Description
This homemade crusty Italian bread recipe yields beautifully golden loaves with an irresistible crispy crust and fluffy, chewy interior. Made with a blend of manitoba and ’00’ flour, this bread rises perfectly for a bakery-style result, making it ideal for sandwiches, dipping in olive oil, or enjoying fresh out of the oven.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Flours
- 300 g manitoba flour (2 1/2 cups)
- 200 g ’00’ flour (1 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting
Leavening & Flavorings
- 7 g instant dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 10 g granulated sugar (2 teaspoons)
- 15 g salt (2 1/2 teaspoons)
Liquids
- 400 ml water, room temperature (1 3/4 cups)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the manitoba flour and ’00’ flour. Add the instant dry yeast and granulated sugar to the flours. Mix thoroughly using a fork or whisk. Gradually pour in 370 ml of the water while mixing. If the dough appears dry, add the remaining water as needed, a little at a time. Finally, add the salt and mix until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- First Rise (Leavening): Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Cover the bowl tightly with cling film and place it in the (turned off) oven to rise for about 3 hours, or until the dough triples in size.
- Fold the Dough: Once risen, turn the dough onto a floured work surface. Dust your hands with flour, then fold the dough like a wallet: left to right, right to left, then top to bottom and bottom to top. This process strengthens the dough structure for better texture.
- Shape the Loaves: Sprinkle flour over the dough’s surface, gently flip so the smooth side is up, and divide into three equal loaves using a long, sharp knife. Place the loaves on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing as evenly as possible. Dust loaves lightly with flour, shaping and rounding the ends as needed. Alternatively, make two large or several small loaves if desired.
- Second Rise: Let the shaped loaves rise in the (turned off) oven for about 1 hour, or until they double in size. The loaves may spread and touch, but they can be separated before baking.
- Bake the Bread: Preheat the oven to 250°C (482°F). Place the baking sheet on the lower rack and bake for 12 minutes. Move the sheet to the center rack and bake another 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 230°C (446°F) and bake for a final 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool and Serve: Take the bread out of the oven and cool for about 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy your crispy, fragrant Italian bread fresh!
Notes
- Bread dough rises best in a warm, humid environment around 28°C (82°F). The oven (turned off) is ideal for rising dough.
- If your kitchen is cold, turn on the oven light to gently warm the oven during proofing.
- You can adjust loaf sizes as preferred—make two large, three medium, or several small rolls.
- If loaves spread and touch during the second rise, easily separate them with a knife before baking.
- Use a kitchen scale for the most accurate results with flour and water measurements.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10th of loaf
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg