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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Don’t use hot tap water says
“Hot tap water”????
As in just use the hot water from your water heater that contains heavy metals like lead???
What’s the point of this recipe being healthier than store bought if we’re going to consume sediments of heavy metals. Use cold tap water and heat it on the stove but NOT to boil.. people you should NEVER use your hot water tap to cook.
Amanda Davis says
Arrive at the hot water in any method that suits you.
Maria says
Just made this recipe. n I have to day this i sthe best bread recipe i have made. And its so easy. I love the no kneading and how fuffly it came out. Next time I woul dadd a little more salt. But otherwise my family’s reaction said it all “WOW!”. thank you for your recipe
Steve says
I have made this bread several times. I always thought that the dough was far too wet and sticky to make bread with. Recently I was watching a cooking show where they made French bread and I saw how wet and sticky that dough was. Tonight I am making the recipe exactly as written.
My previous attempts were dense and had a very tight crumb. Obviously I was doing something wrong. From watching the TV show, and now the Video posed here, I can see my error and hopefully I have it nailed down now.
Thanks for the great recipe and site. I will be looking to make more of your recipes.
Vickie says
I was so intimidated about bread making. Never make bread before and I am not a baker. This was the easiest thing I’ve made in my life! It was delicious! Thank you.
Steph says
I wanted to try and make the dough in the morning before work and let it rise while I’m at work. It it okay to rise for about 7 hours? If so, should it be refrigerated or room temp when rising? Thanks!!
Amanda Davis says
7 hours would be too long at room temperature. You can put it into the fridge which will slow the rise process.
Courtney Grennell says
I’m not sure if someone asked, are you able to freeze the extra dough?
Amanda Davis says
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.
Amanda says
At what point in the process should you freeze the dough? After the first rise?
Amanda Davis says
I have not tested this. However, I have frozen other doughs and the process is to par-bake it first. That’s usually a little under half the bake time. You just want it to form a crust but not begin browning.
Rebecca says
First time making this today. Awesome recipe and easy to make. I doubled it and the bread is perfect. I ended up with 8 loaves. I will definitely make this again. Thank you
Kimberly says
Absolutely love this recipe. Kids and husband approved. My husband wants a constant supply of this on hand because he fell in love with it. Has anyone tried freezing their extra loaves for later on? Does ot turn out?
Sujatha says
Fantastic recipe which will be my go to recipe henceforth. Easy to make. Just took my loves out of the oven. They look perfect. Can’t wait to cut into them soon. Thank you for this recipe.
Sherry says
Today is the 3rd time I’m making this bread. It is so delicious and so easy to make. The second time I made it, I used the leftover loaf (wasn’t much left) and turned it into croutons. So much better than what you get at a restaurant or the salad kits. I was going to halve the recipe this time, but who am I kidding, two loaves are much better than one. Thanks for publishing this recipe!
Patrick says
Super easy and so good! Do yourself a favor and make this often!
Caryn Lister says
I love this recipe! Easy and delicious! I always make extra loaves for friends. 😊
Carol J says
I’ve made this twice this weekend. It’s the best!! I had leftover whey from making Ricotta for Lasagna so I used it in place of the 2 cups of hot water. I always like to proof the yeast rather than to find out later that it wouldn’t work. Lol. Lessons learned. This will definitely be my “go-to” recipe from now on. It’s soft and so moist, it cuts very well without mashing down. It’s delicious. I’ll make garlic toast to serve with the Lasagna and i expect amazing results. Thanks so much for this recipe. My Nonna would have loved it!!💖🙋♀️
Julianne kivlin says
Love this! I made 4 small loaves and it was so delicious and easy to make. I’ve made a lot of breads and I really do love this one.
Dora says
How long did you bake?
RaeLynn Wagner says
I make this bread all the time and it’s super easy and all my neighbors love it when I bring them bread. I just change few things, using whole egg to brush and put topping on like sesame seeds or bagel topping, I’ve even used recipe to whip up rolls in a pinch. Wonderful bread
Lee says
A truly delicious and easy bread recipe. And super versatile! I made some flour tortillas with this recipe and they were fantastic. Same dough, cooked in frying pan with no oil. Soft and chewy and delicious.
Irma Suljic says
What’s the expiration date once cooked?
Amanda Formaro says
It will usually last up to a week if wrapped tightly.
Maria Good says
I just made the homemade Italian bread this afternoon for a family gathering and it received rave reviews from everyone. I made it exactly like the recipe states and it is delicious, so fluffy yet it held up to slicing without the least sign of crumbling or mashing up. I will make it again and again. Thank you.
Michele says
Loved the recipe, however my dough turned out crumbly more than chewy. I made sourdough every week but tried something different and the texture was not that of Italian bread. Any reason you think that happened?
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds like yu may have used a bit too much flour and the dough got dry.
Laura says
After rising, can it be placed in the fridge for a period of time?