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
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Focaccia. This flatbread is one of the most iconic Italian breads. It's baked flat on a sheet pan, and it gets its rich flavor from the addition of olive oil. Simple focaccia tastes great as-is for a snack, and it's an excellent bread to serve with soup.
In accordance with Italian baking traditions, only flour from durum wheat (Tritucum durum) is used in true Italian breads. This flour gives a unique texture, flavor, aroma and color on the baked goods and requires special formulation and dough processing.
If you're storing bread on the counter, the easiest way to keep bread fresh is to leave it in the paper wrapping it came in. Then if needed, cover with another paper bag to wrap the cut or exposed end. Whatever you do, resist the urge to coffin it in plastic.
Many types of bread fall under the “Italian bread” category. There's crusty and airy ciabatta, which we all know and love. Focaccia, the olive-oil-rich bread studded with rosemary and flaky sea salt, has a chewy crust and spongy texture. Sicilian bread is made with semolina flour and topped with sesame seeds.
Pane di Altamura translates simply as “bread from Altamura,” pointing to its origin town within the Bari province of Puglia, Italy. These rustic loaves of bread have been made in Altamura for centuries. In fact, Latin poet Horace mentioned the famed bread in writings from the 1st century BC.
Usually, Focaccia bread is seasoned with salt, olive oil, and a variety of herbs. Focaccia is commonly used as a side for many entrees; however, it can also be used as a base for pizza. Another popular bread that is found in Italy is called Rosetta bread. This bread is usually compared to a hollow roll.
Italian bread often contains a bit of milk or olive oil, and sometimes a bit of sugar. French bread tends to be longer and narrower. Italian bread loaves tend to be shorter and plumper. French bread tends to be hard and crusty on the outside, with a light and soft crumb.
Quickly, try adding a malt or honey into the mix to level up your bread's flavor. Malt, a sweetener that is available in powder and liquid form, can easily be added to almost any bread recipe. When choosing a malt to use, it's essential to use a non-diastatic version.
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. The "flat" term in question simply refers to the pan in which it's baked compared to other breads.
Italians don't slather their bread with butter, nor dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They enjoy it with a light drizzle of olive oil or plain. Resist the urge to dip or ask for butter.
First and foremost, it's always best to let fresh bread rest until it's cool and fully set before slicing. I know, fresh-from-the-oven is hard to resist, but your bread will not only taste better it will keep longer if you wait to cut it for at least an hour—I prefer two or more.
What can be added when baking bread to keep it soft for a longer period? Egg, milk, and sugar are common additions to bread dough to extend its shelf life. They can be used alone or in combination. Another addition is potato flour, mixed with the wheat flour.
Pane Siciliano is a traditional bread from Sicily made with durum wheat (semolina), sometimes a little olive oil (as I do in this recipe), and even sweeteners such as honey or barley malt syrup. The flavor is nutty, sweet, and with a buttery mouthfeel, thanks to the olive oil.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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