Easy Homemade Italian Bread
A homemade Italian bread recipe that doesn’t take hours to prep and bake? Yes, it does exist!
There’s this little family-owned Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that has {arguably} the best baked ziti ever.
For whatever reason, I was craving that tonight, and yet didn’t feel like ordering takeout for Sunday dinner—one of the few days of the week where I actually have time to relax and cook things that are otherwise tough on a busy weeknight.
So, with all the necessary ingredients already on hand, I made the ziti.
And it was fabulous. I’ll put the simple recipe up soon.
Except there was one problem: I didn’t buy a loaf of Italian bread at the grocery store this week.
I’m the type that needs Italian bread with my pasta, or at least a baguette—I’m not picky.
I checked my pantry, and low and behold, I had one packet of yeast left. One packet’s enough to make one loaf of Italian bread, I told myself.
But what I really wondered was whether or not I’d be able to find a recipe for homemade Italian bread that didn’t take hours and hours to prep and bake.
And sure enough, I did!
I made a simple dough with flour, salt, sugar, water, yeast and olive oil, and then I used my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment to do the kneading for me.
I don’t mind kneading by hand, but this was a nice alternative today!
Then I covered the mixing bowl, and let it rise for 30 minutes in a warm, undrafty spot—today that spot was the microwave (not on).
After a half-hour, I punched the dough down (it had nearly doubled in size), and then I let it rise for another 10 minutes.
I made a loaf shape out of the dough, cut three slits on top with a very sharp knife, and then baked it on a greased cookie sheet at 400°F for about 20 minutes.
What I ended up with was a rustic looking loaf of Italian bread, soft on the inside and a little dense.
The crust had just enough tooth to it, and we loved it sliced warm with butter. Perfect with the baked ziti!
Like this Italian bread recipe? Check out my Easy Homemade French Bread recipe too!
Easy Homemade Italian Bread
Easy homemade Italian bread in about an hour!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (about 110°F - it should feel warm on your hand, not hot)
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 2 heaping cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + extra for the pan and the dough ball
Instructions
This Easy Homemade Italian Bread has been adapted from One Punky Mama’s recipe for Fairly Quick Italian Bread.
Last Updated on February 23, 2019 by Liza Hawkins
Liza Hawkins
Hi, I'm Liza, a self-proclaimed word-nerd who loves getting sucked into whimsical stories and epic movies. I have laid-back, practical attitude towards life, and as a foodie at heart, I relish the chance to both cook and eat. (No picky-eater here!) Always on the hunt for good eats, easy recipes, binge-worthy shows, relaxing road trip destinations, the perfect mojito and time to finish my novel!
16 Comments
Sharon
Great full for this recipe .. thank you..
Vicki Skonieczny
Just made this bread; it is so simple and absolutely delicious. My other Italian bread recipe is history. Everyone raved about how it is dense, yet moist and fluffy at the same time. The best bread recipe, period! Thank you.
Liza Hawkins
Awesome!! Thanks for reporting back!
Danielle
Used your recipe for my first ever attempt at homemade bread. It turned out great! I even added finely minced fresh rosemary and it was even better. Thanks
Liza Hawkins
Hi Danielle! I bet that was delicious — maybe even a little sea salt sprinkled on top with that rosemary? Mmm…
Jes
Any insight of how this recipe freezes?! I have had nothing but success with this recipe in the past, and would love to double and freeze a loaf for later.
Liza Hawkins
Good question! I’d think an already-baked loaf would freeze fine. I wonder, though, if you could freeze the dough after it proofs, and then unfreeze and bake it when you’re ready? You’ll have to let me know if you try!
Shelly Parker
Fantastic recipe!!! The bread turned out perfect. And so easy. I won’t buy store bought again!!! Thank you.
Liza Hawkins
Terrific, Shelly! That’s awesome. Mmm…homemade bread…
Bob
Can you think of any reason you couldn’t divide the dough in half and make a couple long skinny baguettes? More crust… less bread?
Liza Hawkins
Oooh, good idea. You’d have to watch the time, probably, or maybe adjust the temp a little. But, maybe it’d turn out a little more like my French bread recipe? https://www.amusingfoodie.com/2013/08/easy-homemade-french-bread.html
Try it and let me know how it turns out!
Marie Almy
I love this recipe and have shared it with my friends. I usually use AP flour(no brand) and add vital wheat gluten. But…when I made it recently with King Arthur flour, I had to add a lot more flour. I didn’t think there was big difference in brands of AP flour. It made a bigger loaf(yum), but, I wanted to share my experience. I served it with my homemade lasagna for Christmas 2022. Best bread ever, per my adult grandson.
Liza Hawkins
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Marie! I didn’t think there was a difference in brands of AP flour either — I typically just buy store brand.
abigale carter
hi, I know that this may not find you being such an old recipe. My grandpa used to make this bread all the time and I started making it for my family after he passed away and we love it so much can you use instant yeast for this recipe? thank you !
abigale carter
can you use instant yeast in this recipe??? my grandpa used to make this before he passed and now i do and we love it !
Liza Hawkins
Hi Marie! I’ve never made it with instant yeast before, but as long as you account for the difference in activating it, I bet you could make it work! If you try, let me know how it goes!