Skip To Main ContentMasterClass logo
|Articles
At Work
Log In
Sign Up
Food

Italian Bread Recipe: 3 Tips for Baking Italian Bread

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Oct 4, 2024 • 4 min read

Homemade Italian bread goes with just about everything. Use it to make sandwiches, serve it alongside classic Italian fare like lasagna, or enjoy it fresh out of the oven dipped in olive oil.

Learn From the Best

Sign Up

What Is Italian Bread?

In the United States, Italian bread refers specifically to a crusty, oval-shaped white bread. With its fluffy interior and chewy exterior, Italian bread is the ideal vehicle for sandwiches and sopping up soups and sauces.

Italian Bread vs. French Bread: What’s the Difference?

Italian and French bread are both crusty, white, yeasted breads; however, they involve different baking techniques. To make French breads, like this baguette recipe, you’ll use steam (in the form of a pan of water at the bottom of the oven) to create a glossy, crispy crust.

Conversely, Italian bread doesn’t require steam; instead, it often gets brushed with an egg-white mixture to achieve its golden exterior sheen.

3 Tips for Baking Italian Bread

Whether it’s your first time baking bread or you’re an experienced baker, these tips will help you produce a beautiful loaf of bread.

  1. 1. Use bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which means the dough will have a stronger rise and crustier crumb structure. It’s also more absorbent and often requires a slightly higher water ratio to create the right dough consistency, so if you need to use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, reduce the amount of water in your dough. For a nuttier flavor, replace some of the bread flour with whole wheat flour (and expect a slightly less lofty rise).
  2. 2. Knead the dough thoroughly. Kneading involves working ingredients together to form the gluten strands that develop the finished bread’s interior structure, or crumb. You can knead Italian bread dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface, in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a bread machine. The latter options can save you time and energy, as you can multitask while the machinery kneads the dough, but kneading by hand is a low-tech option that allows you to get a feel for the bread. Whichever method you choose, it can be helpful to understand how kneading dough works.
  3. 3. Score the dough. Making strategically placed slashes in your Italian bread dough right before baking helps control how the finished bread looks. This technique, known as scoring, controls the rapid expansion of bread dough when it goes in the oven (an effect known as “oven spring”). Learning the bread scoring basics can help you rescue a slightly under- or over-proofed loaf.

Crusty Italian Bread Recipe

email recipe
18 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

2 loaves

prep time

20 min

total time

50 min

cook time

30 min

Ingredients

Note: The total time does not include 3 hours and 20 minutes of inactive time.

  1. 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water.

  2. 2

    Let the yeast mixture sit at room temperature until foamy, about 2–5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add the sea salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine.

  4. 4

    Add 1 cup of flour at a time, stirring after each addition, until the dough comes together in a scraggly ball.

  5. 5

    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a smooth ball, about 6 minutes. Alternatively, place the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and knead at low speed until it forms a smooth ball and does not cling to the sides, about 8 minutes.

  6. 6

    Grease a large clean bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

  7. 7

    Add the dough ball to the greased bowl and gently turn the dough to lightly coat it in the oil.

  8. 8

    Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and set it in a warm place to proof until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

  9. 9

    Flip the dough over in the bowl and gently deflate it by punching it down lightly with your hand.

  10. 10

    Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and set it in a warm place for the second rise.

  11. 11

    Once the dough has doubled in size or after 1 hour (whichever comes first), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to cut it into 2 equal portions.

  12. 12

    Roll and shape each portion of dough into 2 long oval loaves.

  13. 13

    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

  14. 14

    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with cornmeal.

  15. 15

    Using a bench scraper, gently transfer the loaves to the baking sheet.

  16. 16

    Cover the loaves loosely with a linen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

  17. 17

    Uncover the dough and brush with the egg.

  18. 18

    Sprinkle the loaves with sesame seeds, if desired.

  19. 19

    Using a razor blade or a very sharp knife, score the dough by making 3 diagonal slashes across each loaf.

  20. 20

    Bake the bread until the crust is golden brown and it sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of the bread, about 30 minutes.

  21. 21

    Remove the bread from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Apollonia Poilâne, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.