Italian Bread
A classic torpedo-shaped Italian bread with a crackly crust and light, airy crumb. An overnight cold rise builds deep flavor and makes the dough easy to shape — mix it one day, bake fresh loaves the next. Makes 2 large loaves.
servings
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Ingredients
- 16 oz warm water (2 cups)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 30 oz all purpose flour (6 cups)
- 1 ½ oz olive oil (3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 egg white (for glazing)
- sesame seeds (for topping)
Instructions
- Combine 16 oz warm water, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast and 15 oz all purpose flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix until it forms a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- If using a stand mixer, change to the dough hook. Add 1 ½ oz olive oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon table salt and 15 oz all purpose flour and mix until the dough comes together. Knead for 5 minutes on medium high speed. The dough should gather on the hook and clear the sides of the bowl. If mixing by hand, add as much flour as you can by hand then knead in the remaining flour.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, about 1½ hours.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight or proceed with forming the loaves to bake the same day.
- Sprinkle a baking sheet or Italian bread pan generously with cornmeal. If you will bake on a baking stone use a baking peel or use the back of a baking sheet so you can transfer the bread to the baking stone.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and dump it onto floured surface. Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Briefly knead each piece and then form it into a tight ball. Allow the dough balls to rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. Pat each piece of dough into an oval about 8"x4-5". Tightly roll like a jellyroll then pinch the seam closed. Use flat hands to roll the dough from the center out to form a 14” long torpedo shape.
- Place the two loaves side by side onto a baking sheet, wooden peel or into the pan. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 1-1½ hours. The rising time will vary depending if the dough is cold from a night in the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 °F . Place a shallow pan on the bottom of the oven to preheat. Just before putting the bread in the oven, pour a ½ cup of hot water into the pan on the bottom of the oven and shut the door to capture the steam.
- Use a very sharp knife or bread lame held at a 30° angle to make 1 long slash along the top of each loaf. Brush lightly with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until deeply browned and if you tap on the bottom of a loaf it sounds hollow, about 20-25 minutes. The interior temperature should be 200°F.
- Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature before slicing.
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Notes
For consistent results, I recommend measuring flour by weight. If you measure by volume, use the dip and sweep method (don’t scoop).
For shaping tutorials, bread making guidance, and troubleshooting, visit the Bread Baking Guide in my Baking School.
Storage
Italian Bread is best the day it's baked. Because of the sugar and oil in the dough it will keep for 1 day at room temperature. A whole or pre-sliced loaf can be frozen for up to 2 months. For a whole loaf, defrost and warm in a 200F oven to re-crisp the crust. Individual slices can be defrosted and/or toasted. Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!