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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Teresa Crawford says
I can’t imagine better instructions for any recipe! These were perfect! I’m a long-time baker but hadn’t made an Italian loaf in a very long time. These turned out just great! I used the half recipe (please note that only the ingredient list is halved. The written instructions are for the whole recipe so be sure to make changes to your copy if you printed it out). I still had two loaves and they looked and tasted great! I will definitely make this recipe again!
Melissa says
Perfect loafs!!! I am new at bread making. This was spot on directions. I used a glass ( greased) loaf pan for one of the loafs and did the second loaf beside it on a cookie sheet cover with parchment paper. I also used a pan of water on the lowest oven rack that I put in the oven as I preheated my oven. Then I let them both bake for a total of 30 minutes. PERFECTION!!!
This is a wonderful recipe, thank you! Next time I may try adding some other seasons just to experiment but wow, it was a hot with the family and neighbors, thanks so much!!!
Pamela Ciccarelli says
I have been making this bread just about weekly for over a year now. I’ve made a few adjustments. I halved the recipe to only make 1 loaf at at time and use bread flour. I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder when adding the oil, salt and sugar. Gives it just a hint of garlic. Everyone that has tried it has absolutely loved it.
Elle Stouse says
I’ve made this several times over the years and it’s always great. I recently switched to metric measurements because it dirties fewer dishes. Could you tell me the weight for flour?
Amanda Davis says
A cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4 1/4 ounces or 120 grams. You need 5-6 cups of flour.
Cathy lando says
I’ll be ready to bake my first Italian bread with this recipe. Should I use a pizza stone with a bowl of water or ice cubes? I thought breads were supposed to to develop a good crust when using a stone. Thanks…..Cat………
Ps…..very excited!
Shai says
I am terrible at baking but followed this recipe and we devoured both loaves in a couple days 🫣
This was so easy and delicious! I can’t wait to experiment with adding in different seasonings and cheese! Thank you so much for this!!
Debra says
Diced sun dried tomatoes & chopped fresh basil !
D Nine says
I added basil, marjoram, and thyme when mixing and used bread flour.
Thank you for sharing this incredible bread recipe!
I have a photo but not seeing how to upload.
Crazyteach says
This is the best! To keep it soft, cover with a kitchen towel about 5 minutes after removing from the oven.
Teresa Crawford says
The towel tip was great! Thanks for sharing!
Gloria says
I haven’t baked this yet but I can’t wait to. Question, can I substitute the all purpose flour for Tipo 00 Flour. I see this flour used for breads all the time. Or should I just search for a recipe using that flour. Making Cheese Balls and want some Italian bread to go with it. Very close to the bread recipe I use.
Tiffany says
AMAZING! Recipe; followed exactly yet for one off loaves I brushed with olive oil after rolling out and sprinkled it with parmasean cheese; Italian herb blend. Then rolled and topped it with blend. The plain one topped with Mediterranean Sea salt after egg wash. Whig’s I could show pictures!
Mark says
This was a super easy recipe which is exactly what I was looking for and my family loved the taste and texture of the bread. I had to make one tweak and I’ll make another when I make this recipe again.
I regret leaving the dough in the same bowl I used for mixing it (I used a stand mixer) because the dough did not come out easily at all. I had covered the bowl with plastic wrap which is a fairly standard thing to do but the dough stuck to the plastic a lot as well as the sides of the bowl. And I thought I had added enough flour so it wouldn’t be too sticky – I was nervous about the cautionary note in the recipe saying not to add too much flour. I’m glad I didn’t cover it with a towel otherwise it would have been a mess. Next time I’m going to transfer the dough to a large bowl which has been very lightly oiled.
Given my experience with the first rise, when I put the shaped loafs on the baking sheet, I covered them with a piece of plastic lightly coated with cooking spray so the plastic wouldn’t stick to the loaves. It worked out perfectly.
Again, super easy recipe and the taste is awesome. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Nicole says
Family loved it! Easy to make. I have one question…. how is this best stored and for how long? I would like to keep the crispy top if possible. If not, it’s still take great. Lol
Amanda Davis says
Aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap!
Michelle Guzinski says
Finally I’m a successful baker!! And at 6400ft. 🤯 Rise times took half the recommended time up here. Baked in 19 minutes to 194 degrees. I think I’ll reduce the temp next time. Wish I could share photos cause this is amazing! Thank you!!
Regina Saum says
So far I’m loving this recipe. Only suggestion (🤔) is you may want to transfer the dough to a bigger bowl if using a KA stand mixer. That first rise was literally over the top!
Nancy says
This recipe is amazing!! My first try at Italian bread and this recipe made it super easy to follow. My only issue was the saltiness. I thought a tablespoon sounded like too much but went with it anyway. I was afraid to change the recipe. Next time I’m gonna use half that it and it should be perfect! I’m surprised no one else had any issues with it being too salty lol made me think I read wrong.
Kathy says
Diamond kosher salt (often recommended in cooking/baking) is half as salty as table salt when measuring by volume. So if you used table salt, it was probably twice as salty as it was supposed to be, and switching to diamond kosher, or using half, should take care of the problem.
HollyRae says
Thank you for this recipe, this bread is so great! I made it for the first time today, and I didn’t mean to but abused the poor dough, lol, I placed the bowl with the proofing dough in a too warm place and had hot spots that dried the dough…but I kneaded it all together and it still rose nicely for the second rise, and I forgot to brush the egg white but I ended up with two large delicious fragrant Italian loaves! It is a very moist crumb which I did not expect and it is a pleasure to eat. I will definitely make this again but willl treat the rising dough with more respect :-)
Angela says
My new go to bread recipe! So easy to follow and I love that it has so few ingredients. And it’s delicious!
Mary says
I tried this twice- what I got was a piece of dough 7 inches wide and .5 inches thick if that much- my yeast was not old ( within date)) , I tested temperature :115 exactly, I don’t want to blame chef but am tired of following recipes step by step and getting nothing- I make cakes, cookies, casseroles- anything else just fine- but bread my et- why???????????
Amanda Davis says
I’m not sure where the issue was Mary, maybe measuring the flour incorrectly? I’m sorry you had trouble, this is one of our readers’ most beloved recipes.
Susan says
I have found that as flour reaches one year old my bread rises less and less. Haven’t bought bread since before covid. I keep a close watch on the age of my flour now.
Regina Saum says
I’m sorry you’re having issues with this recipe. I’ve bought yeast well with in the date on the package brought it home and find that it’s bad. Dont give up i would test your yeast. Half a cup warm water, teaspoon sugar with your yeast, let it set for 10 minutes and it should really bloom.
Also .bread can be affected by weather. Humidity and altitude can make a big difference.
Good luck, it really is a good recipe.
Jeannette says
Your water temp needs to be below 110. Anything higher and it will kill the yeast.
Lynda says
I want a crustier top. How do I go about doing that with out drying it out?
Libby says
When you’re putting in the bread to cook, quickly throw a few ice cubes(3-4 cubes from a mold will work, or 4-5 if you have an smaller cubed ice maker!) in the bottom of your oven and shut the door fast! The steam from the ice helps develop the crust!
CC says
Um no, it wasn’t me that ate a half of a loaf slathered with butter. ;) I’ve made it twice. The first time just as written. The second time I didn’t have enough all-purpose so used 4 cups bread flour, 1 cup wheat and 1 cup all purpose. I divided it into 4 portions and shaped each. Baked 3 of the 4 for 15 minutes only and took them out so I can freeze and finish baking when I’m ready for another loaf. The 4th portion I finished baking and as stated, ate half before dinner. If you made this and it didn’t turn out, it isn’t the recipe.