I discovered this Italian bread recipe years ago from Tracy Cooks in Austin years ago. Over the years, I’ve made a few of my own small adjustments and tweaks, as bakers do. But she gets a mad shout out, because whether you do it my way or her way, you’ll be in love with this easy white bread recipe. Dare I say…no knead? You heard that right.
A few things to note before you start the Italian bread recipe, that I think is a MUST.
To start, a proofing bucket will change your bread life. If you live in a home like mine, where we run a wood stove in the winter and it’s super dry and then AC in the summer and it’s cold and your fans are ALWAYS going, then the bucket protects the loaf from drafts and drying.
Secondly, a scale. When baking bread, the best way to get a consistent loaf is to measure by weight instead of measuring cups/teaspoons/tablespoons/etc. And if you make bomb Italian bread, then you absolutely need to know exactly how it was done.
The biggest difference between Tracy Cooks in Austin’s post and mine is:
1. I use honey instead of sugar. Equal replacement.
2. I use proofing baskets to shape it and keep it as one loaf.
3. I cook it in my cast iron dutch oven instead of my pizza stone. I LOVE the results much better. It results in a crusty Italian bread recipe that the stone just wasn’t quite giving me.
Ingredients
580 grams all-purpose flour + more for shaping
7 grams *Flieschmann’s Instant Dry Yeast
9 grams of fine sea salt
480 grams *warm water
30 grams Raw Honey
*I am a diehard Flieschmann’s Instant Dry Yeast girl. While I have used other brands in a pinch, this is my preferred go to. I’ll buy it like this and store in the freezer 100% of the time when I’m not using it.
*Do not use hot water. If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and prevent it from rising properly.
Directions
1. Mix your flour, yeast and salt inside your proofing bucket. I like to add these ingredients in as I weigh them, then mix.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, weigh out your warm water. Then, add your honey and mix.
3. Add the honey water to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. It will not be smooth, but it shouldn’t be overly lumpy either.
4. Place lid on proofing basket and let rise until the bread has tripled in size. Typically, it should be around the 4L mark. Mark it with tape or a dry erase marker. Roughly, 2-4 hours.
5. Place your dutch oven, lid on, in the oven and preheat your oven to 475º for a minimum of 30 minutes.
6. Once your loaf as risen, remove it onto a floured surface and shape it into a round loaf.
7. Proofing basket method. If you choose, you can place your Italian bread in a floured proofing basket and let rest for 15-30 minutes, covered. Gently flip your shaped Italian bread loaf out of the proofing basket onto parchment paper. You will want to use a cookie sheet to flip it without losing the air inside the loaf. Move on to step 7. No proofing basket method. Shape it and let it rest directly on parchment paper, covered with a towel for 15-30 minutes.
8. Remove your dutch oven from the oven and take off the lid. Carefully pick up the parchment paper with the loaf and place it in the dutch oven. Try not to burn yourself! Replace the lid, put the dutch oven back in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, remove lid, then bake an additional 15 minutes.
9. Remove and place on cooling rack. You can serve immediately.
You don’t have to wait for this crusty Italian bread recipe to cool all the way before cutting in. It’s perfect for dipping in oil, making garlic bread, grilled cheese, french toast or along side any bowl of soup. Or, if you’re like our children, you’ll slab a bunch of butter on it and eat half the loaf out of the oven. Comment with pictures or notes!
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