Italian Bread Recipes

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!

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!

Italian Herb Bread Recipe For Bread Machine

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!

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.

Best Italian Bread Recipes

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.

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.

Pane Casereccio (homemade Bread)

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Italian Bread Recipe: How To Make It

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.

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:

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.

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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.

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!

Easy Homemade Italian 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:

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.

Classic Italian Bread Recipe

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.

While they’re fairly similar bread loaves with a crusty exterior and soft center, French Bread is typically longer and narrower, while Italian bread is shorter and plumper. They also have a slightly different flavor and texture.

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There are numerous reasons your dough may fail to rise, but some of the most common ones are: using expired yeast, not using the yeast correctly, not allowing the dough enough time to rise, and under-kneading the dough.

Calories: 1379 kcal , Carbohydrates: 257 g , Protein: 44 g , Fat: 19 g , Saturated Fat: 12 g , Sodium: 3522 mg , Potassium: 621 mg , Fiber: 17 g , Sugar: 7 g , Calcium: 63 mg , Iron: 15 mg

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

Easy Italian Bread Recipe {2 Loaves!}

My new cookbook is the ultimate resource for feeding your friends and family with 200+ simple recipes including videos, tips & more!Learn how to make the perfect loaf of Italian bread, just like you'd buy at a bakery or store. This easy recipe makes two large loaves of bread with a soft, airy crumb and a crunchy, chewy crust.

There are many types of Italian bread, from a focaccia to a ciabatta to this Tuscan bread, and more. The Italian bread I have for you today is what you'd likely find sold at the supermarket simply as Italian bread. It's very different from those other breads I mentioned, but it's just as delicious.

This is an exquisite bread: with a spongy, soft, airy crumb and a slightly hard, chewy crust. It is wonderful to dunk into soups, stews, make a bruschetta with, or to simply slather with vegan butter and pop into your mouth. The recipe makes two loaves, and leftovers make the best toast. This is also a great bread to throw on the grill!

Stuffed Italian Bread

A biga is a starter or pre-ferment used in many Italian bread recipes. It is created by mixing together yeast, flour and water that is then allowed to ferment several hours or overnight before being mixed with more flour and other ingredients to create a dough. The biga, which you could think of as a shortcut sourdough starter, adds tons of flavor to the bread, and it also helps leaven the bread (although not enough to skip the yeast altogether).

Mix with a wooden spoon or in the stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Cover the bowl and set aside overnight on the countertop.

Mix with a wooden spoon. Add one more cup of flour, mix, and transfer to a lightly floured surface or countertop. Knead the dough for seven minutes by hand or in the stand mixer on low speed using the dough hook attachment until soft, smooth and supple. Add more flour as necessary. I needed a total of three cups and two tablespoons (in addition to the flour in the biga). The dough should not be tacky or stick to the countertop, but, kinda like pizza dough, it should be soft and pliable and not stiff at all.

Stuffed Italian Bread Recipe

Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Place in an oiled bowl, making sure to coat the top of the dough with oil. Cover and set aside for an hour.

Flip the ball of dough over so the smooth side is on the bottom. Use your hands to shape the dough into a disc, about seven inches in diameter.

Place the loaves on a floured baking sheet, seam side down. Make sure you leave at least four inches between the loaves. Dust the tops of the loaves lightly with flour.

B 21) Stuffed Italian Bread

Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until they have risen and become very puffy. Use a sharp blade to score the top of each loaf. I make two