I like nothing in this world better than the smell of freshly baked bread. Even better if it is homemade crusty Italian bread! The amazing smell fills the house and makes me happy by bringing all my family members to the kitchen. Sometimes we can’t even wait for dinner, and we eat it right then and there with melted butter or garlic spread.
How To Make Crusty Italian Bread?
We will start by proofing the yeast. In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Wait for a few minutes until the mixture becomes foamy. This means the yeast is alive and active.
Add the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, and 3 cups of flour to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer, mix until a soft dough forms. You may need to add more flour little by little until the dough separates from the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm and dry place like the inside of your oven (make sure the oven is turned off) for 30 minutes.
Once it has risen, add a little flour to your counter and place the dough on it. Divide it in half and form each half into a loaf. Place the loaves in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rise, covered with the damp cloth, for another 30 minutes.
When the loaves have risen, brush them with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes or brown. Place the loaves in the middle of the oven and a shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack of the oven.
What Makes The Bread Crusty?
When we place the shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack, as the water evaporates, it will make the loaves develop a crusty outside. If you do not place the dish with water, the loaves will be soft and not crusty.
You don’t have to bake your own bread to enjoy a crusty bite. Savory Party Bread Recipeis an amazing way to use store-bought bread and turn it into something amazing.
It can be stored uncovered for one day, but if you keep it longer than one day, wrap it with foil or place it in a paper bag.
This will keep the bread fresh for a second day. If the bread lasted for more than 3 days, it would be better to freeze it covered in plastic wrap.
When we do wait for dinner, we share it on our “Italian nights” and eat it with a bowl of pasta. Some of our favorite dinners include Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake Recipe or a delicious bowl of Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e fa*gioli. The possibilities are endless! Cheesy Taco Pasta, even though isn’t classic Italian pasta, is my kid’s favorite.
There's nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread!
Ingredients
1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 ½ - 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten plus one tablespoon of water to make the egg wash
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water, sugar, and yeast. Let it stand until it becomes foamy and the yeast is activated
Add the olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, and 3 cups of flour. Using the hook attachment of your stand mixer, mix until a soft dough is formed. You may need to add more flour, but do it little by little just until the dough forms and separates from the side of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth.
Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in a warm dry place like your oven (make sure it is turned off). After the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl, divide it in half and form two loaves. Place them in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut a slit all along the length of each loaf and let them rise again for another 30 minutes
Once they have risen, brush the loaves with egg wash and place a roll made with parchment paper between them to prevent them from sticking to each other if they grow to be too close together. Place a shallow dish filled with water in the lower rack of the oven, and bake them at 350 F for 30 minutes or until brown.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 131Total Fat: 1gCarbohydrates: 28.5gProtein: 3.7g
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest
Perhaps the most well-known and popular Italian bread, ciabatta is a slipper-shaped bread. It has a unique, almost plasticity, texture, which makes it possible to do practically anything with this bread.
Focaccia. One of the most iconic Italian breads, focaccia is a flatbread that's baked on a flat sheet pan with a rich flavor imparted by large streams of extra virgin olive oil. Some of our favorite varieties of focaccia include rosemary, garlic, onions, or even cherry tomatoes.
Focaccia is a traditional type of Italian bread that is known for its fluffy and chewy texture and delicious flavour. Its origins date back to ancient Rome when it was known as "panis focacius".
According to Eva, the answer is that they use a different type of flour – Italian bread and pasta are made of durum wheat flour which doesn't spike your blood sugar levels as much and therefore it doesn't significantly contribute to weight gain as much as regular refined white flour would, for example.
The main difference between these two loaves of bread comes down to the hydration levels. Ciabatta is baked with a much higher hydration level, making the holes within the dough much bigger than a baguette. Ciabatta is also baked with a much stronger flour, which has a more delicate and sweet taste.
Other sweet options include maritozzi, the famous Italian sweet bread often found in Rome, or biscotti to go with your coffee. A healthy Italian breakfast might consist of some bread, butter, jam, some yogurt, and fruit. Italians also eat muesli and cereal in the mornings with yogurt or milk.
If you've never heard of it before, panettone is a sweet bread loaded with candied citron, lemon zest and raisins, and baked in a cylindrical mold, which gives it a distinctive look. Now that I've made it, I realize what a holiday treasure this bread is to so many families.
How Is Focaccia Different From Other Bread? Focaccia is ½" to 1" thick with a light crust on the top and bottom. It's often described as "flatbread" or "Italian flat bread," but unlike the flat bread we're used to, it isn't flat at all, but thick and fluffy.
Ciabatta. Ciabatta is a rustic Italian loaf that's filled with tons of irregularly-shaped air pockets. It's super crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside, making it an ideal choice for making sandwiches.
It may be controversial — in fact, we know it is — but many Italians believe the best bread comes from the region of Puglia. The town of Altamura in Southeast Italy is known for its traditional large knots of bread called Pane di Altamura.
Then, these are the three types of Italian bread you should taste while there: Pane Cafone (great for bruschetta), Pane Tortano, and Pagnotta all'olio.
While different types exist in various regions of the country, ciabatta has become almost synonymous with sandwich bread across Italy. The well-seasoned soft bread is also popular for dipping into pasta sauce.
Here are three differentiating points between focaccia and ciabatta: Texture: Focaccia has a lightweight, cake-like consistency that is similar to pizza dough.On the other hand, ciabatta has a dense consistency and a chewy texture. Baking: Focaccia is baked as a flatbread, while Ciabatta is baked as loaves.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
