Have you ever tried something so delicious you can barely stand it…and something that you’re even more shocked that you actually made. This is one of those recipes.
Crusty Italian Bread is an easy homemade bread recipe made with two main ingredients, flour and yeast. The rest is salt and water. It has the perfect crust, crunchy and slightly chewiness. And the inside is dreamy soft, and delightful! All you want in a loaf of crusty bread.
Making a Crusty Italian Bread doesn’t have to be as pain laboring as I thought.
There is no kneading; you just mix all the ingredients, let it rise for four hours, shape it into loaves, and bake. How c-r-a-z-y easy is that?
Not only is the recipe fabulous for making Crusty Bread—-you can also make Crusty Rolls and Pizza Dough with it. Don’t you just love recipes that just keep on giving! To Make this Recipe You’ Will Need the following ingredients:
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups flour
How To Make Crusty Italian Bread
Place warm water, yeast and brown sugar in mixing bowl. Stir and let stand for a few minutes until it start to bubble and foam a bit.
Add olive oil and salt. Mix and add the flour gradually. You want to add enough that the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. You want to mix it with the dough hook for a few minutes.
Cover and let the dough rise until doubled about 30 minutes.
Punch down dough and divide in two and form into two loaves (I doubled the recipe this time.)
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together:
1 egg
1 Tablespoon water
Brush the risen loaves with the egg mixture.
Make a single long quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife.
Now here’s the secret. Place at least 1 cup hot water in a shallow pan and place it on the rack underneath the bread. The steam will make the crust turn perfectly. You may need to add a bit more water during cooking. You do not want it to evaporate.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the loaves turn golden brown and sound hollow when you tap them.
Remove from pan and let cool on racks. I always like to rub butter over the hot crust
