Crusty Italian Bread: Bake the Perfect Loaf Today!
This Crusty Italian Bread recipe guides you through baking a perfect loaf with a crunchy golden crust and soft, elastic interior. Ideal for sandwiches or accompanying your favorite Italian dishes, this homemade bread uses simple ingredients and traditional techniques to create an authentic bakery-style loaf at home.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (about 8 servings) 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°F)
Other
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy, indicating the yeast is active.
- Form Dough: Add the flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir until a rough dough forms, ensuring all ingredients are well combined.
- Knead Dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for 8-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic, which helps develop gluten.
- First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
- Shape Loaf: Punch down the risen dough to release air. Shape it into a round or oval loaf and place it on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
- Second Rise: Cover the shaped loaf with a cloth and allow it to rise again for 30-45 minutes, allowing the dough to puff up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Steam: Preheat your oven to 450°F. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack to generate steam, which will help develop a crispy crust.
- Score the Loaf: Just before baking, use a sharp knife to make several slashes on top of the loaf. This allows the bread to expand properly while baking.
- Bake: Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, signaling that it is fully cooked.
- Cool: Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing, which ensures the crumb sets properly.
Notes
- Use warm water around 110°F to activate yeast without killing it.
- Allowing the dough to rise in a warm environment helps yeast fermentation.
- Adding a pan of water to the oven creates steam, which is essential for achieving a crusty exterior.
- Resting the bread after baking prevents it from becoming gummy inside.
- For extra flavor, you can brush the loaf with olive oil or butter after baking once cooled.
Keywords: crusty Italian bread, homemade bread recipe, easy bread dough, yeast bread, crusty loaf, Italian baking
