Homemade Italian bread is actually very easy to make and tastes delicious! While you could buy a loaf of Italian bread from the grocery store, baking bread is fun and satisfying. Warm, toasty bread from the oven is pure comfort food.
I love my 1963 homemade white bread for sandwiches and everything peasant bread for snacking, but this Italian loaf is perfect with a bowl of spaghetti, or alongside a plate of my crockpot roast beef!
Italian Bread Recipe
There’s a definite difference between French bread and Italian bread. Most of the general population either doesn’t know or simply doesn’t care, but there are differences nonetheless.
Basically though, French bread only uses flour, yeast, salt, and water. In fact, French law states that added oils or fats are prohibited. A French loaf is usually long and thin, while an Italian loaf is shorter and wider.
Expert Tips & FAQs
In this section I like to provide tips and recommendations about the different ingredients used. I also try to answer questions about substitutions. You will find the full list of ingredients with measurements in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- You can use the packets of active dry yeast available at any grocery store. I bake a lot of bread, so I prefer to by SAF instant yeast in larger packages.
- When a bread recipe calls for warm water, the temperature should be around 110 degrees F. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast, and too cold will delay the rise process.
- You’ll also use hot water in this recipe, but since you are mixing it with other ingredients before adding the yeast mixture it will be fine. You want hot tap water, about 115-120 F, not boiling water.
- This recipe calls for vegetable oil, but olive oil can also be used.
- We are using all-purpose flour, white not wheat, to make this bread.
You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. If kept in the fridge, the yeast will continue to grow, even if it’s slowly. This can be done for about a day, but I wouldn’t do it much longer than that. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in freezer bags. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and thaw at room temperature. It will take about 4 hours to thaw. Then bake according to the recipe.
Helpful kitchen tools:
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
- Pastry brush
- Rolling pin
- Bread knife
Bread Machine instructions are at the end!
How to Make Italian Bread
- Dissolve yeast, 1/2 cup warm water (110 F), and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.
A NOTE ABOUT YEAST: You can use either active dry yeast or instant yeast. If you use active dry yeast it needs to be proofed in order for it to be reactivated. Instant dry yeast doesn’t need proofing. Active dry yeast must be reactivated by proofing in warm water, or the bread won’t rise properly. This process is to “prove” that the yeast is still alive.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 2 cups hot water (115-120 F), 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, the salt, and the oil. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in this large bowl/mixer and mix well.
- Stir in yeast mixture.
- Add 2 – 3 cups more flour and mix until well blended. (At this point your dough will still be quite sticky).
- Leave in bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. (If using a mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a towel. Otherwise your paddle attachment or dough hook will get covered in dough when it rises).
- Divide dough into 2 (or 3 if you want smaller loaves) pieces.
NOTE: This dough does not require kneading.
- Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll.
- Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under. Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife.
- Cover and let loaves rise 30 more minutes.
- While loaves are rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk the egg white and brush over the top of loaves.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
How to Make Italian Bread in a Bread Machine
Several people have asked if this Italian bread can be prepared in a bread machine. We were able to test it successfully and have provided the instructions below. Please note, the preparation of the dough is in the bread machine, but you will still remove the dough, form a loaf, and bake it in your conventional oven.
- Using the printable recipe below, cut the ingredients in half, and eliminate the water and sugar step used for proofing the yeast.
- Put 1 cup of water (110 F) and 1/4 cup oil in the bread machine bucket (make sure the paddle is on).
- Add 4 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Gently add 3 cups flour over the water mixture so that it is all covered.
- Place 2 1/4 teaspoons (one packet) of yeast on top of flour with nothing else touching it.
- Place bucket in bread machine and enter dough cycle.
- When it beeps, take out and roll dough, adding more flour if needed.
- Roll up (follow instructions in printable recipe for forming loaf) and place on baking sheet, add slashes to top, and cover with towel to let rise (again, according to recipe).
- Brush with egg white and bake at 400 F (see recipe instructions below).
How to Enjoy this Italian Bread
There are plenty of dinners that we like to eat this homemade bread with, and they aren’t all Italian meals! I’ve been known to sop up the juices of my favorite pork sirloin roast using a hunk of this bread.
A big bowl of Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup or my Cheddar Cheese Potato Soup screams for a piece of warm, buttered bread. It’s also amazing with this Zuppa Toscana for those Olive Garden fans out there! Another dinnertime favorite is this Chicken Cacciatore, and it’s great to have a hunk of bread for dipping into the sauce.
Try our new Crockpot Lasagna, it would be perfect with this bread!
Need more ideas? Find all my dinner recipes here!
What Our Readers Are Saying
Never baked bread before? Want to make sure before you invest the time and ingredients? Here’s just a small sampling of what our readers are saying about this recipe! You can find more reviews in the comments down below!
“I have made this twice and it is very tasty, good crust and soft inner not dense , very good flavor, I have been baking bread for 40 years, this is in the top five, Thanks.” ~ Thomas
“By far one of the best and easiest bread recipes I have come across!! Dough comes out perfect and is so easy to roll!! So glad I came across this recipe it’s a game changer.” ~ Tracy
“This bread was so, so delicious! I am proud of myself for going through with it. I was scared to do it and usually need video ( visual learner ) but went ahead and one of the two loaves is already gone! I wish I could attach a pic! I will make this over and over!” ~ Desiree
“I never post reviews… but after making this, I had to!!! I only had bread flour, so used that… but that was the only deviation. I followed the recipe exactly. The bread came out PERFECT! Crispy outside and moist inside. This is some of the best bread I’ve ever made. It will definitely be made again. Thank you!!” ~ Terri
“‘This is a million times better than store bought bread’
‘You have to make this every time we have pasta now’
‘Nom nom nom…’Feedback from my family after serving them this bread for dinner. Excellent recipe!” ~Dave
“OMG! I made this bread today and have to say this is the BEST bread I have ever made, and I’ve tried a lot of recipes! It was very light and fluffy yet just crispy enough on the crust. The only changes I made were I used bread flour and only used 2.5 tablespoons of the sugar instead of three. Thank you for sharing this! I am throwing away all my other bread recipes!” ~ Nadine
Homemade Italian Bread
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast 2 packets
- ½ cup warm water 110F
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups hot water hot to the touch, not boiling (115-120F)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 5-6 cups all-purpose flour add more if needed to get to a pliable dough
- 1 large egg white for brushing on loaves
Before You Begin
- If your dough is still super sticky, you can add small amounts of flour until the dough just comes together.
- You can use the packets of active dry yeast available at any grocery store. I bake a lot of bread, so I prefer to by SAF instant yeast in larger packages. If you use active dry, just follow the instructions in the recipe and let it sit for a few minutes to proof (it will get a little foamy).
- When a bread recipe calls for warm water, the temperature should be around 110 degrees F. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast, and too cold will delay the rise process.
- Use regular white granulated sugar for this recipe.
- In a separate step, you’ll also use hot water in this recipe. Since you are mixing it with other ingredients before adding the yeast mixture it will be fine. You want hot tap water, not boiling water.
- Regular everyday table salt is used, not Kosher or sea salt.
- This recipe calls for vegetable oil, but olive oil can also be used.
- We are using all-purpose flour, white not wheat, to make this bread.
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast, 1/2 cup warm water (110F), and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 2 cups hot water (115-120F), 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, the salt, and the oil. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in this large bowl/mixer and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture.
- Add 2 – 3 cups more flour and mix until well blended. (At this point your dough will still be quite sticky). Leave in bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. (If using a mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer and cover. Otherwise your paddle attachment or dough hook will get covered in dough when it rises). NO KNEADING IS REQUIRED.
- After the rise, if the dough is too sticky to handle, add more flour until its workable. For some people this can be up to a cup or more! Just don't dry out the dough. Add by quarter cupfuls until its workable.
- Divide dough into 2 (or 3 if you want smaller loaves) pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll. If it's still too sticky, add more flour until it's workable but not dry.
- Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under. Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife.
- Cover and let loaves rise 30 more minutes.
- While loaves are rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk the egg white and brush over the top of loaves.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published here on January 28, 2009
Amanda Davis
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Alicia says
This is the best bread I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing this! I can’t wait to make sub rolls and all kinds of goodies with this recipe!!
George Noland says
Great reviews but curious as to why you don’t have weights ( grams) for measurements. Sort of a standard in baking to go by weight and not volume.
Amanda Davis says
We are working on updating all of our recipes (we have well over 2,000) to include weights. Coming soon!
Marilyn says
So good!
Samantha Shipman says
This has become my favorite bread recipe for multiple reasons. I’ve started making it weekly and use it as a sandwich bread. The texture is by far better for sandwich bread than any other true sandwich bread recipe I have ever made. My children love for me to toast it as well for breakfast, soups, etc. I’ve also started adding a cinnamon sugar mixture and raisins at the rolling process and it’s an excellent raisin bread!
Annette says
My loaves turned out absolutely beautiful, first time baking them.
I let the bread rise heaps longer than suggested in the recipe (I made them at 11am and baked at around 5pm!)
Most gorgeous bread recipe I’ve tried yet. Could have fooled me though, was very much a ‘trust the process’ recipe for me. Glad I did.
James Andrew Allocco says
It is not Italian Bread. It is golden brown, but no matter how long you bake it there is no crust, The very best Italian Bread has crinkly crust that flacks off in crumps just from giving the bread a gentle sqeeze. In fact you can hear it crackle when you squeeze it, The crust on this bread is just slightly better than Wonder Bread. Living now in the South people tellme they can’t eat Italian Bread because it hurts their gums. They will have no problem with breaqd
Dara says
Made this tonight and my family loved it. I followed the recipe, but I did let it rise for 1.5 hours. My bread shaping skills needs a bit of work, but the taste is great. I am new to bread baking, so this recipe is definitely for beginners too.
Melinda Holmes says
I love this recipe but I do make a couple of tweaks. I mix in all flour before the first rise, adding just enough that the dough pulls away from the sides and becomes cohesive, then I let the mixer run for 3 mins. Then I rise 1.5 hours, instead on 1. Everything else is the same except I rise for an hour after shaping on the pan, instead of 30 mins. I felt when I made it as written, the flavor didn’t develop as much as I would have liked. This is my go to Italian bread recipe, with just those couple of tweaks.
Beth Young says
The bread turned out beautifully but the first bite of a salty bread was terrible. 1 Tablespoon of salt I thought was too much but I followed your recipe to a tee. Maybe 1 teaspoon should be the correct amount.
Amanda Davis says
Sorry you didn’t have a positive experience. The measurement is correct. Did you use anything other than table salt?
Sister Piper says
Amanda, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have been using it for over 10 years now and it is a hit every single time! I recently purchased these silicone bread molds from Amazon and this recipe made 3 beautiful loaves… no greasing required and zero sticking to the mold post bake! I love how versatile this recipe is as well. I have used it to make sandwich bread, braided sweet and savory loaves, pizza bread, baguette, you name it. Nothing beats a slice still warm with some butter… yum! Thanks again!
Amanda Davis says
Oh that’s awesome, I still haven’t tried this in loaf pans! Are these the pans you bought? https://amzn.to/4bwfMvT I’ll have to get some. And thanks for sharing your successes! Curious if you used the same temp and time recommendations as the recipe states (for these loaf pans).
Heidi Besander says
Following to hear answer
Sr. Piper Klatt says
Yes, those are the ones! I occasionally leave the loaves in a little longer than suggested time because I like a darker loaf, but they turn out great either way :) thank you again!
Amanda Davis says
Awesome, thanks so much!
Dianne says
I’m a total bread-baking amateur and this turned out amazing on my first try. It’s like white bread but sooo much better. A question-what’s the recommended method for incorporating more flour after the 1st rise? Should it be kneaded in, hand-stirred or with the mixer? Maybe with the dough hook?
Amanda Davis says
If you feel you need more flour after the first rise, you can sprinkle some on a board and knead a bit into the dough. I would only do it if it’s so sticky you can’t work with it.
Emily says
They came out great, thank you!
Amanda Davis says
Thats beautiful! And the braided loaf is from this recipe too?
Lisa B Shellman says
I tried this with partial whole wheat. and baked in loaf pan it was great.
my new favorite white bread recipe!!
Lisa B Shellman says
I have made this several times and it’s wonderful.
question can bake it in a loaf pan to make sandwich bread?
thank you
Amanda Davis says
We haven’t tested that ourselves, however there have been folks in the comments that have done it! One reader had trouble with a glass loaf pan, however another said she used glass and greased the pan first without issues. Several have used a regular metal loaf pan with success :)
Lisa B Shellman says
I tried this in loaf pans and it came out absolutely wonderful.
this is the only white I use now.
thank you
Amanda says
i think i skipped adding the flour after the first rest. Does this ruin the recipe?
Amanda Davis says
I’m not sure what you mean as there’s only one time you add the flour and that’s when it’s still in the mixing bowl before the first rise. If you hadn’t added all the flour, you may have still be able to salvage it. I realize your comment was last night, how did things work out?
Kristin says
I’ve made this several times. Super simple and delicious recipe that comes out perfect every time. I find it a little difficult to get them a nice shape but that doesn’t bother anyone who eats it :)
Amanda Davis says
Looks great to me!
Jan Collins says
Followed the instructions to the letter. The end result was two beautiful, light, and fluffy loaves of Italian Bread. Will continue to use this recipe – it was easy and the results were fabulous!
Amanda Davis says
Looks great jan, thanks so much for sharing!
Audrey Davis says
Absolutely gorgeous bread! I split into 4 loaves, and it’s amazing! My go to.