so easy. This is a keeper for my family meals!
I am in the process of making this recipe now and am on the first rise. Will let you know how it turns out in a few hours.
Most Italian breads I’ve found are similar in make up some even adding a tbsp of light brown sugar. Also, I measured the flour based on Robin Hood’s Canadian flour conversion scale. Their cup weights 123 Grams so I used more flour while kneading the dough for this recipe then usual. I’m still thinking about that. Perhaps I best measure the flour based on American cup to grams..
As far as tips go I bake everything especially bread on two inverted cookie sheets (one inside of the other), this prevents burned the bottom of the loaf. I do this when I make bread in baking pans or muffin tins as well and it works perfectly. In other words, no more dark brown bottoms on French bread, white bread or muffins.
Anna — I hope the bread turns out well for you! And thanks so much for those tips — I’ll have to try the cookie sheet one next time!
Hello I’m back to say the bread turned out excellent.. It was quick to make and a very straight forward recipe. Stephanie couldn’t have wrote the recipe any better or easier if she tried… Mine looks the same as the picture. I also liked this recipe because it makes one loaf of bread and that’s what I was looking for. It tastes and presents well, its fantastic.
I do have one question for Stephanie and that is can I make this with quick rise instant yeast? Thanks again for sharing this great recipe. Anna
Anna — I’m so glad to hear it turned out well; thank you! And I think you could use instant yeast, though I’ve never tried it before.
Making this bread for the second time today. It’s a gorgeous loaf of bread, perfect for mopping up soup! The leftovers are good toasted (if you have leftovers). This time, I’m experimenting a bit. Brushed the loaves with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. One loaf as a batard, one round and baking in a cast iron pan. Smells good so far!
Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry? Its not available here in my town.. And if so, how?
Fahmida — Yes, you definitely can use instant yeast. Just use 2 teaspoons of instant yeast and proceed with the recipe as written.
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My third loaf is in the oven right now. Serving with sauce and meatballs. It is so good. Perfect for dipping in sauce. Next time I am going to make Italian subs with it.
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I made this recipe twice. Both times the dough was very sticky which I investigated and found that this is true for Italian bread so ok. But both times the dough spread on the baking sheet not holding the typical shape I would have expected. I expected a long Torpedo shape. The flavor was good, but the color was light also in the 20 min., so I baked longer. Any comments?
Lisa — It’s hard to know for sure what is going on, but there is a chance that not enough flour was added to the dough, which is why it spread out in shape (sometimes more flour is necessary, even more than the recipe calls for, depending on a whole host of factors). As for the color, ovens vary so widely that it might take longer for a loaf to bake in your oven than in mine. I hope it still tasted good regardless of the variations!
It was my understanding Italian bread doesn’t have salt in it. At least none of the bread I had in Italy did. Did you just add it to Americanize it?
Jane — Good question! I have found a lot of Italian bread recipes to include salt, but not for Tuscan bread. I’m not super well-versed in the difference between the two but I think salt is a more common ingredient when it comes to labeled Italian bread. You can certainly try this bread without salt but I can’t guarantee the same results.
Love it love it. I cant stop eating it is so good. Just like you said. Wondering how well will dough freeze and for how long.
Marie — I haven’t frozen the unbaked bread dough before but I know it’s possible! I’d look to King Arthur Flour or Red Star Yeast for tips on freezing bread dough.
this bread is amazing. so easy to make and the flavor is bakery perfect. I made stuffed shells tonight, and thought some real deal garlic bread would be great with it. I was right!! thank you so much for this recipe.
I made this tonight for dinner to go with lasagna soup. It was so easy to make! I let my stand mixer do all the work and it came out perfect!! I did put butter on the outside when it came out of the oven because I was always told to do that when the bread was hot to help keep it from drying out. We always go to a local store to buy our Italian bread because they had the best. NO MORE!! I will definitely use this recipe again. QUESTION: Has anyone tried it with whole wheat flour?
This looked incredible so I doubled the batch and made 2 loaves this morning. This is going to be great with my spaghetti dinner tonight. It turned out amazing and it was oh so easy.
Made a regular loaf for my hubby and a gluten free loaf for me! Both turned out so amazing! Loved how simple this was!
How did you make a gluten free Italian bread? Did you use cup for cup flour. How well did it rise without gluten.
I just cut my first slice of this bread still warm from the oven. My first slice of three, or maybe four. I make bread fairly often and like to try different recipes. When I saw the picture you took of this bread with its beautiful texture I had to try it. I admit I wasn’t really expecting mine would look like your picture. I was amazed when I cut that first slice. I have never made a loaf of Italian bread that was not only incredibly easy to make, but had a texture of a cloud and tasted like pure heaven. Thank you for an amazing recipe. One question: do you think doubling the recipe would be just as successful? One loaf just isn’t enough.
No way. 1 cup of water and 2 cups of flour? This dough was a mess!
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With have been making bread all my married life which is forty nine years. This is the best bread receipt. Thank you for sharing.
this has literally become my GO TO bread for any occasion! so simple and perfect for when you are short on time! whether for a steaming bowl of soup, baked brie, or a side to pasta and lasagna, it turns out perfect every time!!!
Stephanie! I have to tell you, ever since I discovered your recipe I’ve been baking our bread almost every other day. It is the best bread recipe I’ve tried. We love it!
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I’m making this right now. It is rising for the 20 min and I have a pan of water in the oven for a crispy crust. Let’s see what happens…..
Ok, it’s out of the oven and good. I should’ve put egg wash on the top for browning. It took half an hour to bake and could’ve used a few more minutes. Overall, a nice loaf of bread.
Loved it…easy and had time to get 2 batches of cookies mixed and chillin’ in fridge while the bread was rising. And all the dishes done too. Oh my gosh it’s wonderful smelling and the texture and taste is perfect thanks for such a great recipe!
I made this bread out of curiosity because I thought the hydration of the recipe would make the loaf a little dense. I always weight my flour and water in grams and converted your measurements. The loaf which came out of the oven was exactly as your photos and as I expected a little dense. On to my second loaf I adjusted the water to 192 grams and left everything else the same only this time I did the second rise in a round Romertopf and after a 20 minute second rise I placed the soaked lid on and placed in a cold oven then set to 400 for a 20 minute bake. After 20 minutes I removed the top and baked uncovered for 10 minutes at 365. The result was a perfect Italian boule, crispy outside chewy inside with excellent crumb and was light and not dense.
Love this bread making it for the third time in less than a week,! Neighbors and friends love it too! So simple and so tasty! Thank you!
Google found this recipe for me, and it was amazing! Very easy, hardly any ingredients, and still delicious!
Making this as a double batch for third time this week. It is great bread. I have always had to add flour, up to three cups. That said, it is wonderful. House smells spectacular. Neighbors may appear. We don’t eat it all…Christmas gifts.
Hi.
In the stand mixer what attachment do I use to mix the yeast ? But it his bread looks really good, this is just the bread recipe I need to make then use to make garlic bread and stuffing. Thank you for sharing. I will be pinning this to my Pinterest board.
To answer my question about a stand mixer attachment to combine the sugar and yeast please e-mail me at the address I will be putting in the below contact information .
I love this recipe. I 4x the recipe And it was devious I am happy .
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How could you prepare this a couple days ahead and then bake it?
Hi Nikki, I wouldn’t recommend prepping this bread ahead of time, as it is a yeast bread. You could bake it completely, let it cool and freeze it, then thaw at room temperature when you want to eat it!
I just found this recipe and made it tonight as an accompaniment for lasagna and it was great. I used bread flour and had no trouble with the flour:water ratio. I did add herbs [1/2 tsp each of whole dried basil, oregano, and thyme plus 1 tsp whole dried parsley] and it was very popular. I’ll definitely be making it again!
I finally got a standing mixer with a bread dough attachment, and this was the first recipe I tried with it. I cut it while it was still warm, and lathered it with a ‘garlic butter’ recipe I created, basically margarine mixed with pesto. Turned it into garlic bread for an Italian dinner I was preparing. The bread didn’t even make it through the meal!
I will be doubling this bread recipe from now on!!!
Oh man, you’ve got me drooling. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Wonderful easy recipe, even for the dough dumb like me. I too needed 2.5 cups flour for dough plus 1/2 cup flour for kneading. My husband now asks for it with meals. Tonight using it for leftover roast beef sandwiches with au jus. You have given me dough confidence, thank you.
So great to hear it, Janet! Thank you!
Your bread recipe was amazing.. thank you .
★★★★★
Lori, I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thank you!
Just baked it. Loaf is beautiful
★★★★★
Just finished a slice for breakfast and was sending the link to a friend so I thought I would add a comment. No need to buy bread from the grocery ever again! This is a very forgiving recipe. I’ve made it a dozen times as written, a couple of times adding a little KAF white whole wheat flour, and a couple of times using a cup of my 28 y/o sourdough starter discard as a My latest twist is to sub out a little water w the yeast for more olive oil in the dough. Comes out perfect every time. I’m in Hawaii, so relearning how to bake bread here has been tough sometimes. It’s hotter and more humid. Using yeast helps (vs none for a sourdough), and I usually need more flour to combat the humidity. Looking to try some of your other recipes! Wondering if you’ve ever thought of providing the measurements in grams? Many thanks!
★★★★★
Oops. Using a cup of sourdough as a biga…..
★★★★★
Teresa, thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoy this bread as much as I do. 🙂 I have thought about providing measurements in grams, and it is something I definitely plan to incorporate in future baking recipes (since I often measure by weight). Thanks again for your kind words and enjoy your continued bread baking adventures!
I makes this bread every holiday. My job during the holiday meals is to make 5 loafs.
★★★★★
Christopher, That’s amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂