How to Make Easy Italian Bread

Moist, chewy, and delicious this easy Italian Bread is sure to be a hit…and super simple to make using your bread machine!

I love baking bread. As a matter of fact, it’s probably one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I love smelling the bubbling yeast as it’s waking up and kneading the dough with my hands. Some days, though, kneading dough for several minutes isn’t an option…especially with a very curious toddler. That’s why I love my bread machine. I found my first bread machine at a Goodwill, and never looked back. It was the perfect tool for beginning bread making, and a machine I’ve fallen back on time and time again. Such is the case with this easy Italian Bread. It’s so simple to whip up the dough in the bread machine and form and shape loaves to bake in the oven.

Italian Bread is extremely versatile. I LOVE to slice it and use it for “mini pizzas” for lunch. We put our favorite pizza toppings on a slice of the bread and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. They’re perfect served with some carrot sticks or a side salad. It also makes DELICIOUS homemade croutons. I cut the bread into cubes, toss it with olive oil and some seasonings and bake them until they’re crunchy. It’s perfect paired with my Simple and Delicious Farmhouse Potato Soup. Obviously, it’s fantastic in all the other traditional ways you eat bread, too. 😉 It’s also a key ingredient to our favorite breakfast casserole. I’ll be sharing that recipe soon!

This recipe makes two loaves of delicious Italian Bread. If you only need one, simply cut the recipe in half and follow the instructions the same or bake them both and freeze one loaf. I like to share my extra loaf with friends and family. They seem to appreciate it too. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1⅓ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons olive oil
• 1(.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Instructions:

• Step 1 Place flour, honey, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
• Step 2 Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Step 3 In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture.
• Step 4 Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Want some more delicious bread recipes? I’ve got you covered!

I guess I ended up decluttering my brush, so I used a fork to rub the egg wash on. It worked, but as you see I obviously didn’t get it coated like a brush would. I’d rather have the free drawer space than egg wash perfectly applied. ha!

This goes without saying, but I’m saying it again anyways…I’m not a food blogger. I’m not an exceptional cook. I consider myself to be a pretty “normal” person. I love to bake, but I am completely aware that I am nowhere “professional” with my photos. My hope is that it inspires you to use what you have and start where you are…professional or not.

As always, thanks for spending a tiny part of your day with me. I appreciate you and hope you have a great weekend.

Here’s an image to pin for later…