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.
This bread is DELICIOUS and was a big hit with my family! It had great flavor and was easy to make. SO MUCH better than store bought with minimal effort! I followed the directions as written. I didn’t have regular yeast so I substituted instant yeast (I used 1 3/4 tsp) and I did use bread flour. I mixed and kneaded it all in the stand mixer which made it super simple. THANK YOU for my new favorite homemade bread recipe for family meals!!
Hi Michael! Oh, this makes us so happy to read, we’re thrilled this one’s earned a spot in your family’s favorites. Thanks so much for baking along with us and for sharing how it went! ~gvd team
Doesn’t taste like italian bread to me to dense
Disappointing to hear, Ralph. Let’s blame the Americans for reducing an entire Country’s bread into one grocery store “Italian bread” loaf! In bread school we actually spent an entire month making dozens of types of Italian breads from each region. ~Lindsey
What size or grams in cups of flour please I fancy your recipe instead of bread machine bread regards Walter
Hi Walter! I’m so glad you’re giving this recipe a try, it’s one of our favorites! The recipe calls for 2 ½ cups bread flour, or all-purpose flour, which is about 310 grams total. I think you’ll find it even better than the bread machine version. Happy baking! ~gvd team
I’m confused. You say 2 1/2 cups of flour in the recipe. Then you only add 2 cups and say to add more as needed. My dough is so wet I have to add so much flour when I kneed it and it never ends up like yours. Its too wet! However I will say it tastes good! But I believe it could be excellent if I could understand wtf I’m doing wrong. TIA
Hi Sue! You’re not doing anything wrong, promise! The dough is meant to start soft and a bit sticky before you knead in just enough extra flour for it to become smooth and elastic. If you’re finding it super wet, try starting with 2 ¼ cups flour next time and then adding from there, humidity and flour brands can make a big difference. I’m so glad you still liked the flavor! Thank you for baking with us! ~gvd team
This was the first time I used your recipe. I added 2 cups of flour like the recipe said and all I got was soup. I added the additional 1/2 cup and still had soup. I ended up adding quite a bit of flour to get the dough to come together. However, once I got it kneaded, it rose beautifully. I shaped it and baked it. It came out so light and fluffy. It tastes amazing. I made it to make garlic bread to go with my pasta and homemade marinara sauce.
I will definitely use this recipe again.
Hi Ruth! I’m so glad you stuck with it and loved how it turned out, that light, fluffy texture is exactly what we’re after! This dough does start out soft and sticky before it comes together as you knead, so what you experienced is totally normal. Garlic bread with homemade marinara sounds incredible! ~gvd team
I have to edit my post. I realized yesterday that my scale was broken. It was measuring ingredients halfway. eg 16 oz measured at 8oz. So I only measured out half of the flour. This explains why I needed to add so much flour. However, as I said before, the bread came out amazing. I did order a new scale and will definitely use this recipe again!!!
Hi Ruth! Happy to hear it, thanks for coming back to let us know. Onward and upward (to more amazing bread)! ~gvd team
I had to add way more flour than the 2.5 cups as it was like batter when I combined the ingredients. Am I missing something?
Hi Lola! You’re not missing anything! This dough does start out quite sticky, but it should come together as you knead and slowly add the remaining flour until it’s soft, smooth, and elastic. Depending on humidity, flour type, or how you measure, you might need a bit more flour, which is totally normal for yeasted doughs! I’m so glad you gave it a try. ~gvd team
I am making this bread for the 3 rd time. It is wonderful. I always double the batch. One loaf is not enough. This time I used one tsp of salt as my niece cannot have a lot of salt due to medical condition. This is a keeper recipe. Also, freezes well.
Hi Diana! That’s so wonderful to hear, thank you for baking it again (and again)! I love that you’re doubling the batch, and I’m glad the lower-salt version worked well for your niece, too. Thanks for sharing your experience! ~gvd team
This was nice. Thank you.
I am watching my sugar intake like a hawk but when i halved the recipe for one dinner size loaf and saw how much sugar was involved i was pleasantly surprised. Dinner timing made me cut into it before it completely cooled but i thought it was great. It went well with the pasta and meat sauce we had and i could see that toasted it could possibly used for bruschetta.
Thanks again
Steve P
Hi Steve! Love that it paired well with pasta and meat sauce, and I completely agree that toasted slices would be perfect for bruschetta. Thanks for taking the time to share! ~gvd team
I usually make sourdough bread that takes two days, but I had only a few hours before a dinner and made this one. My family loved it SO MUCH that I am currently making another loaf as we speak. Fantastic recipe!
Hi Krista! This makes my day, thank you! I love that this recipe came through in a pinch and still won over your family. So glad you’re already baking another loaf! ~gvd team
This recipe is so good. I’ve used a lot of other recipes, but this one is going to be my “go-to” from now one. The bread was made to accompany my husband’s beef soup (which was also fantastic). Although meant as a side, the bread shared the spotlight with the soup:
Hi Paula! I love hearing that this recipe has become your “go-to”! And pairing it with beef soup sounds absolutely perfect! Thanks for taking the time to comment and rate! ~gvd team
I’ve been using this recipe for a few months now. The recipe couldn’t be any easier and the bread is delicious!
Hi Cindy! That’s what we love to hear! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment, means a lot to us. ~gvd team