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.
Oven temper, please. Making it now!
Hi May! Heat the oven to 400°F, and if you’re using an oven thermometer, bonus points. Bake 20–25 min until golden. Happy baking! ~gvd team
I used fresh dry yeast. Best and easiest recipe ever! The whole family loved it. Thank you.
Hi Jody! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! Thanks for taking the time to share your bake and happy bread making! ~gvd team
Bread was easy to make , and came out perfect !
Hi Jude! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know. Happy baking, and hope you enjoy it many more times! ~gvd team
Just made 2 loaves. I doubled recipe. Came out great! Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Cheryl! So glad to hear that, thank you for baking it and for coming back to share! ~gvd team
I made this before and loved it but I wanted a crispier crust. Is there anything I can do to make this crust crunchier?
Hi Carol! This loaf is designed to be soft and tender on the inside with a chewy crust on the outside, but you can push it crunchier if you like! Try adding steam: place a metal pan on the oven floor and add hot water right after loading the bread. You can also bake the last 5 minutes or so directly on the rack, or let it cool completely uncovered because trapping steam softens crusts. Let me know what you go with, and happy baking! ~gvd team
I made this today and wow! I used a Tuscan Herb infused olive oil that gave it a wonderful flavor. It’s cold today but I had no trouble getting it to rise. One of the easiest loaves of bread I have ever made.
Hi Tammy! So glad you loved it, and that Tuscan herb oil sounds delicious. Great to hear it rose well even in the cold. Thanks for sharing your bake! ~gvd team
Can I use half bread flour and half all-purpose flour to make this recipe?
Hi Doug! Bread flour or all-purpose flour works for this recipe! Using half and half is a great middle ground: you’ll get a slightly chewier crumb from the bread flour while keeping the loaf soft and tender. Just hold back a tablespoon or two of flour and add as needed while kneading. Happy baking! ~gvd team
This is my go to recipe for bread! I even pop it in a loaf pan on occasion and it makes great sandwich bread! Just remember to score the top straight down the middle when making it that way though and it turns out way better.
I always make two loaves and freeze the second one for spaghetti night because the first loaf is not surviving more than 5 mins after cooling.
Hi Ashley! I love this, especially the loaf pan tip! Also YES to freezing. Thanks for sharing your go-to methods! ~gvd team
I made this tonight for company and it may be the best bread I’ve made yet. I doubled the recipe and then split it into 2 bowls after kneading. It was soft and light and just what I was looking for to serve with eggplant parm. Thanks!
Hi Gavin! So happy to hear that! I love that you doubled and split the dough. Eggplant parm is the perfect pairing! Thanks so much for baking and sharing! ~gvd team
Stephanie,
This recipe was my first crack at bread baking. It is divine! Easy and oh so yummy!! Thank you!!
Hi Michelle! So happy your first loaf was a success, that’s the best feeling! Thanks for baking with us, and happy baking! ~gvd team