You won’t believe how easy this Italian bread is to make! With its soft interior and crusty exterior, it tastes like a loaf straight from your favorite bakery. With hardly any hands-on time and a very forgiving dough, this is a perfect beginner yeast recipe. Be sure to have a lot of softened butter ready to slather on these slices!
Well over a decade ago, I had planned to make spaghetti and meatballs on a regular ol’ Sunday afternoon when I was suddenly hit with the realization that I needed a loaf of Italian bread to soak up all of the extra sauce on the plate.
Not wanting to venture to the grocery store while in the middle of the meal, I began looking up recipes. I mashed a couple together and ended up with the most enormous, most delicious loaf of homemade Italian bread. For the very first time making Italian bread, I had seriously hit the jackpot. I’ve never wavered from this recipe and it remains a favorite of many of my friends.
It’s easy to see why – with a perfectly crisp outer crust and a soft, chewy interior with a tight crumb, it’s a bread dream come true!
The Case for Bread Flour
If you’ve made my favorite white bread recipe, you may remember that I opt for all-purpose flour there because it produces a super light and fluffy bread.
In contrast, we want to use bread flour for this Italian bread due to its higher protein content, which will create a bread that is chewier in texture and a bit denser. Since this is a free-form loaf of bread, using bread flour also helps the bread to retain its shape while rising.
Creating Steam for a Crisp Crust
The one unconventional step to this recipe comes during the baking step. While the oven is preheating, you’ll place a metal baking pan on the bottom rack of your oven. Once you place the bread in the oven, you’ll pour a cup of water into the pan, which will create a ton of steam, resulting in a wonderfully crisp crust on the bread.
Important Note: Please be sure to use a metal pan, NOT GLASS. If you pour water into a glass pan that has been heated, it has the potential to shatter. Go ahead and ask me how I know this ;-)
How to Make This Italian Bread
You won’t believe how many times I’ve received the comment, “I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make, and it was just like a loaf from the bakery!” It truly is incredibly simple and mostly hands-off; even better is that you can have fresh-baked Italian bread in just a few short hours.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Combine the yeast in warm water, then add to the flour, salt, brown sugar, and olive oil.
Mix on low speed until a dough starts to form (you may need to add more flour here!).
Knead for 7 minutes, then do a couple of minutes by hand for a smooth, firm, and elastic dough.
Rise! Put the dough in an oiled bowl and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Shape & Rise – The dough will be shaped into a torpedo and left to rise once more until doubled in size again.
Top & Bake – Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then pop it into the oven.
Tips for Bread Success!
Bread Flour – I outlined above why I’m a big advocate of bread flour for this particular recipe; you can find it in nearly all grocery stores or can buy it online. If you substitute all-purpose flour, there will be a definite difference in texture.
Yeast – This recipe calls for active dry yeast, but you can substitute instant yeast without an issue or any modifications.
Mixing by Hand – While using a stand mixer with dough hook makes this easier, you can absolutely mix and knead entirely by hand.
Extra Flour – Note that the recipe states you may need to add a little extra flour during the mixing process to get a dough to come together. I find that this varies during different times of the year, as well as what the weather is like. If it’s warmer/more humid, you may need more flour. When it’s colder and drier, I rarely, if ever, need to add more flour.
Metal Pan – I want to emphasize once more that the pan you place on the bottom rack of the oven to create steam needs to be METAL and not glass.
Baking Stone – This is the baking stone that I use, and this is the pizza peel you see pictured above. If you don’t have a baking stone, you can flip a baking sheet upside down and put a sheet of parchment paper on top and bake the bread on there (you would not need to place the pan in the oven during preheating).
Recipe video included. You won't believe how easy this Italian bread is to make! With its soft interior and crusty exterior, it tastes like a loaf straight from your favorite bakery.
Stir the yeast into ½ cup of the warm water. Let proof as you measure out the dry ingredients.
Combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast mixture, remaining water, and olive oil. Using a dough hook attachment, mix on the lowest speed of electric mixer (stir setting on a KitchenAid) until a dough starts to form, adding more flour as needed, up to an additional ¾ cup. Knead on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid) for 7 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
Place a baking stone on the center oven rack and preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a metal baking pan on the lowest rack.
Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with flour, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a floured dish towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
If using the topping, brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the dough lengthwise about 1/4-inch deep, keeping the blade at a 45-degree angle.
Just prior to placing the bread in the oven, pour 1 cup of water into the metal pan you placed on the bottom rack of the oven. Then, transfer the loaf from the peel to the stone in the oven.
Bake the dough until golden brown and a hollow thud is heard when tapping the bottom of the bread (it should register at least 195 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 30 to 40 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes:
Bread Flour - I outlined above why I'm a big advocate of bread flour for this particular recipe; you can find it in nearly all grocery stores or can buy it online. If you substitute all-purpose flour, there will be a definite difference in texture.
Yeast - This recipe calls for active dry yeast, but you can substitute instant yeast without an issue or any modifications.
Mixing by Hand - While using a stand mixer with dough hook makes this easier, you can absolutely mix and knead entirely by hand.
Extra Flour - Note that the recipe states you may need to add a little extra flour during the mixing process to get a dough to come together. I find that this varies during different times of the year, as well as what the weather is like. If it's warmer/more humid, you may need more flour. When it's colder and drier, I rarely, if ever, need to add more flour.
Metal Pan - I want to emphasize once more that the pan you place on the bottom rack of the oven to create steam needs to be METAL and not glass.
Baking Stone - This is the baking stone that I use, and this is the pizza peel you see pictured above. If you don't have a baking stone, you can flip a baking sheet upside down and put a sheet of parchment paper on top and bake the bread on there (you would not need to place the pan in the oven during preheating).
I made this and it came out amazing! I did do the egg white wash but didn’t add seeds, and the crust was perfect.
The only thing I would recommend is changing the recipe to say you need a 6 quart stand mixer. I have the artisan one that’s 5 quarts and some of the dough was flopping around above the dough hook because it was too much for it to handle. I ended up having to pull it out and hand knead it so my stand mixer didn’t break.
So the bread came out amazing! Thank you so much. My question is – if I want the bread to have a finer texture in the middle (more light and fluffy, very very tiny holes, less dense etc.) – what would I need to do? I added flour (quite a lot; probably 1.5 cups instead of 3/4 cups extra when the dough looked like batter after several minutes of kneading) – would omitting the extra flour help to achieve this? Or is it more about doing a third rise – instead of forming the loaf after the first rise, have it rise in the bowl a second time before forming the loaf and proofing? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Soooo easy to make and worked at high altitude, 6509ft, too!!!
Dough made a huge loaf here so I am diving it in half for (2) loaves today.
Use the egg wash, without sesame seeds, if you want it crispy on outside or leave it off and it is more like traditional sandwich bread! MY 87 year old Mom, hubby and I all gave this a 5 STAR KEEPER RECIPE!
Hi Michelle, if I could give ten stars I would. The taste and crunch of this Italian bread is so good. Everyone in my household is raving about it. I never made bread before and I found your blog. I’m so glad I did because the flavor of the Italian bread is just wonderful. I made a great big loaf and then made pizza crust with the rest of the bread Dough. Both were exceptional. One question however, I had trouble moving the proofed bread onto the heated stone. It didn’t hold the rise, unfortunately. I Don’t have a peel so I inverted a cookie sheet and floured it heavily, but the risen dough didn’t slide off so I had to give it a little help, and well, It deflated. It still tasted amazing.
I have made this twice. It came out fantastic both times! I am 100% Italian and love my bread, so that is a high compliment. This will be my only bread recipe moving forward. Bravo, brown-eyed baker! PS. I used regular flour.
This recipe has become a staple in our home. My friends (roommates) and I cannot get enough of it. I actually split the recipe into 2 loaves and we use it for good homemade garlic bread. Or ill make the one big loaf for sandwiches. With everything on lower production due to Covid-19. We are seeing a difference in the bread quality from local stores. So i went ahead and started looking for a good day to day recipe. This is Definitely the one I’ve been looking for. Thank you so much!!!! Also once thing I’ve noticed. The quality of the olive oil you use will make a MASSIVE difference in flavor. Ive been using Laconiko Evoo and it works wonders.
I have made this bread several times now and it is an excellent recipe to try for bakers who are just starting out. I do not use the peel or stone with the pan of water. That being said, it turns out beautifully. I use milk to wash the top and not egg. I also brush butter on the crust after I pull it from the oven which also makes a nice color texture on the crust. Definitely recommend this recipe.
Beautiful bread. Keeps greasy, two loaves cooked every Sunday, one in the bread bin one in freezer.really easy to make.i prefer fresh yeast as the result is even better than dried. Thank you for your recipe.
I live this recipe. One question when I try and cut the dough prior to cooking oats too gummy, even with a razor sharp knife, any thoughts would be great.
Hi Jimmy, Try a serrated bread knife. I have the best luck with those! Use a quick motion to “slash” and try not to drag the knife through the dough, if that makes sense.
Hi Ellen, I have not tried splitting this up, but you MIGHT be able to mix the dough, then pop it in the fridge, take it out tomorrow and let it finish rising, then shape and rise, then bake.
This bread was delicious!!! Just the texture that I’ve been looking for in a homemade bread and with good flavor! The only issue I had was that my loaf was too big for my pizza stone so next time I’ll make 2 loaves out of the recipe and put them side by side on the stone.
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve tried others that needed a starter and whatnot that took forever and yours is by far the EASIEST recipe and makes the most delicious bread. ever. My entire family loves it too and it’s perfect for sandwiches. I didn’t even knead it by hand at all and let my mixer do everything. (Not a KitchenAid)
Hi! I wonder how this bread would turn out if I added raisins to it. I love the texture of this bread and would also like it as a raisin bread. What do you think?
I made this Italian Bread last weekend as my first yeast bread in about 25 years. It turned out beautifully! And delicious. It was a great big loaf and has a wonderful slightly chewy texture, just like a really good bakery loaf. Had a question… you recommend covering with plastic wrap for the 90 minute rise. Any reason for that? I typically would cover with a clean kitchen towel. I’m thinking about making your ciabatta recipe sometime soon. I love your site, so many great recipes.
Hi Lisa, I usually do plastic wrap over my first rise just to keep the top from drying out and creating a “crust” on the dough. The first rise is typically longer than the second, and for that one I will often use a kitchen towel, too. I hope that helps!
I tried making this together in my mixer not a KitchenAid but dough was all sticky almost like a batter. I couldn’t get it together into a ball. What am I doing wrong?
My dough also came out much stickier than your video. I had to add more than 3/4 cup of extra flour just to make it manageable. It still came out great though. I’ll be making it again. Wonder what I did wrong though !
I have made a number of your recipes and all have been great, thank you! I want to try this Italian bread next, but can’t find bread flour right now. I do, however, have some vital wheat gluten on hand. Would it help to add some to the AP flour I have? I’m pretty new to bread baking so still learning about flour protein, gluten, etc. Thank you!
Hi Nancy, I actually haven’t experimented with vital wheat gluten, so I can’t give you a definitive answer on how it would work with this particular recipe. If you try it, please stop back and let us know!
I’ve done this 3 times, and I’ve always gotten a loaf of Italian bread that’s better than what I can buy at my local bakery.
Here’s what I did: I measured out the 5 cups of flour, removed 7.5 teaspoons of it, and replaced it with 7.5 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten. Make sure to give it a good whisk to mix it all together before adding to the wet ingredients!
My son just said this was the best bread he’s ever eaten in his entire life! (13years). The texture and taste was phenomenal! Definitely making this again.
I never leave reviews but I made and shared and now all my extended family has made, with the same incredible results. My husband told me to get rid of any other recipe I have. Thanks so much. Made as per recipe. I am in the south, needed a little more flour. My family in Canada needed a little less.
The bread came out just as the picture.very nice.My only comment is that the bread is just to dense for me. I would like it a bit airy. Next time I think I’ll try reg. Flour instead of bread flour. That may make a difference.otherwis it was easy and made a beautiful loaf.
Can’t find video and if kneading all of it by hand how long should it be kneaded. I don’t have a mixer. Made it and turned out pretty good. Not sure if I kneaded it enough .
Just kneed for around 6-7 min by hand or when you can play with the dough, and stretch it and it doesn’t spilt too much 😊 Although I have a mixer, to me it’s bread that you’ve made with your hands and a little love. Whilst we have been through some tough and unusual times, this isolation time at home has made us realise what my Nonna did all day every day Back in the day and made bread with much heart and passion. If it ain’t about family, what is it about. 🙏🏻
This looks delicious and I’m anxious to try it. My question is since we’re stuck at home amid the lock down can all purpose flour be used? Or perhaps a blend of all purpose and cake flour (since those are the two in my pantry)? I’m not normally one for substitutions but I can’t get out to get bread flour and I NEED this bread! =)
Since the Covid stay at home order I have been trying new recipes to feed the family~ lots of bread since our grocery store only has it sporadically. I baked this bread exactly as the recipe was written while I was making a classic bolognese sauce. I wish I could have posted a picture of my huge, beautiful loaf but it was DEVOURED by my family in minutes! One of my boy’s said it was absolute “genius” and the best I had ever made. It didn’t even get a chance to cool…. fantastic recipe from BEB!
I hadn’t made this in years but I live this recipe! I made it this way, with the pan of water but we much preferred the spray bottle method. I cannot remember the timing of that method and it seems to have disappeared since I last made this. Will you refresh my memory please?
I made the bread today. One loaf was way too much so I cut into two loafs. I also didn’t have a stone to cook on so I used a flat baking pan. My crust browned but nothing like yours. Also can I freeze the other loaf. It is cooked? Thanks, RoseAnne
I spent hours making this to only have it ruined in the last step. I tried to transfer it before putting in the oven and ruined the whole thing:( It says in step 8 to transfer from peel to stone but in the video I do not see this transfer. My bread could not handle the transfer, looked great before and horrible after. How do you do this? Can you add a video of what this looks like?
Make sure the pizza peel you are using is well floured particularly under the dough. Open the oven and shimmy the dough from the peel onto the hot pizza stone. Because the dough is particularly long I placed the dough on a diagonal across the stone to fit it all without it going over the edge of the stone.
I’ve never had luck with the pizza peel transfer. So I use parchment paper. Form loaf on the parchment (NOT wax paper) on a baking sheet, then just drag the paper onto the pizza stone to bake, then drag off onto pan again when removing from oven. MUCH easier!
This recipe came out perfect. Great taste, Great crust. Made exactly as directed. Baked 30 min in oven on parchment and aluminum flat/grill stove topper because I was unsure of turning a baking sheet upside down. This is a good amount of bread and great for large family or sharing, Thank you!
We loved this recipe! It made one huge, impressive loaf of bread. I loved that the crust wasn’t tough, and the bread was the perfect texture. Very easy to make. This will be my go-to Italian bread recipe from now on.
First time making Italian bread and it couldn’t have been easier. It came out great. I proofed it in the same oven I was baking it in so it flattened out a bit as the oven was preheating. I’ll use my second oven to proof next time so I can bake it right away. The crust was nice and the inside was airy and soft.
I would love to see the video so I can know if I did everything right.
Can I just say that this recipe is absolutely brilliant! I make all my own bread, but have never added olive oil and what a difference it makes! Have made this bread three times and it has turned out so well. It has a nice light, but chewy texture. Will be making this as often as I can. Thank you Michelle!
Hi. I made it last week, had to split it in two parts, and it came out beautifully. My question is, could I make it all the way to step 4, and then put it in the fridge so I can bake them next morning? I want to make it fresh Saturday morning so I can drop it off at my mom’s.
I’ve made this twice with my 6-year-old grandson as part of our quarantine home-schooling. He loves it and feels so accomplished! We are having the rest for breakfast, as it makes delicious toast.
I made this bread and it is really good. I’ve made a lot of bread and this one is the best! I have a picture of it and it’s perfect. A little sweet , big fat loaf. I used 5 cups flour and the used about 2/3c. whole wheat flour for the extra to smooth it out.
My husband made this yesterday and it is amazing! All done by hand with regular flour as all we have at home(stay home, stay safe). It was picture perfect and tastes as good as it looks!
Long time reader, first time poster. All of your recipes are great. I make often make bread but am going a little overkill during the Covid outbreak … so I tried your Italian Bread recipe and it’s awesome. Beautiful crumb and texture. Thank you for the recipe!
I love this recipe. This is the first time I have made Italian bread on my journey of bread baking. The only thing I did different was it was done in 30 minutes. I’m not sure if the high altitude has anything to do with it but it was so easy. I also will use just a baking pan instead of my stone because after transferring my loaf to bake, the stone was too small and had to transfer back to the pan. Fortunately the extra transferring didn’t interfere with the rise. Other than that it was easy peasy. Thank you!!
Horrible loaf of bread. Followed recipe to a T. Internal temp 190 degrees on instant read. Used bread flour Tasted nothing but yeast and weighed a ton. Very discouraging.
Hi Carolyn, I’m sorry you had a bad experience with the bread. Please do note, though, that the recipe indicates baking it to an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees. If taken out too early, the bread will definitely be denser.
I make a LOT of bread and rolls…this recipe is excellent! Super easy to put together. I found it easiest to shape the bread on parchment paper on top of a sheet pan turned upside down. I simply slide the parchment from the pan to the baking stone. When removing it from the oven, I again slide the parchment off the baking stone right into my cooling rack. The bread looks like the perfect loaf of crusty Italian bread. The inside has an excellent chew but is soft. I like using the brown sugar rather than granulated sugar. Really, really great recipe!
This bread was the perfect project for a cold rainy day. The bread turned out perfectly even though it looked a little more crescent shape since it stuck to the bread peel as I was transferring it to the baking stone. The proof is in the eating and it was great. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great recipe, I have made it twice now, first time I did one one loaf….it was huge , second time I did two loaves, both times it was a challenge transferring the loaves to the baking stone. Any suggestion ?
Thanks for getting back to me Michelle! I actually made this recipe for the third time over the weekend…….I did six hoagie rolls and used your recipe for Philly cheese steak subs…..they were awesome! Probably my favourite bread recipe. I have made several of your recipes with great results. I love your blog, your family is beautiful and of course your goldens are pretty special too!
…made this loaf yesterday. I only did a half recipe for the two of us and I used my bread machine to do the mixing and kneading. Then I baked it on my pizza stone with the metal pan of water underneath. It made a lovely loaf of bread and it is a definite keeper recipe.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am going to try making it tomorrow. Silly as it sounds, it’s my husbands birthday and he is a sucker for a good loaf of Italian bread. I am going to surprise him with this recipe. Let’s hope I don’t mess it up :). I love your blog and your recipes! Thank you!
A few people have been referring to a spray bottle. Am I missing this part of the recipe? I made this loaf and it turned out great but didn’t darken as much as the bread in the photo. Should I have misted it with water?
Hi Julie, An older version of the recipe had you mist the dough with a spray bottle in 3 minute intervals for the beginning part of the baking process, but I simplified it by pouring water into the pan on the bottom of the oven; a little more hands off :)
You have no idea how much I appreciate that you put the water temp for the yeast as part of your recipe. I can’t wait to try this; I love Italian bread.
I’m a novice bread baker, so I need more detailed instructions on how to use the pizza peel and baking stone. How do you get the loaf from the peel to the stone? And do you make a slit in the top of the load with a knife before you bake it? Thanks!
Well, yes, this IS an enormous loaf ! I divided the dough into 2 loaves so it would fit on my stone. It came out looking beautiful. My sister took both to a dinner party & it got raves. Didn’t alter the recipe at all (BTW, I live at 6,000 ft). Thank you for sharing your recipe. Will make it again so I can try it too!
You’re right; this is one massive loaf. It reminded me of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel add a few too many cakes of yeast to their bread dough and the resulting behemoth bursts out of the oven pinning Lucy against her kitchen counter.Thanks to my new KitchenAid mixer and my Brod & Taylor proofing box, the dough came together nicely and rose like a dream. I added the egg wash and sesame seeds and darn if the taste and texture of this bread don’t remind me of the Italian bakery products I remember quite fondly as a kid. It even freezes better than I thought possible.I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly, almost, don’t have a spray bottle, so put a pan in the bottom of the oven and poured water in just before butting bread in. Also, didn’t do egg wash and sesame seeds. Beautiful crust, tender loaf. LOVED it. Family ate it before I could get a picture.
I have this loaf in the oven now, fourth time I’ve made it. I’ve baked about six or seven different bread recipes, this one is the most foolproof, right down the middle excellent bread, slightly tight crumb, perfect for toast, sandwiches, bruchetta, midnight snacking and general breadfulness
Thank You, I’ve made this recipe several times now without fail and many friends have enjoyed it. It’s delicious especially if allowed to cool for a few hours. I also put a pan of water under the rack of bread. I’m going to try your anadama bread recipe next to go with my Boston baked beans. Ciao!
I tried making this today and the dough was very stiff and crumbly after kneading it. It wouldn’t even come together into a nice ball. Should I have used less flour and added more as needed? I followed everything to a tee, what could have happened?
not sure about the baking time, as i left mine in for only 25 min and any longer it would have been way overdone. I have a gas stove, not sure if that made a difference.
I just ordered a French bread pan that hold two loaves and I intend to try it out using your Italian Bread recipe, since it is a very large loaf. I am relatively new to bread baking and was wondering, when putting dough on a stone to bake, should I line the stone with parchment paper? (I do not have a peel.) Thank you.
Hi Jan, As long as you have a large spatula or something else that you can move the loaves with, you don’t need parchment. If you don’t have a way to move the loaves, however parchment will probably make it easier.
This bread was great! So easy to make, dense, and the crust was incredible. I, uh, made the mistake of just chucking the water into my oven due to speed-reading the directions. My husband was mad but didn’t remain so after tasting this delicious bread! Next time around I’ll put a pan in. :D
Hi chef, I never make bread before, want to try this recipe. Just wondering “1 package active dry yeast” is how many grams or tablespoon? can not figure out how much us a package
Thanks so much for your reply so that I can try it this weekend.
Appreciate your kind feedback. Have tried the recipe for the first time in my life :), the bread outside was very crunchy when it was just brought out of the oven, when it cools down in some hours later, it became so hard and thick. What should I do to make it softer but still crunchy, not become so hard later on. Millions thanks to you! Best regards, Jenny
I’ve never made bread before, but have been wanting to try and replicate one I grew up eating. Stumbled on to this site while looking for a recipe that only needed 1 pack of yeast, as that’s all I had. I must say it turned out well for a first attempt. The interior was dense, like you said, and that’s one thing I need to copy. Next time, I won’t do the the water spraying- made the crust too crunchy-thick. Also, I will need to play with cooking times/temps, as the crust was way too brown, so I lowered the heat to 375°because there was still 30 minutes of cook time left. Even so, I took it out with 8 minutes remaining as it had the proper bread ‘sound’. All in all, this recipe was easy to follow, very good instructions, the extra hint info was a nice reference. I’m also glad that you had a good photo of the interior of the bread- that actually sold me on trying it.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Nice and crusty on the outside and soft inside. I mixed and kneaded all by hand as I do not, currently, have a kitchenaid. It was a very easy dough to work with and is very soothing to do by hand. We had it with the lasagna I made as well. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I’ve made your Italian loaf 3Xs these past cpl weeks. Awesome!!! Thank you. We’ve been experimenting and substitute bout 1 /2 cups whole wheat flour. SOOOO YUMMY. Tonights vsion has added rosemary. Thank you so much for this great bread. The crust is so crunchy and the inside is just perfect. Gave such great inspiration for a beginner breadmaker.
How do you make the crust softer, mine came out hard as a rock the insides was still soft and lovely. I like my crust crisp just not that hard ps I used the roasting pan with boiling water instead of a spray bottle
Hi Jessica, You can place a roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it with boiling water right before you place the bread in. Be sure to use a metal roasting pan and not glass – I’ve shattered a glass pan doing that once!
What do the sesame seeds add to this recipe? Usually, I like my bread seedless but in the picture it looks like there are no seeds. Also, if I choose to leave out the seeds does that mean I can nix the egg whites, too? These questions might be a little dumb, but I’m pretty new to baking.
Hi Meghan, Some folks like sesame seeds on the crust of their Italian bread. It’s an optional step, and yes you can omit the egg whites, too, unless you prefer a more glossy, golden crust.
Just made this to go with my baked shrimp for dinner. Great recipe! Easy to follow. Perfect the way written, especially if you follow the hints or (****). Great dipper bread consistensy. Instead of spraying the bread with wate, I put my cast iron grill in the oven on the bottom rack and used a turkey baster to splash water on that every 3 minutes as instructed. You won’t be sorry you made this bread. Thank you!
So I just made this today and it was my first attempt at making bread. I really don’t know the differences in flours and I didn’t have bread flour. I used 4 cups all purpose and 1 cup wheat. What are your thoughts on different types of flour. I also cooked mine on a Traeger pellet smoker. (I do a fair amount of bbq.) it came out really good. It finished like two hours ago and it’s mostly gone already. It his was my first attempt at branching out into baked goods on my smoker and it was a success.
I made two loaves of this bread yesterday, and it came out SO GOOD! The only thing is that my oven read 425 dead on with an oven thermometer, but the bread was a bit too brown at 39 minutes, so I didn’t bake it for 45. Once it came out of the oven, I let it sit for 15 minutes before I cut into it, and it was cooked perfectly inside. I baked my bread on an inverted cookie sheet, so I don’t know if that perhaps bakes a bit differently than a baking tile. the crust was really dark brown but for the most part not so brown that we couldn’t eat the crust. & the sesame seeds were perfect too. eating the bread was an experience of a perfect match between my idea of bread and the yeasty goodness I was wolfing slathered with butter.
i am baking two more loaves today, and they rose differently than yesterday, even though I think I did everything the same. It took longer to rise today for some reason, and also in the second rise the bread rose outwards rather than upwards!
This recipe is wonderful and it looks beautiful!! Not to mention it tastes amazing. My husband said we no longer have to buy bread downtown any more!! Thank you so much. I just started a blog on baking, please check it out and let me know what you think. http://www.apinchofluv.com Thanks again !!
I am new to the bread baking world and I just made this during a Nor’easter here and it came out so wonderful. It is a very dense dough, so I am glad the comment was there.
This bread is absolutely delicious. I was looking for something close to what my store sells. This is close to it, maybe even better. I’ll definitely be making this bread again. It’s not crispy, but next time I would like it to be. Definitely recommended.
A ver dense dough, indeed! The inexplicable has happened. It actually broke the hook off my dough hook for my KA!! Amazing. I hope this bread is amazing. I’ll keep you posted.
Ack! A verY dense dough. Pulled it out to prep for the second rise and it looked incredibly happy. Can’t wait for the lovely aroma from the oven. Soon!
Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It will definitely be a keeper for me! I will be replacing the standard KA dough hook with one that’s made from stainless steel.
I’d like to try this recipe soon. I recently tried your white bread recipe and it turned out great! Hoping the same with the Italian loaf. One question though. I dont have a baking stone. Can I use just the inverted baking sheet or do I need to get a stone? Thanks and keep up the delicious work.
Made this Bread Saturday night it’s Moday and it’s gone (just me and my wife) it was great. crisp crunch outside soft dense inside. Just a grat recipie. Fairly simple and not all that time consuming. Will make over and over again.
I loved the bread, very tasty and it looked just as good as yours. Great for bruschetta or with pesto! Now my bread was a bit dry, any advise to make it a bit more moist?
This was my first time baking bread from scratch. My loaf looked just like yours. I used regular unbleached flour and it still came out very well. The measurements, baking time and temp are perfect. I sprayed my crust 4X but I would of liked it if my crust came out a little thicker and crunchier. Will spraying a few more times do the trick? It was relaxing and fun kneading the dough and smelling fresh yeast. Now I can’t wait to try your other bread recipes :)
Hi Debbie, So glad you liked the bread! More steam should produce a crisper crust. You could also put a roasting ban with boiling water on the bottom rack when you put the bread into the oven.
This bread was amazing, and I was surprised at how easy it was to make! I found that it only too 30 minutes to bake, though. I posted about it on my blog and would love if you’d take a look: http://piesandplots.net/italian-bread/ Thanks!
Just made 2 loaves this afternoon in our 300 room hotel. Fantastic recipe,great crust & texture,easy to train my staff on how to prepare. Just a comment but i reduced the temperature from 220c to 190 after the third steam injection but we use professional sized baking ovens.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I was shocked that I could produce a bread that turned out so well. Great directions! This will be my go to Italian bread recipe.
This was my first attempt at bread-making and it turned out beautifully! Thanks for the clear directions and great tips. If I decided to make two smaller loaves, do you think I could freeze half the dough after the first rise? I’ve done that with pizza dough, but I’m not sure the same rules apply here. Thanks!
Hi Annie, I’ve never done that actually. Usually with bread, I will bake the full recipe and then freeze a loaf once it has been baked and cooled. Then I just let it sit at room temperature to thaw when I’m ready to use it.
yes, you can freeze bread dough. Shape it, wrap in plastic wrap and they in foil. Freeze it. Before you use it, take it out the night before and let it rise as normal. It will take several hours to thaw and then rise. Bake as usual. Hope this helps
Yes, you could certainly divide this into loaves. Just be sure to adjust the baking time, as two smaller loaves won’t take as long to bake. The crisp outer crust is created by spraying the crust with water, as indicated in the recipe. Enjoy the bread!
Hi, do you think this could be devided for two small loaves? Usually, bread dough can be shaped however one wants, but I just wanted your opinion on this please. BTW, hopemine looks this good. How do you get the crust such a pleasing brown without drying out the inside?
ROLA — So sorry to ruin your diet, but glad that you enjoyed the bread! :) My bread was definitely dense, so I think your rise time was probably just fine.
I came upon your recipe on my second day of a diet….needless to say, the diet was forgotten and the bread won….My kids woke up to the smell of it and really enjoyed it before school. My question is: is it supposed to be on the dense side or I did not let it rise enough?
I tried out this recipe and it turned out gorgeously! I’m going to have to make it again soon because it disappeared so quickly. Also, I tried your tip and left my spray bottle on the counter, using the roaster with water in it worked very well. I might have to try that method with another bread recipe.
Hi Lori – I’m so glad that you enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs! I have only ever frozen cooked meatballs, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t freeze them raw! If you try it let me know how it turns out!
Your bread does look amazing, and I plan on making it soon! But I’m actually posting here because I made your Spaghetti & Meatballs tonight and OH MY….that was so incredibly good. My husband and I greatly enjoyed them and will be making it again with fresh Italian Bread!
One question though, have you ever tried freezing the raw meatballs? I just thought that may be an easy way to be able to throw this together, even though it really didn’t take that long anyway. Thanks so much for the recipe!
OMG I CANNOT wait to eat like 10 sandwiches Thursday night when you come home with this deliciousness!! I’m going to stop at the Italian store and get the good stuff to go on it as well :)
Hi Heather – By inverting the baking sheet, I mean just turning it over. My largest pan has a lip the whole way around, so I flip it over so there is nothing preventing air from reaching the bread. I usually do this for free form loaves that are too big for my stone.
that loaf has an absolutely GORGEOUS color to it! I love making bread on weekends, too… and I also have a Nick that is just a sucker for a warm loaf of bread :) What do you mean by inverted pan? I’ve always just shaped mine and made them on parchment paper… is there a better way I don’t know about??
Yum. Your bread looks fabulous. I’ve made a couple of Italian bread recipes in the past month, but still haven’t found time to blog about either of them… *sigh*
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This bread is delicious. I’ve made it several times now. I usually cut it into 2 smaller loaves.
On the second rise, it rises mostly out instead of up. Id there a way to make it rise up more?
I made this and it came out amazing! I did do the egg white wash but didn’t add seeds, and the crust was perfect.
The only thing I would recommend is changing the recipe to say you need a 6 quart stand mixer. I have the artisan one that’s 5 quarts and some of the dough was flopping around above the dough hook because it was too much for it to handle. I ended up having to pull it out and hand knead it so my stand mixer didn’t break.
So the bread came out amazing! Thank you so much.
My question is – if I want the bread to have a finer texture in the middle (more light and fluffy, very very tiny holes, less dense etc.) – what would I need to do? I added flour (quite a lot; probably 1.5 cups instead of 3/4 cups extra when the dough looked like batter after several minutes of kneading) – would omitting the extra flour help to achieve this?
Or is it more about doing a third rise – instead of forming the loaf after the first rise, have it rise in the bowl a second time before forming the loaf and proofing?
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
So very good!
Soooo easy to make and worked at high altitude, 6509ft, too!!!
Dough made a huge loaf here so I am diving it in half for (2) loaves today.
Use the egg wash, without sesame seeds, if you want it crispy on outside or leave it off and it is more like traditional sandwich bread! MY 87 year old Mom, hubby and I all gave this a 5 STAR KEEPER RECIPE!
Love this recipe! Question from a busy mom – could the first rise be overnight in the fridge?
Hi Michelle, if I could give ten stars I would. The taste and crunch of this Italian bread is so good. Everyone in my household is raving about it. I never made bread before and I found your blog. I’m so glad I did because the flavor of the Italian bread is just wonderful. I made a great big loaf and then made pizza crust with the rest of the bread Dough. Both were exceptional. One question however, I had trouble moving the proofed bread onto the heated stone. It didn’t hold the rise, unfortunately. I Don’t have a peel so I inverted a cookie sheet and floured it heavily, but the risen dough didn’t slide off so I had to give it a little help, and well, It deflated. It still tasted amazing.
I have made this twice. It came out fantastic both times! I am 100% Italian and love my bread, so that is a high compliment. This will be my only bread recipe moving forward. Bravo, brown-eyed baker!
PS. I used regular flour.
This recipe has become a staple in our home. My friends (roommates) and I cannot get enough of it. I actually split the recipe into 2 loaves and we use it for good homemade garlic bread. Or ill make the one big loaf for sandwiches. With everything on lower production due to Covid-19. We are seeing a difference in the bread quality from local stores. So i went ahead and started looking for a good day to day recipe. This is Definitely the one I’ve been looking for. Thank you so much!!!! Also once thing I’ve noticed. The quality of the olive oil you use will make a MASSIVE difference in flavor. Ive been using Laconiko Evoo and it works wonders.
The bread came out great. Thank you.
There is no video included even though it says there is
I’ve baked this bread twice! It’s a great recipe and easy to follow instructions. My family loves it! Thank you fir sharing!!
I have made this bread several times now and it is an excellent recipe to try for bakers who are just starting out. I do not use the peel or stone with the pan of water. That being said, it turns out beautifully. I use milk to wash the top and not egg. I also brush butter on the crust after I pull it from the oven which also makes a nice color texture on the crust. Definitely recommend this recipe.
Really liked this recipe. Question: thinking about making two smaller loaves with it. Thoughts?
Hi Mike, Glad you enjoyed it! And yes, two smaller loaves are definitely doable.
Beautiful bread. Keeps greasy, two loaves cooked every Sunday, one in the bread bin one in freezer.really easy to make.i prefer fresh yeast as the result is even better than dried. Thank you for your recipe.
I live this recipe. One question when I try and cut the dough prior to cooking oats too gummy, even with a razor sharp knife, any thoughts would be great.
Hi Jimmy, Try a serrated bread knife. I have the best luck with those! Use a quick motion to “slash” and try not to drag the knife through the dough, if that makes sense.
This is my first ever Italian bread. It came out FABULOUS and delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can you split dough and bake as 2 smaller loafs?
Does baking time change?
Hi Geri, Yes, you can make two smaller loaves, and yes, the bake time will be shorter. Enjoy!
can this recipe be divided in half without impacting the final product?
Hi Laurel, Yes definitely!
This bread turned out amazing! Is it possible to make it in two smaller loaves instead one really large loaf? Would the baking time change?
Hi Karen, Yes you could definitely make two smaller loaves. The baking time would be less.
Beautiful 😍 My family was shocked I could create such a masterpiece without a mixer😅. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Is there a way to make the dough beforehand and bake the next day. Have time today for all the prep but want the bread tomorrow
Hi Ellen, I have not tried splitting this up, but you MIGHT be able to mix the dough, then pop it in the fridge, take it out tomorrow and let it finish rising, then shape and rise, then bake.
This bread was delicious!!! Just the texture that I’ve been looking for in a homemade bread and with good flavor! The only issue I had was that my loaf was too big for my pizza stone so next time I’ll make 2 loaves out of the recipe and put them side by side on the stone.
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve tried others that needed a starter and whatnot that took forever and yours is by far the EASIEST recipe and makes the most delicious bread. ever. My entire family loves it too and it’s perfect for sandwiches. I didn’t even knead it by hand at all and let my mixer do everything. (Not a KitchenAid)
Hi! I wonder how this bread would turn out if I added raisins to it. I love the texture of this bread and would also like it as a raisin bread. What do you think?
Hi Sarah, I think that would work just fine!
I made this Italian Bread last weekend as my first yeast bread in about 25 years. It turned out beautifully! And delicious. It was a great big loaf and has a wonderful slightly chewy texture, just like a really good bakery loaf. Had a question… you recommend covering with plastic wrap for the 90 minute rise. Any reason for that? I typically would cover with a clean kitchen towel.
I’m thinking about making your ciabatta recipe sometime soon. I love your site, so many great recipes.
Hi Lisa, I usually do plastic wrap over my first rise just to keep the top from drying out and creating a “crust” on the dough. The first rise is typically longer than the second, and for that one I will often use a kitchen towel, too. I hope that helps!
OMG!…made this during quarantine. This was the best bread ever and so easy to make!
I tried making this together in my mixer not a KitchenAid but dough was all sticky almost like a batter. I couldn’t get it together into a ball. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Kathy, Did you try adding a little extra flour to get the dough to come together as it notes in the recipe?
My dough also came out much stickier than your video. I had to add more than 3/4 cup of extra flour just to make it manageable. It still came out great though. I’ll be making it again. Wonder what I did wrong though !
The bread was delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipie. It turned out exactly how it looked in the picture. Very easy to make.
I have made a number of your recipes and all have been great, thank you! I want to try this Italian bread next, but can’t find bread flour right now. I do, however, have some vital wheat gluten on hand. Would it help to add some to the AP flour I have? I’m pretty new to bread baking so still learning about flour protein, gluten, etc. Thank you!
Hi Nancy, I actually haven’t experimented with vital wheat gluten, so I can’t give you a definitive answer on how it would work with this particular recipe. If you try it, please stop back and let us know!
I’ve done this 3 times, and I’ve always gotten a loaf of Italian bread that’s better than what I can buy at my local bakery.
Here’s what I did: I measured out the 5 cups of flour, removed 7.5 teaspoons of it, and replaced it with 7.5 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten. Make sure to give it a good whisk to mix it all together before adding to the wet ingredients!
I was thrilled when I made it. It wasn’t hard to make and it was delicious ….. especially when it was warm.
My son just said this was the best bread he’s ever eaten in his entire life! (13years).
The texture and taste was phenomenal! Definitely making this again.
I never leave reviews but I made and shared and now all my extended family has made, with the same incredible results. My husband told me to get rid of any other recipe I have. Thanks so much. Made as per recipe. I am in the south, needed a little more flour. My family in Canada needed a little less.
The bread came out just as the picture.very nice.My only comment is that the bread is just to dense for me. I would like it a bit airy. Next time I think I’ll try reg. Flour instead of bread flour.
That may make a difference.otherwis it was easy and made a beautiful loaf.
Can’t find video and if kneading all of it by hand how long should it be kneaded. I don’t have a mixer.
Made it and turned out pretty good. Not sure if I kneaded it enough .
Just kneed for around 6-7 min by hand or when you can play with the dough, and stretch it and it doesn’t spilt too much 😊 Although I have a mixer, to me it’s bread that you’ve made with your hands and a little love. Whilst we have been through some tough and unusual times, this isolation time at home has made us realise what my Nonna did all day every day Back in the day and made bread with much heart and passion. If it ain’t about family, what is it about. 🙏🏻
How do you store cooled bread
This looks delicious and I’m anxious to try it. My question is since we’re stuck at home amid the lock down can all purpose flour be used? Or perhaps a blend of all purpose and cake flour (since those are the two in my pantry)? I’m not normally one for substitutions but I can’t get out to get bread flour and I NEED this bread! =)
I only used all purpose and it turned out just as great :)
Me too. I only used all purpose and even my very persnickety husband was wowed.
Since the Covid stay at home order I have been trying new recipes to feed the family~ lots of bread since our grocery store only has it sporadically. I baked this bread exactly as the recipe was written while I was making a classic bolognese sauce. I wish I could have posted a picture of my huge, beautiful loaf but it was DEVOURED by my family in minutes! One of my boy’s said it was absolute “genius” and the best I had ever made. It didn’t even get a chance to cool…. fantastic recipe from BEB!
I hadn’t made this in years but I live this recipe! I made it this way, with the pan of water but we much preferred the spray bottle method. I cannot remember the timing of that method and it seems to have disappeared since I last made this. Will you refresh my memory please?
This made a massive loaf of bread. We loved it. I’m going to email you a pic be it was so pretty!
So you made a loaf of bread in the middle of eating as opposed to going to the bakery in the middle of eating?
I think she said in the middle of cooking….the sauce😊
This came out great!I added the additional 3/4 cup flour and let rise in my warm oven. Made a very large and delicious loaf!
I made the bread today. One loaf was way too much so I cut into two loafs. I also didn’t have a stone to cook on so I used a flat baking pan. My crust browned but nothing like yours. Also can I freeze the other loaf. It is cooked?
Thanks, RoseAnne
PS. Tastes great
Great recipe and very easy to follow. Can’t wait to taste it!
Would baking this in a loaf pan work?
I know, im wierd ;-)
I think it would be too much dough for one loaf pan, but not quite enough to split it between two unless you make rather small loaves.
I spent hours making this to only have it ruined in the last step. I tried to transfer it before putting in the oven and ruined the whole thing:( It says in step 8 to transfer from peel to stone but in the video I do not see this transfer. My bread could not handle the transfer, looked great before and horrible after. How do you do this? Can you add a video of what this looks like?
Make sure the pizza peel you are using is well floured particularly under the dough. Open the oven and shimmy the dough from the peel onto the hot pizza stone. Because the dough is particularly long I placed the dough on a diagonal across the stone to fit it all without it going over the edge of the stone.
I hope that helps
Steven L
I’ve never had luck with the pizza peel transfer. So I use parchment paper. Form loaf on the parchment (NOT wax paper) on a baking sheet, then just drag the paper onto the pizza stone to bake, then drag off onto pan again when removing from oven. MUCH easier!
Can you tell me what kind of salt you use
Hi Lisa, I use ground Himilayan sea salt from Costco!
Love this recipe, with the altitude I only needed 25 min. cook time.
This recipe came out perfect. Great taste, Great crust. Made exactly as directed. Baked 30 min in oven on parchment and aluminum flat/grill stove topper because I was unsure of turning a baking sheet upside down. This is a good amount of bread and great for large family or sharing, Thank you!
We loved this recipe! It made one huge, impressive loaf of bread. I loved that the crust wasn’t tough, and the bread was the perfect texture. Very easy to make. This will be my go-to Italian bread recipe from now on.
First time making Italian bread and it couldn’t have been easier. It came out great. I proofed it in the same oven I was baking it in so it flattened out a bit as the oven was preheating. I’ll use my second oven to proof next time so I can bake it right away. The crust was nice and the inside was airy and soft.
I would love to see the video so I can know if I did everything right.
This was by far the best and easiest bread I have ever made! I wish I could upload my picture!
Can I just say that this recipe is absolutely brilliant! I make all my own bread, but have never added olive oil and what a difference it makes! Have made this bread three times and it has turned out so well. It has a nice light, but chewy texture.
Will be making this as often as I can. Thank you Michelle!
Hi. I made it last week, had to split it in two parts, and it came out beautifully. My question is, could I make it all the way to step 4, and then put it in the fridge so I can bake them next morning? I want to make it fresh Saturday morning so I can drop it off at my mom’s.
I’ve made this twice with my 6-year-old grandson as part of our quarantine home-schooling. He loves it and feels so accomplished! We are having the rest for breakfast, as it makes delicious toast.
I made this bread and it is really good. I’ve made a lot of bread and this one is the best!
I have a picture of it and it’s perfect. A little sweet , big fat loaf. I used 5 cups flour and the used about 2/3c. whole wheat flour for the extra to smooth it out.
My husband made this yesterday and it is amazing! All done by hand with regular flour as all we have at home(stay home, stay safe). It was picture perfect and tastes as good as it looks!
I think it is the most easiest bread receipt I have ever made, and delicious.
No video!
I made it with a 6-year-old, and it was amazing!
Long time reader, first time poster. All of your recipes are great. I make often make bread but am going a little overkill during the Covid outbreak … so I tried your Italian Bread recipe and it’s awesome. Beautiful crumb and texture. Thank you for the recipe!
I love this recipe. This is the first time I have made Italian bread on my journey of bread baking. The only thing I did different was it was done in 30 minutes. I’m not sure if the high altitude has anything to do with it but it was so easy. I also will use just a baking pan instead of my stone because after transferring my loaf to bake, the stone was too small and had to transfer back to the pan. Fortunately the extra transferring didn’t interfere with the rise. Other than that it was easy peasy. Thank you!!
Horrible loaf of bread. Followed recipe to a T. Internal temp 190 degrees on instant read. Used bread flour Tasted nothing but yeast and weighed a ton. Very discouraging.
Hi Carolyn, I’m sorry you had a bad experience with the bread. Please do note, though, that the recipe indicates baking it to an internal temperature of at least 195 degrees. If taken out too early, the bread will definitely be denser.
Where is the video? I can’t seem to find it.
Fantastic recipe. Huge loaf of Italian bread, who couldn’t love that. Enjoyed making and really enjoy eating. Bread as bread or toast.
Thank you!
I make a LOT of bread and rolls…this recipe is excellent! Super easy to put together. I found it easiest to shape the bread on parchment paper on top of a sheet pan turned upside down. I simply slide the parchment from the pan to the baking stone. When removing it from the oven, I again slide the parchment off the baking stone right into my cooling rack. The bread looks like the perfect loaf of crusty Italian bread. The inside has an excellent chew but is soft. I like using the brown sugar rather than granulated sugar. Really, really great recipe!
This bread was the perfect project for a cold rainy day. The bread turned out perfectly even though it looked a little more crescent shape since it stuck to the bread peel as I was transferring it to the baking stone. The proof is in the eating and it was great. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great recipe, I have made it twice now, first time I did one one loaf….it was huge , second time I did two loaves, both times it was a challenge transferring the loaves to the baking stone. Any suggestion ?
Hi Kathy, Just be sure the peel is well floured. You could also try a little semolina flour or cornmeal underneath.
Thanks for getting back to me Michelle! I actually made this recipe for the third time over the weekend…….I did six hoagie rolls and used your recipe for Philly cheese steak subs…..they were awesome! Probably my favourite bread recipe. I have made several of your recipes with great results. I love your blog, your family is beautiful and of course your goldens are pretty special too!
…made this loaf yesterday. I only did a half recipe for the two of us and I used my bread machine to do the mixing and kneading. Then I baked it on my pizza stone with the metal pan of water underneath. It made a lovely loaf of bread and it is a definite keeper recipe.
Hi Linda, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for posting this recipe! I am going to try making it tomorrow. Silly as it sounds, it’s my husbands birthday and he is a sucker for a good loaf of Italian bread. I am going to surprise him with this recipe. Let’s hope I don’t mess it up :). I love your blog and your recipes! Thank you!
A few people have been referring to a spray bottle. Am I missing this part of the recipe? I made this loaf and it turned out great but didn’t darken as much as the bread in the photo. Should I have misted it with water?
Hi Julie, An older version of the recipe had you mist the dough with a spray bottle in 3 minute intervals for the beginning part of the baking process, but I simplified it by pouring water into the pan on the bottom of the oven; a little more hands off :)
You have no idea how much I appreciate that you put the water temp for the yeast as part of your recipe. I can’t wait to try this; I love Italian bread.
I’m a novice bread baker, so I need more detailed instructions on how to use the pizza peel and baking stone. How do you get the loaf from the peel to the stone? And do you make a slit in the top of the load with a knife before you bake it? Thanks!
Have you ever tried substituting half the bread flour with Semolina?
I substituted about 20% whole wheat and it came out great.
Well, yes, this IS an enormous loaf ! I divided the dough into 2 loaves so it would fit on my stone. It came out looking beautiful. My sister took both to a dinner party & it got raves. Didn’t alter the recipe at all (BTW, I live at 6,000 ft). Thank you for sharing your recipe. Will make it again so I can try it too!
You’re right; this is one massive loaf. It reminded me of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel add a few too many cakes of yeast to their bread dough and the resulting behemoth bursts out of the oven pinning Lucy against her kitchen counter.Thanks to my new KitchenAid mixer and my Brod & Taylor proofing box, the dough came together nicely and rose like a dream. I added the egg wash and sesame seeds and darn if the taste and texture of this bread don’t remind me of the Italian bakery products I remember quite fondly as a kid. It even freezes better than I thought possible.I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly, almost, don’t have a spray bottle, so put a pan in the bottom of the oven and poured water in just before butting bread in. Also, didn’t do egg wash and sesame seeds. Beautiful crust, tender loaf. LOVED it. Family ate it before I could get a picture.
I have this loaf in the oven now, fourth time I’ve made it. I’ve baked about six or seven different bread recipes, this one is the most foolproof, right down the middle excellent bread, slightly tight crumb, perfect for toast, sandwiches, bruchetta, midnight snacking and general breadfulness
I accidentjy set the temp..to 450 and baked for 30-35 minutes. Turned out great.Thanks for the recipe,loved it.
Why does my bread deflate after the 2nd rising just before I put it in the oven?
Thanks;
Heidi
Hi Heidi, Are you letting it raise for too long? If that happens, it will start to collapse on itself and deflate.
Here are a couple of pictures of the finished product. I split the dough in half once to yield two smaller loaves instead of one huge one
This has been my go to recipe for bread , it has always turned out great, does make a huge loaf but that’s good because it usually doesn’t last long.
Thank You, I’ve made this recipe several times now without fail and many friends have enjoyed it. It’s delicious especially if allowed to cool for a few hours. I also put a pan of water under the rack of bread. I’m going to try your anadama bread recipe next to go with my Boston baked beans.
Ciao!
I don’t see a degree to cook anywhere? Help!
it should register at least 195 degrees F .
I tried making this today and the dough was very stiff and crumbly after kneading it. It wouldn’t even come together into a nice ball. Should I have used less flour and added more as needed? I followed everything to a tee, what could have happened?
not sure about the baking time, as i left mine in for only 25 min and any longer it would have been way overdone. I have a gas stove, not sure if that made a difference.
I just ordered a French bread pan that hold two loaves and I intend to try it out using your Italian Bread recipe, since it is a very large loaf. I am relatively new to bread baking and was wondering, when putting dough on a stone to bake, should I line the stone with parchment paper? (I do not have a peel.) Thank you.
Hi Jan, As long as you have a large spatula or something else that you can move the loaves with, you don’t need parchment. If you don’t have a way to move the loaves, however parchment will probably make it easier.
This bread was great! So easy to make, dense, and the crust was incredible. I, uh, made the mistake of just chucking the water into my oven due to speed-reading the directions. My husband was mad but didn’t remain so after tasting this delicious bread! Next time around I’ll put a pan in. :D
I was all set to try this but you lost ne at the stone and tile oven stuff
hi could you convert the recipe into grams or ounces please. cant wait to try it
Hi chef,
I never make bread before, want to try this recipe.
Just wondering “1 package active dry yeast” is how many grams or tablespoon?
can not figure out how much us a package
Thanks so much for your reply so that I can try it this weekend.
Best regards,
Jenny Nguyen
Hi Jenny, 1 package is 2.25 teaspoons.
Hi Chef,
Appreciate your kind feedback.
Have tried the recipe for the first time in my life :), the bread outside was very crunchy when it was just brought out of the oven, when it cools down in some hours later, it became so hard and thick. What should I do to make it softer but still crunchy, not become so hard later on.
Millions thanks to you!
Best regards,
Jenny
Hi Jenny, If you prefer a less crisp crust, don’t spray the loaf after it goes into the oven – that facilitates the hard crust.
I’ve never made bread before, but have been wanting to try and replicate one I grew up eating. Stumbled on to this site while looking for a recipe that only needed 1 pack of yeast, as that’s all I had. I must say it turned out well for a first attempt. The interior was dense, like you said, and that’s one thing I need to copy. Next time, I won’t do the the water spraying- made the crust too crunchy-thick. Also, I will need to play with cooking times/temps, as the crust was way too brown, so I lowered the heat to 375°because there was still 30 minutes of cook time left. Even so, I took it out with 8 minutes remaining as it had the proper bread ‘sound’. All in all, this recipe was easy to follow, very good instructions, the extra hint info was a nice reference. I’m also glad that you had a good photo of the interior of the bread- that actually sold me on trying it.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! Nice and crusty on the outside and soft inside. I mixed and kneaded all by hand as I do not, currently, have a kitchenaid. It was a very easy dough to work with and is very soothing to do by hand. We had it with the lasagna I made as well. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I’ve made your Italian loaf 3Xs these past cpl weeks. Awesome!!! Thank you. We’ve been experimenting and substitute bout 1 /2 cups whole wheat flour. SOOOO YUMMY. Tonights vsion has added rosemary. Thank you so much for this great bread. The crust is so crunchy and the inside is just perfect. Gave such great inspiration for a beginner breadmaker.
How do you make the crust softer, mine came out hard as a rock the insides was still soft and lovely. I like my crust crisp just not that hard ps I used the roasting pan with boiling water instead of a spray bottle
Hi Victoria, For a softer crust, eliminate the spray bottle (or roasting pan with boiling water, in your case).
Can I use this recipe, but shape the dough into bread bowls?
Thank you in advance for your response.
Hi Virginia, I have never tried to do that with this recipe, so I’m not sure how it would work out. If you try it, please let me know!
What else can be done to achieve th super crunchy crust other than spraying it with water? Say you don’t happen to have a spray bottle
Hi Jessica, You can place a roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it with boiling water right before you place the bread in. Be sure to use a metal roasting pan and not glass – I’ve shattered a glass pan doing that once!
When you say “kitchenaid” are you referring to the artesian mixer or the 575 watt pro 600? I bought this beast so I don’t have to knead by hand!
Hi Jeff, I was referring to any KitchenAid stand mixer.
Great recipe! Made the bread today and it was a huge success! Thank you =)
What do the sesame seeds add to this recipe? Usually, I like my bread seedless but in the picture it looks like there are no seeds. Also, if I choose to leave out the seeds does that mean I can nix the egg whites, too?
These questions might be a little dumb, but I’m pretty new to baking.
Hi Meghan, Some folks like sesame seeds on the crust of their Italian bread. It’s an optional step, and yes you can omit the egg whites, too, unless you prefer a more glossy, golden crust.
Just made this to go with my baked shrimp for dinner. Great recipe! Easy to follow. Perfect the way written, especially if you follow the hints or (****). Great dipper bread consistensy. Instead of spraying the bread with wate, I put my cast iron grill in the oven on the bottom rack and used a turkey baster to splash water on that every 3 minutes as instructed. You won’t be sorry you made this bread. Thank you!
So I just made this today and it was my first attempt at making bread. I really don’t know the differences in flours and I didn’t have bread flour. I used 4 cups all purpose and 1 cup wheat. What are your thoughts on different types of flour. I also cooked mine on a Traeger pellet smoker. (I do a fair amount of bbq.) it came out really good. It finished like two hours ago and it’s mostly gone already. It his was my first attempt at branching out into baked goods on my smoker and it was a success.
will a normal home oven (lined with metal) work for this recipe?
Yes, I make this in a regular, residential oven.
thank you!
I made two loaves of this bread yesterday, and it came out SO GOOD! The only thing is that my oven read 425 dead on with an oven thermometer, but the bread was a bit too brown at 39 minutes, so I didn’t bake it for 45. Once it came out of the oven, I let it sit for 15 minutes before I cut into it, and it was cooked perfectly inside. I baked my bread on an inverted cookie sheet, so I don’t know if that perhaps bakes a bit differently than a baking tile. the crust was really dark brown but for the most part not so brown that we couldn’t eat the crust. & the sesame seeds were perfect too. eating the bread was an experience of a perfect match between my idea of bread and the yeasty goodness I was wolfing slathered with butter.
i am baking two more loaves today, and they rose differently than yesterday, even though I think I did everything the same. It took longer to rise today for some reason, and also in the second rise the bread rose outwards rather than upwards!
This recipe is wonderful and it looks beautiful!! Not to mention it tastes amazing. My husband said we no longer have to buy bread downtown any more!! Thank you so much. I just started a blog on baking, please check it out and let me know what you think. http://www.apinchofluv.com Thanks again !!
I am new to the bread baking world and I just made this during a Nor’easter here and it came out so wonderful. It is a very dense dough, so I am glad the comment was there.
Bread turned out amazing. Wad really good made into garlic cheese bread w/ a bulb of roared garlic in the bread too
When did you incorporate the roasted garlic n the dough?
This bread is absolutely delicious. I was looking for something close to what my store sells. This is close to it, maybe even better. I’ll definitely be making this bread again. It’s not crispy, but next time I would like it to be. Definitely recommended.
A ver dense dough, indeed! The inexplicable has happened. It actually broke the hook off my dough hook for my KA!! Amazing. I hope this bread is amazing. I’ll keep you posted.
Ack! A verY dense dough.
Pulled it out to prep for the second rise and it looked incredibly happy. Can’t wait for the lovely aroma from the oven. Soon!
Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It will definitely be a keeper for me! I will be replacing the standard KA dough hook with one that’s made from stainless steel.
I’d like to try this recipe soon. I recently tried your white bread recipe and it turned out great! Hoping the same with the Italian loaf. One question though. I dont have a baking stone. Can I use just the inverted baking sheet or do I need to get a stone? Thanks and keep up the delicious work.
Hi Blake, I think a stone is the best for these types of bread, but you’ll still get a good loaf using an inverted baking sheet with parchment paper.
Made this Bread Saturday night it’s Moday and it’s gone (just me and my wife) it was great. crisp crunch outside soft dense inside. Just a grat recipie. Fairly simple and not all that time consuming. Will make over and over again.
This recipe is great. Really impressed my girlfriend with this one, and its easy to make!
I’m going to be working with fresh yeast to make this bread. Can you tell me the conversion? I’m looking forward to trying this out.
Hi Monika, I have some yeast conversions here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/conversions/
The yeast is doing it’s “thing” as I type this. I will keep you updated….
What type of flour do you use for the Italian bread?
Matt, As stated in the recipe above, bread flour.
Yeah, get with the program, Matt # 2
I loved the bread, very tasty and it looked just as good as yours. Great for bruschetta or with pesto! Now my bread was a bit dry, any advise to make it a bit more moist?
Hi Jorge, I’m glad you enjoyed the bread! I’m wondering if the bread was overbaked a bit if you found it to be dry?
This was my first time baking bread from scratch. My loaf looked just like yours. I used regular unbleached flour and it still came out very well. The measurements, baking time and temp are perfect. I sprayed my crust 4X but I would of liked it if my crust came out a little thicker and crunchier. Will spraying a few more times do the trick? It was relaxing and fun kneading the dough and smelling fresh yeast. Now I can’t wait to try your other bread recipes :)
Hi Debbie, So glad you liked the bread! More steam should produce a crisper crust. You could also put a roasting ban with boiling water on the bottom rack when you put the bread into the oven.
This bread was amazing, and I was surprised at how easy it was to make! I found that it only too 30 minutes to bake, though. I posted about it on my blog and would love if you’d take a look: http://piesandplots.net/italian-bread/ Thanks!
Such a great recipe!!!
Just made 2 loaves this afternoon in our 300 room hotel. Fantastic recipe,great crust & texture,easy to train my staff on how to prepare.
Just a comment but i reduced the temperature from 220c to 190 after the third steam injection but we use professional sized baking ovens.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I was shocked that I could produce a bread that turned out so well. Great directions! This will be my go to Italian bread recipe.
Very easy to make. The result was splendid and it really had a taste of Italy. Great recipe. Thank you for sharing.
This was my first attempt at bread-making and it turned out beautifully! Thanks for the clear directions and great tips. If I decided to make two smaller loaves, do you think I could freeze half the dough after the first rise? I’ve done that with pizza dough, but I’m not sure the same rules apply here. Thanks!
Hi Annie, I’ve never done that actually. Usually with bread, I will bake the full recipe and then freeze a loaf once it has been baked and cooled. Then I just let it sit at room temperature to thaw when I’m ready to use it.
yes, you can freeze bread dough. Shape it, wrap in plastic wrap and they in foil. Freeze it. Before you use it, take it out the night before and let it rise as normal. It will take several hours to thaw and then rise. Bake as usual.
Hope this helps
Hi Beth,
Yes, you could certainly divide this into loaves. Just be sure to adjust the baking time, as two smaller loaves won’t take as long to bake. The crisp outer crust is created by spraying the crust with water, as indicated in the recipe. Enjoy the bread!
Hi, do you think this could be devided for two small loaves? Usually, bread dough can be shaped however one wants, but I just wanted your opinion on this please. BTW, hopemine looks this good. How do you get the crust such a pleasing brown without drying out the inside?
ROLA — So sorry to ruin your diet, but glad that you enjoyed the bread! :) My bread was definitely dense, so I think your rise time was probably just fine.
I came upon your recipe on my second day of a diet….needless to say, the diet was forgotten and the bread won….My kids woke up to the smell of it and really enjoyed it before school. My question is: is it supposed to be on the dense side or I did not let it rise enough?
Thanks
I tried out this recipe and it turned out gorgeously! I’m going to have to make it again soon because it disappeared so quickly. Also, I tried your tip and left my spray bottle on the counter, using the roaster with water in it worked very well. I might have to try that method with another bread recipe.
Cheers!
I just made this the other night and it turned out fantastic! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Your loaf looks wonderful with its perfect slash!
Hi Lori – I’m so glad that you enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs! I have only ever frozen cooked meatballs, but I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t freeze them raw! If you try it let me know how it turns out!
Your bread does look amazing, and I plan on making it soon! But I’m actually posting here because I made your Spaghetti & Meatballs tonight and OH MY….that was so incredibly good. My husband and I greatly enjoyed them and will be making it again with fresh Italian Bread!
One question though, have you ever tried freezing the raw meatballs? I just thought that may be an easy way to be able to throw this together, even though it really didn’t take that long anyway. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I have a fear of yeast but I think this might have to be the first bread recipe I try. It looks fantastic!
OMG
I CANNOT wait to eat like 10 sandwiches Thursday night when you come home with this deliciousness!! I’m going to stop at the Italian store and get the good stuff to go on it as well :)
ooh loving the new site!
The bread looks so good! I will definitly have to try this one I think, I haven’t had a nice slice of homemade bread in aages! mmmmm
Hi Heather – By inverting the baking sheet, I mean just turning it over. My largest pan has a lip the whole way around, so I flip it over so there is nothing preventing air from reaching the bread. I usually do this for free form loaves that are too big for my stone.
that loaf has an absolutely GORGEOUS color to it! I love making bread on weekends, too… and I also have a Nick that is just a sucker for a warm loaf of bread :) What do you mean by inverted pan? I’ve always just shaped mine and made them on parchment paper… is there a better way I don’t know about??
You have to be the queen of bread! this is awesome!! I’m bookmarking this one to!
Yum. Your bread looks fabulous. I’ve made a couple of Italian bread recipes in the past month, but still haven’t found time to blog about either of them… *sigh*
I love carbs. I love bread. I love ginormous portions of it.
I totally am going to bookmark this recipe, my last Italian bread was a failure.