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!
(NOTE: This post was originally published in 2014 (!). We’ve since then updated it with new photos, but it’s the same recipe you know and love.)
Table of Contents
How to Make Italian Bread from Scratch
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.
Watch How to Make Homemade Italian Bread
Ingredients You’ll Need
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 (bread flour or all-purpose flour works for this recipe!)
- Yeast (Active dry yeast or instant yeast — see Recipe Notes for conversions!)
- Water
- Olive oil
- And a little know-how on shaping it into a batard/torpedo loaf (which I show in the video above!)
And just like that, 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. For dessert, keep the Italian thing going with this olive oil cake, ricotta blueberry cake or an Italian panna cotta!
More Delicious Bread Recipes
- rosemary-garlic no-knead bread
- no knead ciabatta bread
- classic brioche loaf bread
- cinnamon raisin sourdough bread
- whole wheat bread
- potato bread
- nostalgic banana bread
Italian Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 ½ cups bread flour , 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 (about 110°F)
- Let stand 5 to 10 minutes or 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°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, 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 to 30 minutes until puffy.
- Use bread lame, razor blade or serrated knife to make a few 1/4-inch deep slits in the surface of the loaf. Bake loaf 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Yield: 1 large loaf
- *If you only have instant yeast on hand, use 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast in place of the active dry yeast.
- Use the highest quality olive oil you have on hand, if possible.
- How to store homemade Italian bread: Leave unsliced bread uncovered (or covered with a tea towel) at room temperature 1-2 days. If sliced, store bread cut side-down on a cutting board at room temperature 1-2 days. Beyond 2 days, store bread in a paper or plastic bag, sealed, at room temperature another 1-2 days. You can also freeze homemade Italian bread in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
Very easy recipe! A little effort and some waiting time and you’ll end up with a soft, tasty loaf.
I modified the recipe to include a little diastatic malt (chasing a local flavor). The malt didn’t get me what I wanted yet, but I will try changing the amount and maybe when it’s introduced.
Thank you.
Hi Danny! Good on you for experimenting with it, keep us posted! Happy baking! ~gvd team
I made this bread, and it is ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL! Thank you!!!
Hi Mary! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment, we love hearing from you. Happy baking! ~gvd team
I made this recipe earlier this week and it was a big hit with my family! And so easy! So I am making it again tonight to accompany a pot of soup. Yummy!
Hi Linda! Yummy and easy are our two favorite things! Thanks for stopping by to comment! ~gvd team
This is the absolute best bread ever. It is always a bit sticky to start so I usually need more than the 1/2 cup of flour. But, keep sprinkling and kneading and suddenly it’s perfect ..
We love this, and i make it often as our daily bread.
Hi Lisa! That’s awesome to read! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment with your experience! ~gvd team
I am making my second loaf, the one I made yesterday is gone. Not only is the bread delicious, it’s easy to make.
Hi Gary! Happy to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to comment, it always makes our day. ~gvd team
Love reading your recipes
Hi Michelle! So happy to hear that, thank you for coming by! ~gvd team
Could this recipe be made with a sourdough starter instead of yeast? And if yes, how much starter should I use?
Hi Mariya, The answer is “absolutely.” BUT without commercial yeast you will need considerably more proofing time. The good news about yeast is that the amount doesn’t really matter. Use more fed and active sourdough starter for a faster rise and more sour taste, or use less starter for a longer rise and more neutral taste. I have not made this recipe using 100% natural yeast, so I do not have the perfect answer for you. Try starting with 100g active starter. Don’t forget to reduce the water and flour proportionally in the recipe. This is way easier if use are using the metric system. 🙂 Hope that helps! Happy experimenting ~lindsey
Delicious recipe!!! I’ve made it twice and it’s perfect ??
Hi Linda! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking a moment to come back and rate and comment. Makes our day! ~gvd team
It would be nice if you had a simple link to your video especially for beginners
Hi Fred! There is a video in the body of the post. Hope that helps and happy baking!! ~gvd team
This recipe looked soooooo easy, I’m thinking, “A monkey could do this!” Not this monkey. First I think I fell a bit short on flour (maybe 1/4 cup) so I should have started with less water. I used my stand mixed and kneaded it. It peeled off the hook pretty good. Then when it “rose” in the saran covered bowl, it didn’t quite “rise” so much as it just spread. But that’s fine with me as it did grow! But when I went to shape it, the dough was very soupy again, so I quick ran to the store and grabbed more flour, got home and added more and kneaded it again. It looked pretty good so I put it on the baking sheet and when I went to make my little slits it went gushy again. It’s in the oven now and we will see what I end up with. On the upside it’s a very inexpensive recipe and I am not discouraged. I will try it again another day, just not this day. LOL The instructions could not have been more clear and precise. Maybe I should see if I can borrow a monkey from the local zoo…