Rustic Italian Crusty Bread Recipe Video
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Easy and quick artisan Italian rustic crusty bread at home, no knead, no machine, no dutch oven, with only 2 hour rise time. Made by hand with active dry instant yeast, flour and water then baked on a hot pizza stone.
Artisan Italian Crusty Bread Recipe
I made us the perfect bread for soups, stews, bruschetta and to use for sandwiches / panini all week long.
A spin on my Italian pizza dough recipe, except here i use warm water to make the bread. Just mix together flour, salt and instant yeast then let rise for 2 hours. Only 2 hours for perfect homemade bread you guys!
Then you bake it on a preheated pizza stone (<–amazon), for a peasant style loaf that crackles in your hands like a dream, yet still soft on the inside. Perfect for dipping or to dunk into a hot bowl of vegetable soup.
- A good homemade bread will have a soft, fluffy center with big holes and a crust that crackles in your hand with even a gentle squeeze. It’s very important to not overwork the dough if you are looking for airy holes in your bread like the ones in the photo above.
- Avoid the temptation to add more flour, simply dump the dough out of the bowl you mixed it in and shape into a loaf. No Kneading Allowed!
- I swear there’s nothing like the magic of a pizza stone, however you could also bake it inside a cast iron skillet or dutch oven if you really wanted to.
How to Serve and Eat Crusty Bread
- dip in olive oil with red chili flakes and fresh herbs.
- alongside Pasta e Ceci, Zuppa Toscana, Roasted Pepper Tomato Soup + Frutti di Mare.
- make the ultimate Tomato Bruschetta!
- enjoy with Oven Roasted Tomatoes + vegan mozzarella.
- tear a crusty corner like nobody’s watching while still a little warm and spread a little butter on it.
- add 2 tablespoons of rosemary to the dough, 1/3 cup of sliced black olives or sprinkle the top with poppy seeds before baking.
What makes the bread crusty?
The secret is a bowl of water steaming under the pizza stone while the bread is baking. The steam makes a crusty loaf!
How to Store
Allow the loaf to cool off completely on a cooling rack on its side. Place it in a plastic bag and store on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a couple of days. I would not recommend freezing this kind of bread, instead if you find yourself with a stale chunk simply do as the Italian do: make a big pot of Ribollita or this Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro soup.
Rustic Crusty Italian Bread Recipe Video
Rustic Italian Crusty Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3.25 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 2 tsp instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or your kitchen aid mixer add the flour, salt and yeast. Use a spatula or the paddle attachment and mix to combine well.3.25 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp sea salt
- Pour in the warm water and keep mixing until everything is incorporated and a soft dough has formed. It will still stick to the bottom of the bowl and that is OK.1.5 cups warm water
- Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap loosely and a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until doubled in size.
- Sprinkle some flour on your kitchen counter and dump the bread dough on it. Flour your hands to help it out of the bowl as it will be sticky. Don't panic, this is normal.
- With floured hands fold the dough onto itself forming it into a round ball. Do not knead it, do not handle it anymore than you need to. Use a sharp knife and lightly carve an X in the top of the loaf or just make a few cuts across.
- Place the bread dough on top of a lightly floured pizza peel, cardboard or parchment paper and allow it to rest while your oven is heating up.
- Preheat your oven to 450”F with a pizza stone inside for about 45 minutes before baking the bread. Fill an oven proof bowl with 2 inches of water and place it on the bottom rack. This will create the steam that will cause the crust to become crispy as it bakes.
- Once your oven is hot sprinkle the pizza stone with some semolina flour or corn meal and carefully slide the bread loaf on top. Bake the bread for about 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown all over and cooked through.
- Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool off completely before slicing into it. You can also let it cool inside the oven with the door slightly open.
Dutch Oven Method
- Instead of a pizza stone preheat your oven with a dutch oven inside. Once hot, carefully place the bread loaf inside the dutch oven ideally using parchment paper for easy transfer. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 5 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove the bread from the dutch oven and transfer to a cooling rack or it won't stay crispy.
Original Large Loaf Recipe:
- Ingredients: 1 package instant dry yeast (1/4 oz)6.25 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting2 tsp sea salt3 cups warm water.
- Instructions: Follow the above instructions and bake at 450"F for 45 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Adaptation Jan. 2021 - because some people were having trouble working with a large loaf, I adapted the recipe to make a smaller loaf that is easier to handle and that will cook evenly even without a pizza stone. Those of you more experienced bakers with a pizza stone or a bread/ pizza oven feel free to double the recipe and make a huge rustic loaf out of this.
- Water dish - make sure you don't forget to add the dish with water in the oven to create steam If you are after an extra crusty loaf!
- Parchment paper - If using parchment paper make sure to check the box for the max temperature it can safely be used in.
- Keep it Crusty - make sure to allow your loaf to cool off completely on a high cooling rack so the moisture can escape through the bottom while the crust stays crispy. Alternatively allow the loaf to cool off on a rack inside the oven with door slightly open. (remove from dutch oven and discard parchment paper first).
Nutrition
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Hello, I will be making the bread today, I will be using active dry yeast vs instant, do you suggest activating the active dry yeast first?
Hi Sarah, I suggest using the instant yeast if available as it never fails, gif using active dry it’s a great idea to proof it first because it hasn’t been very reliable overall in the last few years. ~ Florentina
When I took this out of the bowl after the rising period, I was pretty skeptical because the dough was so moist but it came out great using a pizza stone. I did the big loaf and it’s a good thing because there was nothing left of it after the dinner party. Thanks very much! Excellent, chewy bread!
Hey Pete, I’m so beyond happy the bread was such a great success! For the next time I suggest trying my Spelt Bread, it has a little bit longer process but really fantastic texture and flavor https://46favorites-holiday.com/homemade-spelt-bread-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Tried this recipe today, and turned out better than I had thought. Past times I’ve baked bread, they’d always taste bland and maybe that’s due to a lack of salt? But anyway, this is a really lovely recipe, and I even mixed in some seeds for some more crunch and enjoyment. I also used a baking tray instead of a pizza stone and it still turned out quite well. Do try it if you’re tossing up whether or not to bake this recipe. Thank you!
I love this recipe and I’ve made it several times. However, I don’t get the nice airy holes inside. Mine seems to be more dense. I noticed in your notes you say don’t mess with the dough after rise just pour out and shake into ball but in the video it shows the dough going into a floured surface and being shaped. I’m wondering if that’s why I’m not getting the nice holes.
Any advice? Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Wendy, after shaping the dough you can place it on a floured piece of parchment paper the inside a medium size bowl and let it rest for a good 45 minutes while your oven is warming up. This will allow the gluten strands to bounce back after shaping and the bowl will prevent the dough from spilling sideways resulting in a taller loaf rather than wider. You can use the parchment paper as handles and transfer directly to pizza stone to avoid anymore handling of the loaf and deflating it. Let me know how this process works out. For even more holes I suggest trying the pull and old method next time, it will take longer but a more fail proof method to ensure the dough isn’t overhanded https://46favorites-holiday.com/homemade-spelt-bread-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hi,
I made this bread and it came out fantastic. Can you add anything to it like roasted garlic, rosemary or anything else?
Thanks,
Rich
Hi Rich, I’m so glad you are loving the bread and yes you can add a couple of tablespoons of fresh rosemary, olives, capers etc… I would recommend you try my Olive Bread next time which has both fennel and rosemary. Let me know if you do 🙂 ~ Florentina https://46favorites-holiday.com/olive-bread/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This is my first time ever baking bread and it was absolutely delicious. Do you have any recommendations for how to store it or do you just have to eat this immediately after cooking? Thanks so much!
Hi Jaqueline, I’m so happy you loved the bread! You can store on the kitchen counter for the day then the leftovers inside a plastic bag or bread box on the counter for a couple of days. You could even freeze it if desired and just thaw out on the counter when ready to eat. ~ Florentina Xo’s
If using the smaller loaf pizza stone method…could you slide the resting loaf that is on parchment paper directly onto the stone and bake it on the parchment or does it have to be on direct contact with the stone?
yes you can place the parchment paper on the pizza stone ~ Florentina Xo’s
Genius recipe! Authentic Italian bread and no kneading. Worked out perfectly. I did use the bowl and paper method to keep it from flattening and the Dutch oven and it was crispy on the outside and soft inside. Had my doubts about the no kneading but miraculously it worked. Many thanks….
Best bread ever!!!! I made the big loaf… perfect! It was done after 40 minutes.
I do not have a pizza steel, so I used my cast iron grid.
Saving this recipe.
I have been baking bread for years….❤️
Have you tried this using einkorn flour? I’m curious if I would need to decrease the liquid.
Hi Hollie, you can use all purpose einkorn flour if you prefer. If you wan to use the whole grain einkorn then I’d suggest experimenting with my Spelt Bread recipe with the pull method. There are different percentages of whole grain + all purpose or bread four you can combine for your proffered texture. My favorite ratio is 50:50 and I have a detailed recipe for that in production right now. However you can follow the Spelt bread recipe with the whole grain einkorn and adapt from there. Let me know if you give it a try ~ Florentina Xo’s
This! This is the recipe I have been looking for. Did it in a dutch oven, added a bit of rosemary and it is so simple to do. Thank you!
WOW! So simple but so AMAZING! I typically only make sourdough bread but lately I have been making Italian recipes and this bread did not disappoint. This will be my go to bread now! Thank you!
I want to make your crusty rustic italian bread but don’t know how to convert 3,25 cups of flour or the amount of water
1
You can covert to metric by clicking on “metric” under the ingredients list in the recipe.
Do we still need the steamed water when baking the bread uncovered in the Dutch oven?
No, the Dutch oven will create and trap its own steam so no need for the extra dish of water. Enjoy ~ Florentina
Can I use part whole wheat flour? I am trying to get a little healthier in the New Year!
Hi Patti, in this case I recommend you try the spelt bread recipe, it takes a little longer with a different technique but you experiment with different ratios of whole grain flours with great results each time https://46favorites-holiday.com/homemade-spelt-bread-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
recipe was great! outside came out perfect ….crusty and delicious but the inside was not fluffy like the picture. Obviously I did something wrong. Please tell me how to make the inside of the bread more fluffy and airy…. Light and soft ……
Tony You
Hey Tony, It sounds like you probably overworked the dough a little during shaping which is normal, so next time you’ll want to give it extra time to rest after shaping for the gluten strands to bounce back. To make transfer to the oven super easy I suggest shaping the loaf on a large piece of parchment paper then place it inside a large bowl. This method will prevent the dough from spreading sideways and you can easily transfer to the hot oven by using the parchment paper as handles, no ore handling the dough so the center should turn out light and fluffy like the photos and video. ~ Florentina
Can I make this with bread flour instead of all purpose flour? Will I need a different amount if I use bread flour?
Yes you may use bread flour, same amount.
I’ve made this recipe using a Dutch oven and it comes out great! Super easy to do.
I do not have a pizza peal so can I use a metal cookie sheet?
I feel this recipe is absolutely amazing! I have never had a disappointing loaf from this recipe out of the 7 or 8 times I’ve made it ! I always make the big loaf cause who doesn’t love the look of a huge loaf of Italian bread ?! One question, you say to let it cool completely, but what if I want to serve the loaf of bread fresh and hot ? How can I keep the loaf warm from the oven but also make sure it’s cooked and all on the inside and the crust stays nice and crunchy?
Hi Shane, I slice into mine while still hot often because who can resist right?! The idea is to let the center of the loaf continue to cook from the inside steam. You could let the loaf cool inside the oven with the door open so the steam escapes but the bread stays warmer longer… I would place it on the oven rack for full air circulation which ensures the moisture escapes keeping the crust nice and crusty. Hope that works out great for you ~ Florentina Xo’s
I have made this bread and we love it!! Easy, fresh and luscious!
I love how you put the small print of the ingredients below each step. It’s very helpful. And the button to keep page from going dark!
Thanks for all of ir!
Tastes great, but every time I make it, it comes out flat like a pancake!
CJ, it sounds like the bread needs to rest longer after shaping it for the gluten strands to bounce back. Temperature and humidity in the home can affect the dough in so many different ways. Glad you enjoyed the taste ~ Florentina
Has anyone stopped at the first rise when it is puffy and full of beautiful holes and just baked it from there?
Im curious as well. I made this a few weeks ago and froze it to have thanksgiving. Everyone said it was delish but im looking for an even better rise and taste. I have a batch rising now. Happy baking.
I have another recipe similar to this that tells you not to deflate it-and it comes out beautifully. I never really understood the reasoning behind that. It never really rises as pretty the second time and all those air bubbles are gone. I find this dough to be very wet and has so little structure that it always comes out flat once put on the pizza stone. The first one I made was in the Dutch oven and it was much better; but still very wet and difficult to shape.
I’ve made this bread several times now and find the recipe pretty forgiving having forgotten the second rise altogether more than once. While it still comes out beautifully, the second rise results in a higher, less dense loaf using the Dutch oven.
This bread is easy to make and delicious. My family loved it.
Thanks
Is it fine or corse sea salt?
fine sea salt
Can this recipe used to shape into a French bread style loaf meaning long loaf instead of round?
Thank you
It could work if you are comfortable handling a wet dough, otherwise it can get a little messy. report back if you try ~ Florentina Xo’s