Rustic Italian Bread an Easy Recipe that I Inherited (2024)

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Tamara Wood

October 9, 2011 at 11:37 am

This bread looks sooo yummy!!!!! Im going to make it ASAP!!! Hope mine looks and tastes as its supposed to…. Wish me luck…

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MamaLiss

January 19, 2012 at 12:22 pm

Woah!! I was also under the impression that I needed to collect many specialized tools before I could start experimenting with bread. Thanks for my starter recipe- It looks great

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Stefanie

January 19, 2012 at 5:42 pm

What an easy recipe! I’m new to baking bread, and I’ve been experimenting with recipes, and this one has been my favorite. It was easy and relatively quick (except for all of the sitting around rising, of course!) I can’t wait to go eat the rest of it!

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Jeanette

January 19, 2012 at 5:43 pm

I made the Rustic Italian Bread and was very pleased with the outcome.

I live in Calgary, AB and it is very dry here so I never needed as much flour.

Here is my loaf.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh30/flameforever/ItalianBread-1.jpg

Thx for a good and easy recipe.

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Lauren

January 22, 2012 at 1:46 pm

I just popped this into the oven to accompany an Italian dinner I’m cooking for friends. Thank you for such a simple, delicious recipe!

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diananu07

July 19, 2012 at 12:20 pm

Thanks so much for the recipe Im from Costa Rica and I’ll be baking this same afternoon!!! Wish me Luck :D

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David Lewis

August 12, 2012 at 1:33 am

I live in Germany and followed your recipe exactly. First bread recipe I have ever attempted. It was simple and tastes great. But, I have one thing that bothers me: I don’t seem to get a very good rise out of the bread when it bakes. The yeast is good and active and I followed everything exactly, and as I mentioned earlier great taste and texture – but very little rise. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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Mike in Australia

August 25, 2012 at 7:18 pm

My 3 year old Daughter and I like to do Sunday Morning baking – currently awaiting the second rise – its our first attempt at bread and very very nervous and excited!!! :-)

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Charlie

September 15, 2012 at 5:31 am

Great recipe. What temperature n the oven roughly?

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Charlie

September 15, 2012 at 4:21 pm

Turned out fantastic. Used half to make a delicious garlic bread. Yum. Cheers

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Lynn

October 8, 2012 at 11:04 am

Made two loaves yesterday. Neither one raised very much even after the second rise period. Did not seem hollow at all. Had to bake the second loaf 15 min. longer than recommended. Maybe I’m not doing the yeast correctly. I used warm tap water. For the first loaf I stirred in the yeast. For the second I did not stir until after the 5 min. waiting period. Please advise what I might be doing wrong.

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Lynn

October 8, 2012 at 11:06 am

Forgot to mention…. both batches of dough were extremely dry.

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Sarah Rowlett

November 6, 2012 at 8:30 pm

I love this recipe!! I’ve added rosemary or garlic and Parmesan. So versatile. Thank you for this staple in our home.

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Andrea

December 29, 2012 at 9:48 pm

I love the old world simplicity of your recipe and found it after much research online for oat bread recipes. I’d love to try the recipe with oat flour, as you indicate it can replace the AP flour. Have you tried the recipe with oat flour?

I ask because there’s a lot of noise out there about making yeast bread with oat flour — that it can’t replace all the AP flour, that it won’t rise, that it’ll bake a brick, that it can’t be done. Would love any insights you might have.

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Dee

December 31, 2012 at 8:57 am

Looks great and will give it a try. Just curious what a baking tray is. A cookie sheet? A loaf pan?

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Jules

January 5, 2013 at 11:38 am

Hey there! I’m psyched to try this recipe! Out of curiosity, have you have tried shaping the dough into a “boule” type shape? I wonder if it would bake up the same?

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Bill

January 10, 2013 at 1:59 pm

Rather than the olive oil, could you use an egg white wash. In the recipe I have it says to use an egg white and 1 tbl spoon of water mixed.

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Crisy

January 13, 2013 at 11:16 am

Hi Carrie, just wanted to thank you for a great recipe. I chose yours because I don’t have a stand mixer and it looked easy enough. My first time making it, the dough didn’t rise well at all, and though it looked fine and baked fine, it was VERY dense. The yeast was creamy, but not overly so. I decided to try again, and this time, I read up a little on proofing yeast. So the second time around, I actually combined the yeast in only a 1/4 c. water with one tsp sugar to activate it, and then added the remaining water and sugar after the 5 min right before I mixed it with the flour. What a difference! The yeast was bubbling and frothing, and the dough doubled in size within an hour for both rises. For the second rise, I actually let it rise on the parchment paper-lined tray on the stovetop so it could have the warmth of the preheated oven to help. This time the bread is way fluffier, although when I slashed it with the knife, it deflated some. Have you ever not slashed the bread? Or even slashed it prior to the second rise? Any tips would be helpful and thanks again :)

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Helene

February 3, 2013 at 12:10 pm

I followed the recipe and let it rise twice, but it turned out flat, dense and dry :( Not sure what went wrong? I think I may have used a little to less yeast (was running low, might have been a bit closer to two teaspoons.

I live in charleston (so high humidity) and I had a bit of issues forming it to a nice ball, was very sticky and had to use extra flour.

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Alli

February 11, 2013 at 5:14 pm

I am a chronic failure at bread making – seeing this recipe has reignited my willingness to bake not just an edible but delicious (and beautiful) loaf of bread!! I just started mixing the ingredients … so simple. Picture to follow if all goes to plan! Thank you for such an accessible recipe!!

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Mariah

February 20, 2013 at 10:49 am

Oh boy this was just the bread I was looking for!!!! It turned out perfect! I can’t wait to make garlic bread out if it. Thank you for my new favorite bread recipe!

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Sara I.

March 5, 2013 at 9:23 am

This looks amazing and simple!! Would love to give it a try today but don’t have any parchment paper. Is there a sub I could use?

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Maddy

March 9, 2013 at 2:13 pm

I am from Long Island, NY. I grew up with Italian bread that my mother bought weekly, from a Brooklyn man, who baked the bread in a hot outdoor, wood burning oven. I followed your recipe and your bread taste just as DELICIOUS! Bravo! Also, the texture is rustic. Soft inside but crunchy, crispy, just perfect crust. We eat it with olive oil, butter, garlic and various kinds of humus. I have a mixer for bread but never needed it for the recipe and never will. There is so little cleanup with this delicious recipe. The mixer could not make the bread any better in taste or texture. Thank you.

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Deborah Hernandez - Our Casa Your Casa

March 10, 2013 at 10:24 pm

Your bread recipe worked out great- first bread bake from scratch and it passed the Italan hubby test! Simple and delicious…thanks, wish we could share our proud photos. Hope you’ll like our page on Facebook(Our Casa Your Casa)

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Kinsey

March 16, 2013 at 3:52 am

Hi, i’m wondering if you knead this dough at all. I can’t see anywhere where you say to but thought I’d ask.
Thanks!

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Katherine

June 11, 2013 at 7:48 pm

Hi! I just followed this recipe and posted about it on my blog. Delicious bread! Thanks for sharing!
http://chefincollege.blogspot.com/2013/06/homemade-italian-bread.html

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Archana

July 7, 2013 at 10:06 am

My kids love it when I bake a bread. Thanks for the the note that I can use wheat flour its a great + as I am trying to reduce the use of maida or APF at home. I am bookmarking your recipe for its simple andI love the way you have explained it.

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Mary

July 8, 2013 at 8:11 pm

I completed this recipe 3 times in a row. Florida loves this bread. Rising period was 30 mins all three times. I accidentally put half the amount of sugar and salt in the first but it wasn’t bad. Second and third were wonderful! Thanks for the help.

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Emile

July 20, 2013 at 7:22 pm

I am a teenager who likes to bake, and I have never made bread “from scratch” before (not using a bread machine). Even though I was a bit nervous about it, this recipe was so easy and delicious! I love salt so I rubbed sea salt all over the top and made one heck of a sandwich minutes after it came out of the oven. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

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Rebecca

July 28, 2013 at 5:50 am

I am an American living in Pakistan… I am craving Italian bread and there is none to be found here. I made tomato sauce and meatballs and was looking for a recipe for bread to make meatball grinders… The bread is in the oven but I am not too hopeful as it didn’t rise much. After reading all the comments I have decided I must have handled it too much. Let’s see how it comes out! I will try it again til I get it right!

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Dave

July 29, 2013 at 11:27 am

Tried this for the first time yesterday. First attempt felt way too dry. Wouldn’t rise at all. Tried again and the second time I increased the water content 3/4 cup. I live in South Central Florida so that may have made a difference. It turned out perfect. Added some Italian seasoning and the bread was a great hit. Served with some fresh cooked garlic in olive oil and it was a treat for the whole family. Will be making this again.

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Rebecca Donahue

August 3, 2013 at 11:32 am

I used this recipe for my first attempt at bread-making and it turned out amazing. We ate more than half the loaf minutes after it came out of the oven. Thank you so much for this recipe!!

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Nicole

August 5, 2013 at 2:05 am

I just discovered this recipe, it’s exactly what I’m searching for, really easy and no-fuss to make, loving it.

I did a half-recipe though, ie, halving all the amounts and only let it rise once for 30mins. it baked beautifully, but the taste of the AP flour was very strong. I used active dry yeast, it fizzled a bit when I added warm water, but wasn’t extremely frothy. Could that be why the taste of the flour was so strong?

Shall be trying again this weekend! Thank you so much Carrie for sharing your simple fuss-free recipe!

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Alejandra

August 20, 2013 at 2:04 pm

Do you have any special instructions regarding the use of wheat flour instead of all purpose?

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Nikki j

August 30, 2013 at 2:42 pm

Hi, Can I prepare the dough, refrigerate and make next day?

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Amber

September 14, 2013 at 7:47 pm

This is my new favorite dinner bread recipe. My only sub was brown sugar for white. Internal temp of 190 F = perfection. Crust was delicious and crispy. So so so good!

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Eric Erickson

September 15, 2013 at 3:36 am

Great writeup Carrie :) Just discovered the joys of bread making – and of course, the problems that can ensue LOL. I am curious about the deflating question above too. Since I’ve only made bread now about 5 times and am not real experienced, SHOULD it deflate when doing a cut across the top? AND, how do you get your sesame seeds to stick? Tried it with the olive oil and they all pretty much fell off after baking :(

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Jennie

September 23, 2013 at 7:26 pm

First time breadmaker and I happened upon your recipe. It was perfect for a novice like me! Thanks so much for posting this and for making me feel like I *can* do it! It was delicious…ate my first slice (and another and another) hot out of the oven with butter. Perfection!

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Clint

September 25, 2013 at 9:03 am

Great recipe! Simple and very easy. I have a bread maker so I made this recipe exactly, set the bread maker to the dough setting (just mixes it, doesn’t bake), then after it had risen twice shaped it onto a baking pan. The texture turned out great, I think this would make a great pizza dough as well. I did add a couple of tablespoons of water, and then flour to get the moisture how I wanted. I did this until it was just dry enough to not stick to your finger when touched, but wasn’t too dry to where it was knocking around in the bread maker on the kneed cycle.

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Kim

October 13, 2013 at 4:11 pm

Great recipe! Couple tips from someone who bakes alot of different breads: add the sugar to the yeast & water & let sit for 5 minutes-sugar activates the yeast. make sure the water is WARM not hot-heat will kill the yeast. Next…second rising-form your loaf after the 1st rise, put it on your pan, THEN cover & allow to rise a second time-makes for a more “risen” loaf! :-)

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Dan

October 15, 2013 at 11:44 am

I just made my first ever no mixer pretzels and now want to move on to my first loaf of bread. And you have the perfect recipe ! Thank you.

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Charleen

October 25, 2013 at 12:10 pm

Just made this recipe. Best bread recipe I’ve tried yet. Just started baking and I’ve been searching for the perfect bread recipe and this is it!

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Fallon Penner

October 27, 2013 at 8:49 am

Followed technique #1 and the bread turned out beautifully. Thank you for this great recipe. This was my first time making bread and I can’t believe how easy it was.

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Laura

November 3, 2013 at 1:57 pm

When do you add the second cup of water?

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Katie

November 9, 2013 at 1:14 pm

Sooooo good! I love baking different types of bread and this was very easy and delicious. I added rosemary and olive oil and it was perfect.

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Kelly

November 10, 2013 at 9:58 pm

What is your oat flour blend?? I have tried it several times with just oat flour and have not gotten the best results.

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Cyndi

November 11, 2013 at 7:11 pm

Thanks for a great recipe. I made it tonight and the texture was wonderful. I am also in Houston, and had to add over 1/2 cup more flour to make the dough less sticky so I could form the ball. I think next time I will reduce the water by 1/2 cup. I am also thinking that I will add a bit of honey or garlic powder for additional flavor.
Can this dough be frozen? There are just two of us and a full recipe makes way too much. I would like to split it and freeze half. Otherwise, I may experiment with making 1/2 recipe.

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Charlotte Wallace

November 14, 2013 at 1:37 pm

This was easy and delicious. It made a huge loaf. I will definitely make this again.

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Tay

November 16, 2013 at 12:22 pm

I have gone to the store purchased all the ingredients to make your bread. Can I make this in a round loaf and not oblong. I am very excited to make this bread thanks for the recipie.

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Amy latham

November 22, 2013 at 9:35 am

Brilliant absolutely brilliant, made perfectly even considering i live in a very cold wintery scotland! i only did the first rise but it still came out perfect, i actually made another dough the exact same but flattened it and made a beautiful italian flat bread with olive oil sea salt and fresh herbs! will be using this recipe time and time again! xxx

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Yvette

November 30, 2013 at 9:30 am

I just made 1 loaf just now, eating a slice with butter and jam. Super thank you for this recipe! Next time Ill try to shape it like pain d’ epi to make it fancier :)

1 question though, can I substitute honey instead of sugar? how much should I put and when should I put it? In the water/yeast mixture or flour mixture? Thanks! :)

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Andrea

December 13, 2013 at 5:52 pm

WOW! Very first time making bread. Super easy recipe! I went with the 2nd technique. I know how finicky yeast can be to activate and I wanted to prepare that first. Quick note, yeast activates between 100 and 110 degrees fahrenheit. Anything hotter kills the yeast and cooler won’t activate. Needless to say the loaf is gone! My boyfriend has requested 3 more loaves tomorrow! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

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A-Red

January 2, 2014 at 12:32 am

Thanks for the recipe! Made it tonight for my inlaws and it was enjoyed by all. I followed method 2 to activate the yeast. I also used a 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour (AP for the rest), mixed a little fresh rosemary into the dough, and sprinkled it with Alaskan sea salt before I baked it. About 22 minutes into the bake, I misted it with water, and misted water into the oven a couple more times every 3-4 minutes until done. This gave it a nice crisp crust as you expect from rustic Italian breads.

Thanks again for the recipe. It’s a definite keeper.

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Laura Carroll

January 2, 2014 at 6:13 pm

Thank you soon much for this recipe! I made bread today for the first time and I used this recipe! It came out great!!!!!

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Pam

January 4, 2014 at 2:33 pm

Thanks for the great recipe. Have made this several times now since making my first loaf for Thanksgiving. Once it flattened, but all other times turns out great. Also made with reg. flour and bread flour–same results. Have you ever frozen the dough before allowing to rise. Was thinking could save time if I made several (one clean up) and frozen, then could thaw in frig over night, let rise and bake, as limited time during the week with work & travel.

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Gigi

January 4, 2014 at 9:07 pm

Made this tonight for decadent grilled cheese sandwiches. Beyond yum!!!! Thank you for this perfect rustic bread recipe.

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Kat Holmes

January 5, 2014 at 4:39 pm

I made this bread tonight. TWO cups of water is WAY too much for 3 cups of flour. I thought so, but made it anyway. Big mistake. No way to salvage the mess it made. Is this recipe correct??????????????

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Sue Laffey

January 5, 2014 at 7:52 pm

Just made it for dinner tonight and had it with spaghetti . It was delicious and it rose so nicely. Put some Italian seasoning and Parmasian in it. Turned out great!

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Guido

January 17, 2014 at 2:16 pm

Carrie, I have tried both techniques with Caputo 00 Flour in my Kitchen Aid Mixer, the problem I am having is after the second rise, I split the dough and try to cook on my pizza stone in the oven and it is more like Foccacia rather than a loaf of bread. Putting olive oil on it, along with the pizza stone gives it a great crunch and the crumb is beautiful, just need to figure out what I can do to make it rise better.

The yeast is brand new and on technique 2 it bubbled/foamed. I am not sure when I can separate the dough into two and if I need to cook in a bread pan on top of my pizza stone or if I can bake directly on it….I live in AZ, so it is very dry here, but I do get a good rise both times. Please help!

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Guido

January 17, 2014 at 6:25 pm

Yes I am scoring it, but after the second rise and I split the dough into two loaves it never rises again, by adding the water into the oven will it, or should it rise again?

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Theresa clark

January 25, 2014 at 2:02 am

I am making this bread now hoping it’ll turn out as this is my first attempt at making bread

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Salvador

February 4, 2014 at 10:55 pm

Awesome recipe bread was great and easy to make

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Zwaner

February 7, 2014 at 1:38 am

Thanks Carrie for sharing the recipe. I’m made it a few times now, always with great results. I sprinkle cornmeal on my baking stone and a little coarse salt on top of the olive oil. The family loves it. My friends ask for the recipe and I send them to your blog. Thanks again

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Tina

February 10, 2014 at 11:00 pm

This is the best bread recipe I have ever used – it has never failed !! Thank you Carrie

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Randy

February 11, 2014 at 6:39 pm

Carrie — Great job. It never fails. Wonderful toasted. It’s become my “goto” bread — and I make it several times each week. I have the recipe and routine memorized now. Friends, relatives and others love it, too. Again — thanks. You should strut a little with this one. You’ve earned it. Randy

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Chani

February 13, 2014 at 7:58 pm

I am 14 years old and I love to cook and bake. I am always looking for new recipes, and this is a great one! I baked the bread, then spread the inside with margarine, sprinkled on garlic powder,baked it a little more, and voila-garlic bread. My whole family loved it, and I have a feeling we’ll be making it a lot in the future! Thanks so much!

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Keri

February 22, 2014 at 6:43 pm

Just made this recipe and OMG so addictive. Not only is it easy but the result is spectacular. I’ll be making this recipe over and over and over again. Thank-you so much

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John

February 23, 2014 at 1:11 pm

This is my go to bread recipe and i make this at least once a week and it comes better then any store bought bread i can find. I have one tiny problem with mine when i bake it…. I have a “side blowout” and i cant figure out why. I make the three slits at the top and do it step by step but the sides on both sides of my bread have a little bit of a blow out … any suggestions or tips would be great. Thank you

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Tonya

February 25, 2014 at 7:03 pm

I made this recipe today with half wheat flour and it came out awesome!

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Laura

February 25, 2014 at 7:04 pm

Carrie- THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I found your website this morning and decided to give your recipe a try because I wanted bread for tonight’s dinner but didn’t want to go back to my usual recipe for “quick” bread. The loaf of bread I served my family was THE BEST BREAD I HAVE EVER MADE! I am relatively new to bread baking and I am glad I did not give up when my dough wasn’t looking the way you described in the recipe. Instead of making a smooth elastic ball, I had a shaggy sticky mess! I left it in my mixing bowl, covered it with a damp towel and put it in a warm oven with the oven turned off. (It’s winter here in NY so my house is dry and warm-ish.) An hour or so later the dough had risen so much it was sticking to my towel. Still, I soldiered on! The dough reminded me of another bread recipe I have used for “crusty bread”. So I turned it out into a floured counter, put more flour on top and covered with same towel. I heated my oven to 450°, heated up my Dutch oven for 30 mins, then baked bread in the Dutch oven, covered, for 30 mins. I took off the lid and let it brown up a bit more for about 10 minutes. AGAIN, IT WAS THE BEST BREAD I EVER MADE! It was soft and chewy on the inside, crusty and chewy on the outside. I hope this wasn’t a ” one off” for me. I will be trying this recipe again very soon! I’d say I’m sorry for rambling, but I am just so gosh darn excited about this bread! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

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Rusti

March 6, 2014 at 5:04 pm

Wow thank you for sharing this. I just learned how to make regular white bread, but a lot of kneading (20 minutes in mixer) and rising time. This sounds so easy and a little quicker, I am definitely going to try it…maybe tomorrow. Thank you again!

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Hanna

March 11, 2014 at 7:57 pm

I am so happy I came across your bread recipe! This was my 2nd attempt at homemade bread and it turned out fabulous! Way better than the other recipe I tried a couple days ago. I am going to make some french toast in the morning with the left overs and see how it turns out!

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France

March 18, 2014 at 7:47 pm

Hi Carrie, I just made your recipe and it’s really good. Just wondering why the inside of the bread is really dense. Did I manipulated to much the bread? (Sorry for my English as I”m French, Quebec Canada. :)

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Eileen Henderson

March 23, 2014 at 4:31 pm

Easiest and best bread EVER! I swear, I used to make bread often, never could get the hang of it. Now I know I had yeast water too cool and was kneeding it to death =) ! Ever since I have associated breadmaking with ugh! difficult! Not so with your recipe. Thank you!

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Roberta

March 24, 2014 at 6:00 am

Hi,
I tried the recipe with all purpose white flour and then a 2nd time with have whole wheat and half white. I did let them both rise twice. The all white loaf was very good and rose well, though it was still pretty dense – the bubbles were quite small and even all through the bread – should they be larger? The half-half was much the same as the all white but this one tasted and smelled of yeast. Am I not letting it rise long enough? Or why would it taste yeasty?
thanks
Roberta

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Tony DeMilia

March 24, 2014 at 3:16 pm

Hi there Carrie, just a quick question for this recipe. Not knowing the whole “Bakers” math , can this be made into a 2x, or even a 4x batch, with the same results?

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Rifka

April 11, 2014 at 11:29 am

I have only ever done family bread recipes, so when i went into my pantry to pull all the ingredients necessary I was shocked to have seen the only oil I had was Olive. For about 30 mins I was in shock and did not know what to do. When my morning brain finely kicked into gear. I decided to look up a new bread recipe that only required olive oil. I didn’t want anything fancy seeing as i have only known three bread recipes my whole life. Well this bread recipe has saved the day!! I was able to make it perfect ( at least i think it was perfect) the first time. My two toddlers loved it so much they kept asking for more. This will be a new staple in our home. Thank you for sharing it.

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Stephanie Picone

April 19, 2014 at 1:13 pm

My husband brought the wrong yeast home, it is gluten-free . I tried to do what you said with the warmwater but it didn’t rise , what now?

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Andrea

April 28, 2014 at 5:58 pm

Hi Carrie!

I make your recipe ALL THE TIME! It’s a hit each and every loaf I make!! Thank you so much!

Quick question – because I actually have some rising in the microwave right now….

Can I make this Asiago Cheese bread? I’ve read other recipes and I don’t have the time (obviously) for them. Do you know if I can just score and throw in asiago chunks at the sesame seed stage?? Please let me know asap!! Thanks so much!!!

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Matt Myers

May 2, 2014 at 9:59 pm

I absolutely love this bread. I always make this bread late at night so it’s still fresh in the morning. It makes a great breakfast. Butter it, put it in a sandwich press, and dip it in my morning espresso or my espresso zabaglione. Delicious!

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Nancy

May 18, 2014 at 8:21 pm

I’m so happy I stumbled on this recipe! I’ve been trying to successfully make bread since I was a teen. By 35 I still had not accomplished bread that wasn’t hard or overly dense or that rose properly. So when I saw your recipe I thought why not. Ive tried so many times and failed what’s one more? But I didn’t fail. In fact it was the opposite and I must say my children couldn’t thank you more! Both raved all weekend about how great the bread was, soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside…it was awesome. I served it warm with a bowl of good olive oil, crushed garlic and fresh crached pepper. Even my picky five year old begged for more and when she wasn’t begging her and her big sister were stealing peices lol. Thank you so much for finally making Me a bread making success!

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slinkilinki

May 20, 2014 at 8:37 pm

We have a bread machine that we use on and off, but I don’t really like the square, boring loaf that comes out. So I started trying to do half-half: dough in the bread machine, then transfer to oven for baking. So-so results. Finally, I took the leap and tried a French bread recipe from scratch, which was almost, but not quite The Way It Should Be. Talking to my Italian friend, I realized what I really need to try is an Italian bread recipe and yours was the third Google search result. Breadmaking…simple? I don’t believe it! But it is! And I am making my second loaf as we speak (type). Thank you!!! I am molto contento. And on my way to gaining many pounds. :)

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Jen

May 29, 2014 at 11:50 pm

Great bread and so easy to make. I use a combo of OOO flour, continental flour and wholemeal. Good eating and makes great toast next day. If there is any left!!!

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Joyce Bileau

June 14, 2014 at 11:10 pm

I made this today and the loaf came out really well – I used King Arthur Bread Flour and Red Quick Rise Yeast. When I cut the loaf the texture of the bread was very, very nice – as good as any bakery bread. I’m excited because I have made very hard dense bread in the past when trying to make Italian bread. Now I have a nice easy recipe – thank you very much.

I added a little bit of sugar to prove the yeast during the step when you indicated to let it get creamy. I also let it rise twice and a little bit before I put it in the oven while on the parchment paper.

Totally worth making again.

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Troy White

June 15, 2014 at 1:24 pm

The recipe was easy and the bread is delicious but there is no way that paper is coming off the bottom. I reckon I will grease the paper with olive oil next time.

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Lori

June 29, 2014 at 9:19 am

We loved this recipe. My 7 year-old made it and it turned out really well. Her twin wants to make it next!

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Mary

July 11, 2014 at 10:12 pm

I used the exact recipie and it was a very sticky wet dough. But it made for a very good ciabatta bread. LOTs if holes in the middle. Let it rise 3x’s added about an extra 3/4 cup of flour. Great recipe

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Shannon

July 26, 2014 at 5:03 pm

My stove/oven are out of order due to a power surge but my family loves homemade hearty breads. I made this and “baked” it on the grill. Turned out wonderful! The big loaf is gone!thank you for such an easy and tastes treat. My new favorite!

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Lauren

August 8, 2014 at 1:11 pm

Just pulled my bread out of the oven, such a fail proof recipe! THANK YOU~

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jen

August 8, 2014 at 10:39 pm

Mine ended up a dense brick of salt…..made lots of bread before, no idea what went wrong :(

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Jeffrey

September 2, 2014 at 11:32 am

I made this bread on Sunday afternoon. It was wonderful! When I tasted the first slice, I tasted the bread that my mother used to make when I was growing up. Heaven! I allowed the dough to rise twice for 45 minutes, each time. Pretty sure that was how mom did it. Before baking, I covered the loaf with olive oil and sprinkled some Kosher salt on top. Baked for thirty minutes. The aroma was amazing. My wife and daughters loved it. Definitely will be making more and experimenting with some variations. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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Lisa

October 20, 2014 at 6:15 pm

This bread was amazing! I came across your website when searching for Italian bread recipes. So easy, I thought I must have omitted some steps. The result: incredible! I brought a loaf to work with homemade roasted red peppers from the garden, and homemade dipping oil. My co-workers went crazy for it! One of our docs from N.Y. said it was the best bread she’d eaten since she moved to Pa from N.Y. I was raised on Long Island, and know from quality bread. Making another loaf now to bring to work tomorrow. Thanks for sharing an easy and delicious recipe! I added some chopped herbs to the top with parmesan cheese prior to baking – extra yummy!

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April

October 23, 2014 at 12:16 am

Made this recipe for the first time tonight. Dough rose perfectly but then sank back down as I scored it (my knife needed to be sharper). Bread was flatter than I wanted but it came out amazingly delicious!! This was also my first ever attempt using quick rise yeast. I added a little salt, rosemary powder and garlic powder to the top. Bread was not dense at all, was perfectly soft and eaten fresh out of the oven with butter. I will definitely use this recipe many more times and play around with flavored and rising methods.

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Lisa

October 23, 2014 at 3:23 pm

Have you tried substituting freshly ground whole wheat flour? I want to use a ww white & not sure if it will rise properly. New to breadmaking & want to begin with these easier, more rustic recipes. Thoughts/experiences? Thx.

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Emily Cuneo

October 25, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Thanks for the recipe! This is my husbands new favorite bread, he said “I’m so glad this bread is part of our marriage” guess I’ll be baking bread regularly now! Next up I’m going to try garlic rosemary, or olives!

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Kate

October 29, 2014 at 6:16 pm

I just tried this for the first time. I used one cup whole wheat flour, an the rest all-purpose. It turned out awesome! I’ll be using this recipe again and again. :)

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Margaret-Rose Stringer

October 30, 2014 at 12:35 am

190 degrees Celsius seems really low, to me. Am I being ridiculous ?
The only bread I’ve been able to make successfully – and it is TOTALLY successful, every time – is one of the no-knead loaves that requires an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees C; hence my lack of confidence.
I seek a genuine Italian bread – with holes, and chewy. Shall I proceed ?
(Apologies for being so damned hesitant …)

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Pat

November 1, 2014 at 2:16 pm

Does this bread freeze well after baking? I was thinking of slicing some and wrapping individually so I can take a sluce out when needed.

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Uncle Bob

November 9, 2014 at 4:50 pm

For his high scool world history class, my son needed to bring to school a European food that was eaten in about the 1000 – 1200 A.D. period. He was bummed out because he couldn’t find something relatively easy until he found this bread recipe. Since it has the basic ingredients and only requires elbow grease, I figured it met the time period requirements and he couldn’t go wrong baking it, with a little bit of help.

Holy cow, it was so simple! The dough rose perfectly and the final product turned out so beautifully, he can’t wait to take it to school tomorrow. We made 3 loaves with the intent of him taking 2 to school and keeping one here for quality control. :)

He has not stopped thanking me for helping him. I told him I couldn’t take all the credit. Thank you for posting this phenomenal recipe for which I’m sure he will score well.

Bob

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Cindy

November 26, 2014 at 7:41 pm

Have you ever made this ahead and placed it in the refrigerator overnight? Just wondering how it would do or if it would interfere with rising properly. I’m planning on stuffing it with meat and cheese.

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Miriam

November 27, 2014 at 3:15 pm

Omg! I am eating this wonderful bread , it soft inside and crusty out side. Thank you so much!

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Lily Rose

November 30, 2014 at 4:58 pm

Carrie,

This recipe is gold! I used fresh yeast and it turned out great, flufy and moist. I also used herbs de provence to give it a nice rustic flavor.

Thank youso much!

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MichelleQ

December 13, 2014 at 11:53 am

1st try – sounds and smells great!!! Thank you for sharing! Pic below and posted on Pinterest!

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/73/1c/b5/731cb5b8d07276112f0a1ab772a8b23d.jpg

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Susan

January 8, 2015 at 12:07 pm

I have read that only instant/rapid rise yeast will activate when added to dry ingredients like technique 2? Do you use that type yeast in 2? I read that active dry yeast must be activated in water? Thanks so much.

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Susan

January 8, 2015 at 12:09 pm

When does dough go from mixing bowl to a floured work surface in your recipe?

Thank you

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Kayla

January 16, 2015 at 2:58 pm

I’ve never made bread before and was looking for a quick and simple recipe to beat my stir crazies down–this was perfect! I had everything I needed in house, it wasn’t hard, and most importantly didn’t involve a bread machine. I just tried it along with a bit of honey butter and I am in love! So much, that I’m headed to make two more loaves so I can give one to my grandma. Thank you so much for this excellent recipe!

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Jim

January 18, 2015 at 12:18 pm

Hi
I am making the single loaf following the directions where I just added a package of yeast to 1 cup of water. My dough is in the oven on proof for its first rise. I used to bake years ago and am just now getting back int9 it. My plan is to do the second rise and after I make the loaf – to let it rise again before I cut the top and bake it. I think this is the way I used to do it and had nice light loaves. Spraying the loaf with water a couple of times while baking gives it a nice hard crust.
Jim

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Michelle

January 26, 2015 at 10:47 pm

I made this recipe with an Italian dinner. It came out great! I tried the second method for the yeast, that worked very well. I live in a dry climate (southern az) and used just short of the full two cups of water. I allowed the bread to rise 50 minutes the first time, 30 the second. It was excellent. Thanks so much for the great recipe.

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Gina

January 28, 2015 at 8:21 pm

Do you really need the parchment paper?

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Carmel

February 1, 2015 at 6:16 am

Grazie for the recipe…. I followed your instructions as set out in Technique 1 and the result was sensational! This was my first attempt at breadmaking. Your method is so easy and it turned out just great. I’m in Australia and the weather is quite warm so it only took 45mins to rise and I used Tipo OO bakers flour.

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Dana

February 1, 2015 at 11:03 am

Love this bread! Used Bob’s Red Flour and it turned out fantastic. Can’t wait to make more :)

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Cara

February 19, 2015 at 8:10 pm

Wow! That was easy and yummy!!!! My family loved it!!! Thanks for sharing this simple bread recipe!!!

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Nancy

February 24, 2015 at 12:18 am

I was looking for a “quick ” Italian bread to make to take to my mother’s for lunch tomorrow. I came across yours on Pinterest this afternoon. I decided to make it with my Kitchenaid instead of using the fork as your recipe suggested. What can I say, I’m a rebel. (And I got the Kitchenaid for Christmas.) I followed your recipe with a few changes that came up as I went along. I used the first technique with 1 cup of water and the yeast, but I only used about 1/2-2/3 cups more water. Then I had to keep adding flour and KEEP adding flour… Another cup before I could get anything that looked like a ball! I just knew that I had made a mess of your recipe. Before the second rise, I brushed the dough with olive oil, Italian herbs and kosher salt then fashioned it into a loaf by foldinding in the sides and turning. After rising, I placed it on a baking stone then brushed the top with the olive oil mix adding rehydrated onion pieces. After 30 minutes, it wasn’t brown. :( Five more minutes did the trick. Well, expecting the worst, my house did smell awful good. My first bite was a taste of Italian heaven! My husband wants to make a meal of just the bread! (Of course, we had to try it. I couldn’t take a flop to Mom’s). Oh, I even forgot to make the knife cuts before baking. This recipe is absolutely foolproof! Thank you so much for sharing!! This is now my go to bread recipe. I just hope I can make it again like the first time! Heck I might try the easy way! :))

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June

February 24, 2015 at 10:49 am

Hi Carrie –

Thx for your wonderful recipe. I have a question, though….to start, I am not a cook and so, when I made this recipe, using technique #2, and my bread came out like my grandfather’s bread (!!) – I was over the moon.

Then, because my kids and I gobbled it up and not much was left for my husband, I made another loaf, but this time, it came out crummy…like a toasted sub roll and not a crusty Italian bread. (The outside of the crummy bread seemed toasted but not crunchy, and the inside tasted more dense (less air in there) and just more plain white bread-tasting & mealy…

I think I did all the same stuff – except maybe the second time I let the yeast sit longer in the lukewarm water. The yeast was definitely more foamy.

Do you have any ideas why? Does bread always come out differently each time?

I was so proud of myself and now I’m afraid I’m going to lose being able to make it the first way !!

Thx again for your site :)

june

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Michele

March 14, 2015 at 8:53 am

I am curious if this recipe can be used for Italian stuffed bread? If not, would you happen to know of a bread dough recipe I can use for that purpose. The only recipes I have been able to find use pizza dough, which is not what I’m looking for. I know there are some that use both pizza dough and bread dough. I cannot seem to find any using bread dough. Thank you!

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pam fox

March 28, 2015 at 7:43 am

Happened to have bread flour on hand so I used it in this recipe-the result was very nice!

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Rosie

March 30, 2015 at 10:41 am

I just wanted to let you know that I made this ‘last minute’ before my church’s annual dinner last night. It was a HIT! I did the recipe to a tee but I added garlic, basil and oregano flakes, and salt to the top before baking… people were going bonkers! I told my husband that I will make this once a week (since I am vegan with lots of allergies) for him and he is thrilled. Beats paying for stuff you’re unsure of in the grocery stores!:) I think next time, when it is done cooking, I will sprinkle on top some more Olive oil with Romano cheese so it sticks and the Romano doesn’t burn in the oven.
Thank you!

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GingerBeachy

July 14, 2015 at 3:12 pm

I’m making this bread for the 2nd time and cannot wait for it to finish baking! I rushed the 2nd rise the first time I baked it and it was still delicious!

Thank you for a great recipe!

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Ashley White

July 26, 2015 at 9:51 pm

I am a novice at baking bread but a “professional” at eating it and using this recipe (which was only the second time I have baked bread…ever) produced a phenomenal loaf. Thank you for sharing your inherited recipe!

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Lori

July 29, 2015 at 4:31 pm

Waiting to put this in the oven now. I did two rises but I also am letting it rise after forming the loaf and putting it on the pan as this is the way that traditional bread is made. Will see how it tastes soon.

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Lori

July 29, 2015 at 5:49 pm

Turned out terrific! I will make this again.

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Franca

July 30, 2015 at 3:43 pm

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I started off with making two loaves this morning and it’s mid afternoon and I have to make more because my family devoured them!

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Mal

August 14, 2015 at 4:27 pm

Hi guys

I was wondering if someone could tell me how much is a cup of water and a cup of flour?

There are so many variations, I’m lost haha

I would appreciate grams or ml :)

Thanks for your help

mal x

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Suzie

August 15, 2015 at 3:42 am

Hi Carrie,

The bread is in the oven as we speak, it looks great can’t wait to taste it
Thank you for the receipy.

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susie

August 26, 2015 at 4:07 am

Hi, this looks lovely, but I wonder about using salt, as I have read that traditionally, Tuscans didn’t put it in their bread?

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Maz Jr

October 28, 2015 at 5:17 pm

Have done twice already, both turned out very well. My family LOVE it very much… Definitely will keep this receipe. Thanks for sharing this great recipe….

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Ash

October 30, 2015 at 1:35 am

Great recipe that turned out great with the whole wheat flour I had on hand. I was wondering if you could make bread bowls for soup with it or would it have to be tweaked in any way?

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Mike

November 4, 2015 at 10:28 am

Bread came perfect nice recipe easy and flexible

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Joe

November 13, 2015 at 1:33 pm

Every step of the way, I thought “this isn’t working!” It did work, however, and was mighty tasty too! Almost like a sourdough without the “sour” flavor.

I thought it wouldn’t work because after using less than half the water, the dough was already wet and sticky. I had to add an entire extra cup of flour and even then the dough was still wetter than I’m used to. I let it rise the first time for over an hour, then I let it rise a second time overnight. In the morning I baked it for almost an hour at close to 375’f, and it didn’t darken up hardly at all.

When I took it out and cut it to try a slice, it was actually nice and soft on the inside, with a thick, crispy (not dry) crust. I dolloped a bit of butter while it was still warm, and then had to exercise some serious discipline not to eat the whole loaf!

Next time, with that extra cup of yeast/water that I didn’t use, I would just double the flour and make an extra loaf! One of the main things I love about cooking/baking is the experimenting and learning!

Thanks for the recipe!

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Xander

December 9, 2015 at 2:13 pm

I’ve been looking for a good bread recipe that I could make frequently and this is it. It’s very forgiving and easy. I only did one rise and it was a great loaf. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

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Dave P.

January 7, 2016 at 4:01 pm

Hi, This is something that all cooks working with active dry yeast should be aware of. When you mix your yeast in warm water (100-105 degrees) it will become creamy when dissolved. Yeast (a live culture) needs to be fed and yeast eats sugar. Add your sugar to yeast, stir to dissolve sugar,let stand for 2-3 min and it will become frothy,foamy and bubbly as the yeast eats it. Mix all your other ingredients to dough, half way through your mixing then add the yeast/sugar/water mix, this way your yeast does not come into direct contact with the salt. Straight salt kills yeast, salt needs to be already incorporated into the dough. Now finish your dough mix. This will give you a great rise everytime. Enjoy. : )

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Dave P.

January 7, 2016 at 4:12 pm

Hi again, Your bread it Great! I just wanted to add something that I didn’t in my other comment. Your technique no.2 is spot on!, everyone should use that one, it’s foolproof. ty for a great bread. : )

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Sheri Meyer

January 26, 2016 at 7:42 pm

I just made this bread and it is absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again and again. I agree with Dave P. on technique #2; it was foolproof. Its the first time I’ve heard of that method, but what a difference it makes in the vitality of the yeast. Thank you for sharing this recipe, Carrie!

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Elizabeth J.

February 5, 2016 at 4:39 pm

My bread turned out great! At first I was scared because the yeast didn’t get really froth/thick but in the end it all worked out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!

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Vidya

February 6, 2016 at 3:23 am

Hi, I just made this bread using whole wheat flour and it turned out delicious. I made the dough in the bread machine and then left the dough to rise again on the pan. Thank you so much for the recipe.

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Gloria Liuzzo

February 8, 2016 at 6:36 pm

Thank you a recipe using the Tipo OO flour. Your site was the only one that has a bread recipe using this amazing flour. Why do you think there aren’t any others? I see pizza dough recipes, but nothing else.

Anyway, it’s in my microwave on its first rise, got this tip from another baker. The microwave keeps it free from drafts on a cold winter night, like tonight (here in PA).

It is rising kinda flat, but I’m going to wait another 20 minutes. I did everything like you said. Yeast was creamy so it wasn’t that, maybe it was the amount of sugar.

I can’t wait to taste it. If you have anymore recipes using the Tipo OO flour, could you please share. Or, do you know of any sites or books using this flour. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you…

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Sarah Aaron

February 11, 2016 at 5:17 pm

Carrie, can I use Whole wheat flour for the Rustic Italian bread?

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Anna

February 14, 2016 at 2:55 pm

Love this recipe- Made several times already!!!!!!!! :) SO happy!!!!

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C.F. Todd

February 14, 2016 at 8:49 pm

I made this bread. It was my first time making an actual bread loaf. I always thought I needed specialized tools… although thinking about it now seems silly because way back in the day they didn’t have all that stuff! So this recipe t was so much easier than making pita bread. This is now going to be my go to recipe!!! The bread was soft and delicious. The whole family loved it. Here’s a picture of my bread. https://www.instagram.com/p/BBq7UluyYF5/?taken-by=cftodd

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Celine

February 16, 2016 at 9:31 pm

Hi Carrie,

I’ve never baked anything before but used your recipe with all purpose flour and it turned out amazing!!!

My second attempt was with oatmeal flour and it was a fail. The dough just didn’t rise like it did with the all purpose. Any tips on how to work with oatmeal flour? Less flour? More yeast?

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Jennifer

February 22, 2016 at 10:45 am

I made this bread last night for a dinner party and it turned out very well. I’m happy to have the recipe! One issue I had though was that the sesame seeds didn’t stick to the bread, and the olive oil seemed to make the crust a bit soft. Flavor was delicious though. Thoughts on getting the seeds to stick? Should I use an egg wash instead? Thanks!

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Tanya

February 26, 2016 at 8:41 pm

Absolutely delicious! I have been making bread for thirty years. This is a wonderful recipe. Thank you!

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Isabel

March 2, 2016 at 4:00 pm

This bread is great!!!!!!!! I am going to have to make it everyday. Thanks for the recipe.

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Lisa Schreiber

March 19, 2016 at 7:35 am

Hi Carrie! Just following up to say since discovering this bread recipe a year and a half ago, I’ve made at least two dozen loaves! Always a hit, much requested from friends and family! Another loaf rising now for a St. Paddy’s Day work party! Your wonderful recipe has become my signature bread! Thank you again for sharing it, making it possible for anyone to create a delicious loaf!

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Kyle

March 30, 2016 at 10:09 pm

I’m only used to making cinnamon rolls and the dough I use for those is very dry (not really sticky at all). By comparison, this dough seems super sticky. Is that normal? I’m letting it rise now but I’m kind of curious about the difference in the dough consistency.

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Robin

April 19, 2016 at 7:11 pm

Hi,
I have my loaf in the oven right now but have a question about the process for the next time I try this. I let it rise two times and for the second time, I had it rising on the parchment paper. It became really flat, almost like focaccia dough. (I did add extra flour initially since it was so wet). After the 2nd rise I bundled it together gently and tried to shape it into a loaf-ish form then threw it in the oven. So my question is, does yours get flat or did I likely do something wrong? And when you do your second rise, do you shape it after that or just before the 2nd rise? Thanks for your suggestions!

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Jodi Devores

April 23, 2016 at 7:51 pm

I am giving your bread recipe a try tomorrow. Just wondering . . . many recipes suggest misting the loaves before and during baking. Any thoughts?

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Shweta

May 4, 2016 at 12:18 am

Hi Carrie, thank you so much for the details. I am dying to try this out now. Had one request though. Please can you click some intermediate photos for some steps. Like step 2 and 4. I am very very new to baking and so really want it to work.

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Melanie

May 16, 2016 at 3:03 pm

I just made a version of this bread, subbing 1/3 cup of the flour with amaranth, and 1/3 cup teff flour. DELISH!!!

Wow, I’m super impressed. We used the Caputo tipo 00 bread flour for the rest of the flour blend and topped it with garlic powder, onion powder, sesame and poppy seeds. Next time I’ll egg wash it before doing that.

Wow, thank you!

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Karen Grier

May 22, 2016 at 10:28 pm

What about a rustic bread recipe for high altitude made in my BREAD MAKER. Only as far as the dough mode?????

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Debra Kraus

May 24, 2016 at 10:31 am

Hi Carrie. I have made this bread quite a bit (my granddaughter calls it Grammy bread) and it is always delicious.

I was wondering if you ever made it using a poolish or biga. I am currently working my way through the Tartine and FWSY bread books and selling breads at a local farmers market this summer. This loaf is always first to go so it really is fine I just wondered if the poolish or biga would add another depth of flavor.

Deb

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Lindsay Hill

July 19, 2016 at 2:00 pm

Thank you! I just made this recipe with my 2 1/2 year-old daughter and the 2 1/2 year-old boy I nanny for. We made a morning of it! The kids loved smelling the yeast as it bloomed and kneading and punching down the dough! And they were thrilled to see how big it got after rising both times. We even made homemade butter to go with it, and had warm homemade bread and butter with lunch! They immediately asked for more, and my boss loved it as well. Thank you so much for this easy, FUN recipe. We will for sure be making it again!

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Nancy W.

August 5, 2016 at 8:13 pm

Thank you for this recipe! I just found this site and made the bread and it is amazing! The entire house smells incredible.

The first rise took 45 minutes, then I formed it into two loaves (I doubled the recipe), then I brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt flakes, and let rise another 30 minutes. Baked 35 minutes and came out perfect.

This will be my new recipe to use, so easy and the crust is crisp without being hard and crunchy, the inside is moist and springy. I’ll be making paninis with it tomorrow for lunch.

Thanks again!

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Stephanie

August 20, 2016 at 7:20 am

Hi Carrie!
Fabulous and easy bread recipe, thank you! I never made home-made bread before and you have turned me into a bread making maniac. I’ve been trying new alternatives with different spices, such as rosemary and olive oil which also worked well. Recently I tried to re-create a rustic chocolate bread that I get from a bakery where I grew up. Its out of this world. I altered your recipe by replacing 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of powdered sugar and used 1 tbsp of sugar and then added chunks of hershey chocolate bar. The dough would not rise nearly as fast or as high as the simple recipe. I know the sugar, and probably the chocolate, alters the rise process. So after letting it rise 2x for 24 hours, I baked it, and although the taste was awesome, I wish the consistency was a tad less dense. I should also mention that I used a hand mixer to knead the dough vs. my hands. Was wondering if you have any suggestions to get a better rise or less dense version?

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Kevin

September 25, 2016 at 11:10 am

Hello all! My young grandons and I made our 1st amazing Margarita pizzas from scratch yesterday using simple Napoletana recipe and Caputo Tippo 00 bakers flour, SAF yeast, Mediterranean fine sea salt and 62% hydration with filtered water. I purchased an Old Stone Oven pizza stone, tried it on a wood grill at 700F. Pizza dough was fermented in fridge 3 days, once warmed to room temp and formed, it immediately turned to blackened toast on pizza stone. Yesterday we used the other batch on same stone @550 in electric oven, turned out anazing! Now we want to use the Caputo Tippo for your Tuscan bread recipe and bake in oven. Do yall have any tips which might differ from your recipe and cooking on a hot stone? I also have Semolina, and Caputo 00 for pasta and Gnocchi. Thank you.

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Anne

September 27, 2016 at 7:24 pm

Just wanted to say – after pretty much…TWO YEARS finding this recipe that I LOVE IT! I’ve made it many times and it always disappears within hours. I, also was afraid to make bread…thinking I’d have to shell out for something fancy. But I do love to knead the dough. I’m thinking of using this as pizza dough soon. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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Jill

November 15, 2016 at 6:44 am

Hi Carrie,
Quick question: You do not let the dough rise after it is shaped into loaves?

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Learning how to bread

December 10, 2016 at 2:42 pm

One thing I will be doing different next time is letting the final rise be while on the pan instead of the bowl.When you turn it out on the pan it needs to rise or it will deflate. :(

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Bre

January 1, 2017 at 11:30 pm

Have you made this recipe into hard rolls and if so do you have Any suggestions?

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Kate

January 2, 2017 at 8:20 pm

I took this out of the oven an hour ago and I’m trying so hard to not devour it all! It’s delicious.
I had to add a little flour after I put only 1 1/2 cups of water in the flour mixture because it was surprisingly moist and sticky and left the rest out. On a cold, rainy day in New York, my house was very cold and there apparently wasn’t nearly enough humidity to let the dough rise. I preheated the oven to 150, turned it off, and put the bowl of dough in the oven (with the towel still on) for 30 minutes. It rose beautifully. Then, I threw the dough in my french bread pan. Wonderful recipe! I’ll definitely be making it again.

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Brian Johnson

January 3, 2017 at 4:48 pm

The best!
I am new to baking, and I’m a retired steel worker. Your recipe is the first loaf I made. I am a few loafs in and I must say your recipe is really great. I have tried a couple other recipes but came back to this one. I have tweaked it slightly. I add my 2 tsps of sugar to the yeast. It comes out quite well.
Instead of oiling my loaves I spray them down 3 times in the first 15
Minutes. And am baking 30 minutes@ 400 degrees. Thank you very much!

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Francoise

January 11, 2017 at 2:04 pm

This is, hands down, the best bread recipe ever. Each loaf is gobbled up within a few hours of coming out of the oven. I love that my 13 year old daughter can bake delicious bread! Thank you for sharing this recipe! It brings lots of happiness, warm fuzzies and joy to our home.

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Jack

January 13, 2017 at 1:18 pm

I made my first attempt at this today. The dough seemed dry, so I used the entire 2 cups of warm water. The dough was sticky, but not ‘smooth.’ As it started to rise, there were cracks everywhere. I assume the dough was too dry?

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Whitney

January 18, 2017 at 7:37 pm

This was a great recipe, I made it with my daughter 2 1/2 years old, she had a blast mixing the dry ingredients and handling the dough a bit. It turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe.

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Becky

January 29, 2017 at 2:55 pm

Since I found your recepe I bake bread every week. Why buy bread when this is so easy. I have to say, out of the recepe I can get 2 loafs of bread. I use the loaf pans, lightly sprayed pans. Then half in each pan, cover lightly with a flour cloth set in oven and wait for the second rise.( I warm the oven to 200 f. Turn oven off.) It takes mine about 30 to 40 mins. To bake gently set them on the top of the stove till oven reaches temp. Back in the oven and bake away! 30 mins.. yum hint, I also made cinnamon rolls out of this recepe too. Yum again..

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Becky

January 29, 2017 at 2:57 pm

Best recepe ever! Can’t get any easier.. thank you for sharing your family recepe..

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Erika

January 29, 2017 at 8:21 pm

Thank you so much for this recipe!! I have made this bread in different variations at least 5 times in the past year and have loved it every time! Thanks so much :)

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Roy

January 30, 2017 at 5:00 pm

I LOVE BREAD !
Unfortunately I can no longer eat grain. :(
So, I’m wondering about substituting coconut flour for regular flour. :)
Think it will work ?
If so, how much coconut flour would I use instead?
I know that coconut flour absorbs much more liquid than regular flour.

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Matthew

February 4, 2017 at 3:17 pm

Great recipe. I did 75% bread flour and 25% rye. It’s fantastic!

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Bre

February 8, 2017 at 3:04 pm

Just put it in the oven. Easy to make and easy to rise. I’m sure it will taste great. It is also the closest recipe that I have found to my full blooded Italian Grand Mother in Laws recipe.

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Mary

February 20, 2017 at 1:21 pm

Best bread recipe on the face of this good god earth! So easy and oh so good!

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Karen

April 2, 2017 at 1:24 pm

Hi Carrie, I want to know if I can make smaller loaves with this recipe. I want to make thinner baguettes to use for crostini rounds. What will that do to the baking time? Do you have any other suggestions?
Thank you

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joanne blunk

July 11, 2017 at 12:55 pm

I just made the bread with two risings, then patted it down and rolled it out onto the baking tray. I am wondering if I should let it rise again before putting it in the oven? I am going to go ahead and bake it after 10 minute rest but you tell me if it should rise again?

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Jack

July 20, 2017 at 7:22 pm

When you print the recipe, the oven temp isn’t included. Neither are the two options you give in the text.

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Deon

August 20, 2017 at 4:07 pm

I am a fantastic home cook, but NOT a baker. Decided to give it a try using this recipe… and only lettting rise once because I’m impatient. Used the full amount of flour- had to wait and allow the mixer to do its job (did i mention I’m inpatient?), did a light egg wash before baking. Yum and yum. Thank you.

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Marisa

August 20, 2017 at 4:21 pm

Bread was good, but not crusty at all. (I bake and cook almost every weekend to try different recipes). I even left it in oven for a little bit longer. The bottom and top didn’t get brown enough, so I put on the broil, and broiled the top & bottom, then it was crusty. When I make bread, I usually spray the dough and the oven with water for a crusty bread.

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Jane

August 29, 2017 at 1:54 pm

I made this loaf at the weekend and it is truly wonderful, thank you.

I have a question, is the sugar for taste or to help the dough rise? I’d like to go sugar free on my next attempt but only if it’s not a necessary ingredient.

Thanks again, just love it.

J

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Kerin Rodriguez

September 17, 2017 at 5:33 pm

Great recipe! I used wheat germ + flour and it was marvelous! Thank you!

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Sarah

October 25, 2017 at 12:20 pm

This is my favourite bread recipe! Everyone is always so surprised when I tell them I make my own bread; it tastes so good that they have no idea how easy it is! Thanks so much for posting this :)

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Yvonne

November 9, 2017 at 7:01 am

I am so impressed with this recipe. I only rise the dough for 2 hrs (on a bed with an electric blanket turned on low – in the London cold!) And it’s very tasty!
I can’t wait to make another one. Practise makes perfect!

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Steven Wolff

December 26, 2017 at 5:42 pm

Did two loaves, one I followed the directions to a Tee, the bread rose nicely and after 35 minutes in the oven, on a pizza stone, came out golden brown.
The other, I didn’t punch down after the first rise (wanted to see if it would be more “airy”), and it looks as though (it’s still in the oven) it is much flatter than the first loaf.
Haven’t tasted them yet, but it’s a very simple recipe to follow and if it’s as good as others say, I will be making it again.

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Steven Wolff

December 28, 2017 at 12:07 pm

Gave these loaves to my father, he loves it!

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Ronald Tennessen

January 23, 2018 at 6:45 pm

Made this bread today. My new favorite bread recipe. Easy production. Excellent product. Crunchy crust perfect interior, not too airy and not too dense. Going to try it next with flour.

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Sandra Tatsuno

January 30, 2018 at 8:01 am

Hi Carrie!

I know this is an old post, but if you’re reading, a couple of questions as I’m hoping I have finally found the Holy Grail of crusty, rustic Italian bread!

#1 In technique #2, you say to add the yeast to 1/4 cup of water until foamy, then add the remainder of the 2 cups total water, then add just enough of the water/yeast mixture to the flour until proper consistency is reached. If less than the total 2 cups water is needed, you’re not using the full 2 1/2 tsp of yeast. Would that not be a problem?

#2 After the 2nd rise, do you not need to gently deflate, knead slightly before forming the loaf to remove air bubbles? And are you forming the loaf on the pan itself? I usually dust my pan/parchment paper with cornmeal when baking Italian. Don’t want to incorporate that into the dough!
Thanks so much!

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Rob

February 4, 2018 at 11:17 pm

Used this recipe/method a few times now. I’ve been very satisfied with the results. Yesterday I decided to do one rise at roomtemp and then 2 slow rises in the fridge over 24hrs. Added sundried tomatoes and olives before the final proof. Baked with a waterbath on the bottom shelf. The results were outstanding.

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Ronan McEvoy

April 8, 2018 at 10:34 am

The best and most beautiful ever….. And the bread is excellent too…

On a serious note I have tried and failed with many hand made white breads.

This is the easiest and most tasty bread on….. Dare I say it the entire Internet..

Thanks a mill

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Vera Moore

June 6, 2018 at 12:08 pm

Just finished mixing up a batch, but next time I think I’ll add the yeast and sugar (I used honey this time) to at least 2/3 c. of the water, instead of adding the yeast to 1/4 c. and then adding water to the 2 c. mark. Seems like I wasted yeast and am still left with a 1/4 of mixture. An other artisan bread recipe I’ve been using calls for 1 T of yeast to 3 c. flour…yeast and sugar dissolved in 1 1/2 c. water and I get 2 great round loaves. I’m hoping your method I tried of adding the yeast to the water yields me at least 1 T of the yeast in my dough? I kept stirring it as I added it, but I wonder if this is the reason some of the posters complained of too little rise?

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Vera Moore

June 6, 2018 at 12:49 pm

Question. After the 2nd rising and shaping, is there no more additional rest time before baking??

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Tat

June 28, 2018 at 3:41 pm

New cook alert! Tried it with a bit of dried herbs and loved it! It came out a bit more dense but it tasted nice. What did I do wrong? I used self raising wheat flour and instant yeast.

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jessindbz

December 17, 2018 at 3:24 pm

This recipe is fantastic . i have tried a dozen or so different recipes and this is by far my favorite. the bread was soft and crusty which is exactly what i wanted cant wait to make it again

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Wendy Burks

February 19, 2019 at 11:48 am

Hi Carrie! I just made this and my family LOVES it!! Thank you so much!! I have a question I didn’t see listed above…after I let the bread rise and before I shape it into a loaf, do I fold it to get the air out (like I did after the 1st rise) or try to leave it risen as much as possible? And I saw someone ask if they could shape it into a loaf after the first rise….if you do that, can you just cut the slits and bake it without touching it at all and leaving it risen? I just want to make sure I’m doing it right. And thanks for all your tips in the recipe and here…it helps so much! 😀

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Eve

February 22, 2019 at 4:07 pm

Who knew I could make bread?! I moved to rural WV from a place that offer good Italian Bread within walking distance. Thank you Carrie;for this simple,delicious recipe . I have made it twice, perfection. I am relieved, I do not have to move.

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Patte

February 24, 2019 at 9:54 am

I have not bought bread since I found this recipe about 2 months ago. It is excellent!!!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I use a combination of unbleached flour, bread flour and like 1/2 cup wheat flour. maybe a pinch more salt. The bread seems to come out better if the dough is slightly sticky. One loaf usually lasts me a week. Grilled cheese is absolutely to die for with this bread, also garlic bread, and have also made homemade croutons. I have searched for the perfect bread recipe the last 20 years. This is the one for me. Can’t say enough about it. Have some rising right now. Yum

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Lynn Carmichael

March 31, 2019 at 9:08 pm

Easy, fun recipe that works exactly as Carrie describes it at each step. Result: A superb loaf of crusty Italian bread with a beautifully soft interior. And very fragrant early into the baking, so yum!
Brava brava, Carrie!

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kkkkkkkkkkkKatharineKKaK

April 25, 2019 at 9:10 pm

I bake a lot of bread and this is one of my favorites. When I make this Italian Bread I bake 3 loaves at a time. This bread does not last long in my house.

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DesyDesy

August 20, 2019 at 12:07 am

Hi, how many cup for 1 recipe if I am using oat flour on its own?

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Meganegan Shimko

November 17, 2019 at 1:17 pm

I’ve been making this recipe for years now, thank you!

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A

December 9, 2019 at 11:24 pm

CARRIE PACINI
January 3, 2013 at 1:10 pm
@Andrea I have used the recipe with oat flour. The darker bread in the pictures above is the oat based recipe. As you can see it’s not quite as high and is flatter compared to the others.
It has a very good flavor and is my father’s favorite version of it :)

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The Mezz

April 1, 2020 at 1:44 pm

My establishment has been closed due to the pandemic so I have been using the kitchen to make bread for the neighborhood. This has become my go-to recipe! Thank you so much.

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Karearen Mercurio

April 5, 2020 at 3:20 pm

Hi Carrie, hope you and your family are well. Just wanted to let you know this recipe is definitely a keeper. It is easy fast and best of all, delicious! I used Italian flour and it came out great, I did let it rise twice. Today I am going to try making it into rolls. Love it, thank you!

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Lisa Cote Johns

April 30, 2020 at 5:52 pm

Good evening from CT,
It’s rising now for the second time. I will let you know. Thank you so much.

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Sandy Blackburn

May 26, 2020 at 1:00 am

I love this recipe… I love that you can almost hear the yeast working… I use technique 2 as when I had a dodgy batch of yeast I could see it straight away and discard it. Into a jug goes a cup of warm water with a tablespoon of honey and my yeast. I give it a good stir then wrap a teatowel around it and give it a cwtsh for 10 minutes. Works a treat every time for me…for something so simple you have to get used to the feel and textures of whats right… such a labour of love! I’m a South Wales, UK lady living in Southern Italy…

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Hikary

May 28, 2020 at 7:33 am

I love this quick and easy bread! I find I use quite a bit less water than is called for, but I’ve gotten a good feel for the dough. I’ve had great success with wheat flour (1 cup wheat with 2 white) and mixing in garlic and herbs. I’m going to try today with pesto!

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Wendy Haruk

May 30, 2020 at 8:08 am

Just made dough and leaving to rise for first time. I put some broken pieces of Walnuts in the dough mixture too! so hope it turns out good. Also had to add loads more bread flour to soak up the Luke warm water to make a firm dough. I used two cups of the water so will use less next time. Looking forward to my warm Rustic Bread … yummy!!