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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Kevin says
5 Star. If you think it’s sticky, it is! Use a mixer with a bread hook. Pull the hook prior to covering as in the instructions. A plastic dough scraper is your best friend when getting the dough onto a floured surface. From there a bench scraper and flour bring it together. This is an amazing base for cinnamon raisin and other flavored breads. I do prefer EVOO instead of veggie oil.
Wendy says
This recipe is now a staple for me. It is so easy and the bread is very good. I even use this dough to make pepperoni bread. It works very well.
Diana says
My family and I absolutely love this bread!!!! My boys always eat it all and we never have leftovers
Clifford Sapienza says
l made this many times. Very easy recipe even for an old man like me with no former bread making experience. I built houses my whole life and now am retired at 76. I just love the aroma of baking bread and nothing like the taste fresh warm bread slathered with butter. YUM ! Great recipe .Thankyou!
Mrs. Darden says
Family loved this recipe! Hubby, daughter, parents, uncle, both my grandmothers 🤣…made it more than once and it’s actually saved in my favorites tabs on my phone 😆
Jill says
I absolutely love this recipe! I baked it in a Dutch oven and it was absolutely beautiful! I’ve tried a lot of recipes and this one is going in my favorites for sure. Thank you!
Theresa Ayotte says
I used less flour. The dough seems perfect. Not sure why anyone would use 7 cups. Try again.
Dominic says
This was hands down the best Italian bread loaf I’ve ever made. This will be a staple from here on out!
Kristi says
This bread was really good on its own, but after realizing it made two loaves and I only actually needed one, I decided to roll out one ball of dough, layer cheese, and pepperoni, some Italian seasoning and garlic salt and loosely roll it up. I then baked it off the same way (plus 2 mins) to make a pepperoni roll and it was so so good
Joe says
I don’t even know where to begin. We’ve made more loaves of bread than I can count, and this is by far the worst. Everyone that has complained about the dough being too hydrated and sticky is 100% correct. It either calls for too much water, or oil, or maybe both. Even after you’ve added the “additional cup or more” of flour it is STILL too sticky, almost too sticky to manage. I see the replies that “no one else has had this issue” but I see a lot of complaints about the same thing. The recipe does not clarify whether to spoon the flour in, or scoop it, and that makes a HUGE difference. By the way, there is no way to manage this dough without kneading it at all. Also, if you need to add flour once it’s been proofed for an hour, there is no way to add any flour without kneading!! 100% will not be using this recipe ever again.
Amanda Davis says
Hi Joe. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I’ve adjusted the recipe to includes temperatures for the water. I believe that will solve the problem.
Kevin says
I use 110 degrees F for both the yeast and autolysis of the flour, it’s money every time and don’t have to target two temperatures.
Melissa says
This recipe worked perfectly on my first try, which isn’t always the case with bread recipes. Loved how little hands on time was needed to create two big loaves!
Barbara says
This was the “worst” bread recipe I have encountered. I make bread all the time but the directions were loose approximations and I it took loads of additional flour and washing my hands several times to get a dough I could work with. Possibly too much oil, but whatever, never again
Amanda Davis says
Hundreds of people enjoy this bread and I’ve made it at least 20 times myself. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it.
Kevin says
I make and test other recipes all the time. This is a 5 star recipe. Anyone who puts less than a 4 should consider paying for some cooking and baking lessons.
Amanda Davis says
Thank you for that Kevin :)
bob says
yeah the hydration is way off. if you like to play baker and play with dough this might be for you, if you want a recipe thats easy and repeatable maybe not. any time you have to add more than 20% flour to a recipe “to get a dough” you are just guessing.
we all know that humidity, flour water content, etc can require a couple tablespoons of flour or water to get dough to proper consistency , but cups of flour is not the same thing.
Amanda Davis says
Hi Bob. I made this day before yesterday and it was perfect. The one thing I did notice that MAY have been the issue for some is the step of adding hot water. I did not have a temperature for the water listed (I do now), it just said “hot to the touch, but not boiling”. I realized that “hot to the touch” may be different for some people. If the water is too hot it will make the dough stickier. I have listed the water temperatures now and I believe that will solve the problem that the occasional person has had. Hope this helps.
Meg C says
Hi Barbara, as someone who has made this bread at least 10x over the year, you must’ve done something wrong because these loaves always come out perfect. maybe your yeast was bad?
Michael Herbst says
I’m with Barbara. I’m 7 cups of flour into this sticky mess. Won’t be back.
Pam D says
Couldn’t agree more! I made bread several times a week. This is the worst recipe I’ve ever used!
Amanda Davis says
We’ve added temperatures for the water in the recipe as “hot to the touch” may be different for some people. This can cause the dough to be overly sticky if the water is too hot. I just made this again yesterday for a party and it was perfect.
Sean Turner-Griffen says
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I can’t tell you how many times we have made it. There is just nothing like the flavor and warmth of fresh baked homemade bread. Five stars for sure! 😁
Tiffany says
amazing bread
Elke Barter says
The best! I always get asked for the recipe. Everyone’s favorite bread in my house. I replace a cup with wheat flour.
Maren says
Wow! I am hardly a breadmaker (sandwich bread has been the extent of my experience) but this came out beautifully the very first time! So simple. And delicious! If you, like me, don’t have much experience with bread and are easily intimidated by it, jump in and try this recipe! I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but just followed the instructions to a T and it was a huge hit. Thank you so much for this wonderful, user-friendly recipe!
Idania says
this turned out sooo yummy
really pleased with the recipe
thanks so much
Liz says
just finished making and it’s divine. I just started learning how to make different breads and this is my best one yet. perfect texture and perfect taste.
Kristen says
I love this recipe it was so easy. However, i feel like mine came out more flaky than it should. Does anyone know why that would be? I am at high altitude should I have adjusted something?
Michele says
Tried making bread before with no luck. This recipe worked for me. Made me look like I knew what I was doing. Bread was delicious, ( usually tasteless or hard) I’ll be using this recipe again