Embark on a culinary journey to Italy with our authentic crusted Italian bread recipes. Experience the art of crafting this classic staple, a cornerstone of Italian cuisine. With step-by-step instructions and expert tips, we guide you through creating the perfect loaf, boasting a crisp crust and an airy, flavorful interior.
Learn the traditional method of preparing biga, a pre-fermentation technique that enhances the bread's depth of flavor and texture. Discover the secrets of achieving the ideal dough consistency, ensuring a perfect rise and a golden-brown finish.
Our collection includes recipes for various Italian bread styles, each with its unique characteristics. From the rustic charm of ciabatta to the soft and pillowy texture of focaccia, we have something for every bread enthusiast.
Indulge in the simplicity of Pane Casareccio, a versatile bread perfect for everyday meals. Savor the nutty flavor of Pane Pugliese, a specialty from the Puglia region, known for its distinctive dark crust. Experience the chewy goodness of Pane di Altamura, a traditional bread from the town of Altamura, renowned for its long fermentation process.
Unlock the secrets of making authentic Italian bread in the comfort of your own kitchen. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting, our recipes provide a comprehensive guide to crafting this culinary masterpiece. Immerse yourself in Italian culinary tradition and enjoy the satisfaction of creating homemade bread that will impress your family and friends.
BASIC ITALIAN BREAD
Provided by Food Network
Time 3h26m
Yield 1 large loaf Italian bread
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 11/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.
- Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 degrees F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.
- Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, score 3 (1/4-inch deep) slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.
- Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.
MAMA D'S ITALIAN BREAD
This is a basic delicious Italian bread.
Provided by Christine Darrock
Categories Bread Yeast Bread Recipes White Bread Recipes
Time 2h50m
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water and let proof.
- Stir in 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Beat in the salt and then add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until as soft and smooth as a bambino's behind. Turn in a greased bowl, cover, and let double in size. (I put it in the oven with the light on - perfect rising temperature.)
- Once doubled, punch down and divide into three. Place back in the bowl, cover, and let rise.
- Once doubled again, punch down and form into three fat "footballs." Grease heavy cookie sheets and sprinkle with corn meal. Place the bread on the sheets, cover with a towel, and let rise.
- Once risen, mist with water and place in a preheated 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven. Mist loaves with water and turn occasionally while they bake. Bread is done when golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 89.9 calories, Carbohydrate 18.8 g, Fat 0.3 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 2.6 g, Sodium 194.4 mg, Sugar 0.2 g
CRUSTY ITALIAN BREAD
This one reminds me of the great breads that I enjoy when eating out...you know the ones you fill up on before you entree comes! Yep, this one is that good. There are a lot of steps in this recipe, but it was relatively easy to make. It's great served with some olive oil ... but I see it also going really well with a nice soup...
Provided by Gena Buck
Categories Other Breads
Time 2h45m
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- 1. Dissolve the yeast in a quarter-cup of warm water. You should actually check the temperature of the water. Too cold and it won't activate, too hot and you can kill the yeast.
- 2. Give the yeast a few minutes, until it starts bubbling, then mix it in with the rest of the warm water.
- 3. Add the flour, sugar and salt and stir.
- 4. Don't add the oil until after you've worked the water and flour together. Otherwise the oil will coat the proteins and prevent gluten formation. Gluten lets the dough stretch when it rises, making it light and chewy instead of crumbling like cake.
- 5. After mixing the oil in, turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface to knead.
- 6. Stretch the dough away from you, fold it back, turn a quarter turn and repeat. Once the dough is well incorporated, slap it on the surface a few times. This will encourage more gluten production leading to a lighter, airier bread.
- 7. When the dough is smooth and silky, continue kneading for another several minutes. You can work it with both hands and keep turning the dough, or just hit it from opposite angles with each hand.
- 8. Once the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in an oiled bowl. Toss the dough around so it is coated with oil all the way around.
- 9. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pressed right up against the dough. This will prevent a skin from forming on the dough, allowing it to rise more.
- 10. Put the bowl someplace warm until the dough has doubled in size, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- 11. Pre-heat the oven to 425°. If you have a pizza stone, put it on the bottom rack. Otherwise, place a baking sheet upside-down on the bottom rack. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and punch down to knock out most of the air out. Don't go crazy and try to turn it into a pancake. Just give it a quick couple of hits.
- 12. Roll the dough out into a loaf shape and cut it in half. You can form the halves into loaves or, like I did here, divide each half into three smaller pieces.
- 13. Roll out the pieces of dough until they are about 6-9 inches long.
- 14. If you have a peel (the large wooden spatula you see in pizza shops) use that. If not, a wooden cutting board will work. Dust it with cornmeal so the dough doesn't stick.
- 15. Cover the loaves with plastic and allow to rise for another 40 minutes. They should roughly double in width.
- 16. Cut each loaf down the middle with the sharpest blade you have. If you don't have anything that is absolutely razor sharp, use a razor blade. You want to cut about a quarter-inch deep in a single quick stroke without sawing back-and-forth. This will prevent the bread from bursting open when it rises in the oven.
- 17. Transfer the loaves onto the baking stone. Leave room between loaves for them to rise some more. If they don't all fit on your stone, put the rest on an upside-down baking sheet.
- 18. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400° and bake another 25-30 minutes. To check if they're done, pick one loaf up and thump on the bottom with your thumb. If it has a hollow sound, it's done. If you want really crusty bread, great for dipping in olive oil or marinara sauce, place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. The steam will keep a skin from forming too fast, giving the bread more time to rise. It will also make the crust crisper. Don't put the loaves near the top. The radiant heat from the top of the stove will brown the crust too much, too fast. Serve immediately with butter, or with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
RUSTIC ITALIAN BREAD
Steps:
- BREAD MACHINE DIRECTIONS
- PLACE all ingredients except cornmeal and egg white in bread machine pan according to manufacturer's directions. Process on DOUGH setting.
- SPRINKLE ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal. At end of dough cycle, remove dough from machine. Place on lightly floured surface. Punch down dough. (If dough is sticky, knead in additional flour before shaping.) Cover dough with clean cloth. Let rest for 15 minutes. Shape dough into baguette-shaped loaf about 12 inches long. Place loaf on cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm place (80 degrees to 85 degrees F) for 20 to 25 minutes or until light and doubled in size.
- HEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Make 1 deep lengthwise slash with sharp knife in top of loaf. Brush loaf with egg white. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
- CONVENTIONAL OVEN METHOD
- SPOON flour lightly into measuring cup. Level off. Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Mix well. Add warm water and oil. Mix well. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough 10 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 degrees to 85 degrees F) for 30 to 40 minutes.
- SPRINKLE ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal. Punch down dough. Cover dough with inverted bowl and allow to rest on counter 15 minutes. Shape dough into baguette-shaped loaf about 12 inches long. Place dough on cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm place 35 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
- HEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Make 1 deep lengthwise slash with sharp knife in top of loaf. Brush loaf with egg white. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
- High Altitude (3500 ft.):
- No change.
MOM'S ITALIAN BREAD
I think Mom used to bake at least four of these tender loaves at once, and they never lasted long. She served the bread with every Italian meal. I love it toasted, too. -Linda Harrington, Windham, New Hampshire
Provided by Taste of Home
Time 50m
Yield 2 loaves (12 pieces each).
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 106 calories, Fat 0 fat (0 saturated fat), Cholesterol 0 cholesterol, Sodium 197mg sodium, Carbohydrate 22g carbohydrate (1g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 3g protein.
CRUSTY ITALIAN BREAD
Found this tonight on a site called: cooklikeyourgrandmother.com. The recipe sounds promising, & the pic is from their website. I recommend checking out the website as well as the recipe, it's full of pics and a couple of videos. http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/12/how-to-make-crusty-italian-bread/
Provided by Donna Roth
Categories Other Breads
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- 1. Dissolve the yeast in a quarter-cup of warm water. You should actually check the temperature of the water. Too cold and it won't activate, too hot and you can kill the yeast.
- 2. Give the yeast a few minutes, until it starts bubbling, then mix it in with the rest of the warm water.
- 3. Add the flour, sugar and salt and stir.
- 4. Don't add the oil until after you've worked the water and flour together. Otherwise the oil will coat the proteins and prevent gluten formation. Gluten lets the dough stretch when it rises, making it light and chewy instead of crumbling like cake.
- 5. After mixing the oil in, turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface to knead.
- 6. Stretch the dough away from you, fold it back, turn a quarter turn and repeat. Once the dough is well incorporated, slap it on the surface a few times. This will encourage more gluten production leading to a lighter, airier bread.
- 7. When the dough is smooth and silky, continue kneading for another several minutes. You can work it with both hands and keep turning the dough, or just hit it from opposite angles with each hand.
- 8. Once the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in an oiled bowl. Toss the dough around so it is coated with oil all the way around.
- 9. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pressed right up against the dough. This will prevent a skin from forming on the dough, allowing it to rise more.
- 10. Put the bowl someplace warm until the dough has doubled in size, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- 11. Pre-heat the oven to 425°. If you have a pizza stone, put it on the bottom rack. Otherwise, place a baking sheet upside-down on the bottom rack. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and punch down to knock out most of the air out. Don't go crazy and try to turn it into a pancake. Just give it a quick couple of hits.
- 12. Roll the dough out into a loaf shape and cut it in half. You can form the halves into loaves or, like I did here, divide each half into three smaller pieces.
- 13. Roll out the pieces of dough until they are about 6-9 inches long.
- 14. If you have a peel (the large wooden spatula you see in pizza shops) use that. If not, a wooden cutting board will work. Dust it with cornmeal so the dough doesn't stick.
- 15. Cover the loaves with plastic and allow to rise for another 40 minutes. They should roughly double in width.
- 16. Cut each loaf down the middle with the sharpest blade you have. If you don't have anything that is absolutely razor sharp, use a razor blade. You want to cut about a quarter-inch deep in a single quick stroke without sawing back-and-forth. This will prevent the bread from bursting open when it rises in the oven.
- 17. Transfer the loaves onto the baking stone. Leave room between loaves for them to rise some more. If they don't all fit on your stone, put the rest on an upside-down baking sheet.
- 18. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400° and bake another 25-30 minutes. To check if they're done, pick one loaf up and thump on the bottom with your thumb. If it has a hollow sound, it's done. If you want really crusty bread, great for dipping in olive oil or marinara sauce, place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. The steam will keep a skin from forming too fast, giving the bread more time to rise. It will also make the crust crisper. Don't put the loaves near the top. The radiant heat from the top of the stove will brown the crust too much, too fast. Serve immediately with butter, or with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients, especially flour and yeast.
- Make sure the water is warm enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot, or you'll kill it.
- Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in a greased baking pan.
- Let the dough rise again for 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
- Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Conclusion:
Making authentic crusty Italian bread at home is a rewarding experience that can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels. With a little practice, you'll be able to create a delicious and authentic loaf of bread that will impress your friends and family.
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