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, 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, 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, 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
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups hot water hot to the touch, not boiling
- 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, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 2 cups hot water, 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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Ollie says
Beginner bread maker here, super excited to make this sometime this week with pasta and sauce. One question- if i substitute instant yeast, do I still have to activate the yeast in the warm water and sugar mixture beforehand?
Other than that, it looks like a great and easy recipe!
Amanda Formaro says
It’s said that you don’t have to, but I always do anyway :) Only take a couple minutes!
Arianne says
Hi,
Can you please clarify the yeast measurement? One packet = 2 1/4 teaspoons.
Your recipe says 1 1/2 tbsp or 2 packets
2 packets would be 4.5 teaspoons?
What am I missing? Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Arianna. :)
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. So 1 1/2 tablespoons would be equal to 4 1/2 teaspoons. Which is two packets. Hope that helps!
Caro Lewellyn says
I am an extremely experience breadmaker…50 years worth…and I double checked the recipe to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake. This may be the very worst tasting Italian bread recipe I have ever made, and the texture was similar to grocery store white bread. Had to throw out both loaves. Stay away from this one.
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it. We love it here and so have many others that have made it.
Andrea says
I see the whisk attachment in the photos. Can you please specify which attachments to use? I started with the paddle and will do the dough hook for the stirs during the rising hour. I can’t imagine using the whisk!
Thanks!
Andrea
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry for the confusion. The whisk attachment just happened to be there in the photo, but it IS the paddle attachment that you should use.
Sara says
Going to make this bread tomorrow! Do you just use the normal mixer flat beater to mix?? Or do you use a dough hook? Also, is there really no kneading of the dough for this??
Amanda Formaro says
The paddle attachment is fine :) And yep, just like the recipe says!
Shirley says
Although my bread turned out like a good Italian loaf, I could taste a strong oily taste that I didn’t care for. I don’t know if I did something wrong, but I’ve looked like recipe agaun and I did use the right amount oil given. I don’t know if I’ll try it again or look for another recipe for Italian bread
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you had trouble. What type of oil did you use?
Mary Ann Barbone says
This dough came together beautifully. The bread is delicious. My family loved it.
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Mary Ann, so glad you loved it!
CuppyCakerton says
I made this today to go along with some shrimp scampi and OH MY GOODNESS. I’m not super familiar with making bread, I usually just make some beer bread and call it a day, but this came out so perfectly! Light and fluffy and flavorful. My grandma loved it too! Thanks for this amazing staple recipe!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you so much, we love it too! :)
Donna says
I am a novice bread baker. I have tried two other recipes and the bread came out too dense. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I am going to try this recipe today. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Tracey Velez says
I made this bread tonight & it was delicious! It was very dense though. Can you give me any tips on how I could make it less dense next time?
Thanks,
Tracey V.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Tracey! It could be a multitude of things. There’s a great article here that might help troubleshoot the reason https://mikeswindow.com/notebook/5-reasons-your-homemade-bread-is-dense/ :)
Darlene says
Making it for the first time.
Followed your instructions, I am on second rise.
I did cut slits in top of dough, egg washed and letting it rise for 30 minutes more.
I will let you know how it turned out once baked.
Thank you…
Kathie king says
Hello, trying this for the first time. May I freeze half the dough to bake later?
Amanda Formaro says
You would have to par-bake the loaf. Freezing straight bread dough doesn’t usually work well.
Mary lou McKinney says
This recipe was delicious. We loved it and the best part…you don’t have to knead it. Win-Win.
Thanks Amanda
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you guys enjoyed it!
William says
I have been avoiding buying bread at the stores these days as I want to leave them for the elderly and such.. so, I have been making my own bread. I just tried your recipe and I like it. I dusted the top with onion soups mix for flavor and it was delicious!!
Amanda Formaro says
Love the addition, sounds delish!
Angie says
Can this be put into a bread machine to make? (Usually you just dump ingredients wet to dry then hit the button).
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Angie! I haven’t myself, but I would refer you to this article to help you with that :) https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/04/30/how-to-convert-recipes-to-a-bread-machine
Marianne says
im in the middle of making this bread. I’m noticing the yeast mixture has not bubbled (it actually looks smooth) am I doing something wrong?
Amanda Formaro says
How did it go? Usually if yeast doesn’t bubble it’s because of a few scenarios: it was stirred, the water was too hot and killed the yeast, the water was too cold and slowed the yeast growth, sugar wasn’t added, or the yeast is expired.
Shery Sullivan says
Could I use self rising flour?
Amanda Formaro says
Self-rising flour is a type of flour that has salt and chemical leavening, baking powder, already added into it. Self-rising flour can be used to make a type of bread called a “quick bread” but it cannot be used as a substitute for yeast in a traditional yeast bread. Yeast functions very differently than baking powder. (excerpted from bakerbettie.com)
John Minarik says
This is the worst bread recipe I have ever made. The dough is way too wet to work with. The instructions are worthless. I am angry at myself for wasting my ingredients on this horribly bad bread recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
I’m so sorry you had trouble! You didn’t have to toss it, you can add more flour until it reaches the right consistency.
Mikel says
You obviously did something wrong. I have made this numerous times and gotten perfect bread. I even got adventurous and spread butter and sprinkled cheese on it before rolling it up. Yummy!
Anne Temple says
I agree with Amanda. Bread making has MANY variables, humidity in the air, moisture in the flour, etc. That is why the recipe says: 5-6 cups all-purpose flour add more if needed to get to a pliable dough. And if for some reason that doesn’t do, add a little more. I have been making bread every week for years, and it amazes me the difference between the loaves. Even the seasons and the barometric pressure could have something to do with it. You just need to try it again, and don’t give up and most of all, be flexible!
Joe Palooka says
I agree with Joe Minarik review above. Angry with myself for time and trouble making it. Wanted it for spaghetti dinner . Dipping it in the sauce was a pasty, non-italian bread dip.
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry you weren’t happy with it. We love it here!
Donna says
Hi Amanda,
Could you please tell me the correct amount of water to use for this recipe? Is it 1/2 cup for the yeast mixture and 11/2 cups or two cups for the hot water mixture? Also, did you use both a whisk attachment and a dough hook to make your dough? Thank you – looking forward to making this bread.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Donna. The yeast mixture uses the warm water (1/2 cup) and the next step uses the hot water (2 cups). I actually just made this bread again last Sunday and I only used the paddle attachment. :)
Jennifer says
I’m getting ready to make this bread. It says it takes 3 days + to make. I don’t see that anywhere in the instructions. What am I missing?
Amanda Formaro says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for pointing that out! I’ve corrected the recipe card.