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Rustic Italian Crusty Bread Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 58 reviews

This Rustic Italian Crusty Bread recipe delivers a classic homemade loaf with a crisp, flavorful crust and tender interior. Featuring simple pantry staples and straightforward steps, it’s perfect for beginner and experienced bakers alike. The dough requires no kneading and bakes to golden perfection either on a pizza stone with steam or in a Dutch oven for exceptional crust development. Enjoy an authentic Italian-style artisan bread ideal for sandwiches, soups, or just with butter.

Ingredients

Scale

Basic Rustic Italian Crusty Bread

  • 3.25 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1.5 cups warm water
  • 2 tsp instant yeast (or active dry yeast)

Optional for Baking

  • Semolina flour or cornmeal (for dusting pizza stone)
  • 2 inches of water (for creating steam in oven)

Original Larger Loaf Variation

  • 1 package instant dry yeast (1/4 oz)
  • 6.25 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 cups warm water

Instructions

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, sea salt, and instant yeast thoroughly with a spatula or paddle attachment.
  2. Incorporate Water: Pour in the warm water gradually while mixing until a soft, sticky dough forms. It’s normal for the dough to stick to the bowl bottom.
  3. Rise the Dough: Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until it has doubled in size.
  4. Prep Work Surface: Dust your kitchen counter with flour. Flour your hands and gently dump the sticky dough onto the surface, taking care not to deflate it too much.
  5. Shape the Dough: With floured hands, fold the dough onto itself carefully to form a round ball. Avoid kneading. Lightly score the top with an X or several cuts using a sharp knife.
  6. Rest Before Baking: Place the dough on a lightly floured pizza peel, piece of cardboard, or parchment paper. Let it rest while preheating the oven.
  7. Preheat Oven and Setup Steam: Preheat your oven to 450°F with a pizza stone inside for at least 45 minutes. Place an oven-safe bowl with two inches of water on the bottom rack to create steam.
  8. Bake on Pizza Stone: Sprinkle semolina flour or cornmeal on the pizza stone. Carefully slide the loaf onto the hot stone. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown and thoroughly cooked.
  9. Cool the Bread: Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing. Alternatively, cool inside the oven with the door slightly ajar to maintain crust crispness.
  10. Alternate Dutch Oven Method: Preheat oven with a Dutch oven inside. Place the loaf inside the hot Dutch oven on parchment paper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 5 minutes to brown the top. Remove from Dutch oven and cool on rack to keep crust crisp.

Notes

  • Using warm water activates the yeast faster and ensures good rise.
  • Do not knead the dough to maintain the rustic airy crumb structure.
  • Creating steam in the oven with water helps produce a crisp crust.
  • Flouring hands and surfaces prevents sticking without overworking the dough.
  • Scoring the bread allows it to expand while baking without cracking.
  • Allow the bread to cool fully before slicing to set the crumb texture.
  • Using a Dutch oven traps steam naturally, creating a great crust without additional water in the oven.
  • The larger loaf variation uses twice the flour and water quantities and slightly more yeast for a bigger bread.

Keywords: rustic bread, Italian bread, crusty bread, no-knead bread, artisan bread, homemade bread, easy bread recipe

Find it online: https://tastewithamy.com/rustic-italian-crusty-bread-recipe/