Nothing like fresh bread out of the oven, especially if it’s Homemade Italian Bread. This traditional Italian recipe does take time, but believe me it is worth every second of it.
Serve it with your favourite stew or soup or why not grab a slice just because. I love to serve a few slices with my Thick Italian Beef Stew or my Beef Stew with Peas.
Homemade Italian Bread
Homemade Italian BreadI remember the days when my mother-in-law would take her baskets of freshly risen dough down to the wood burning oven and make her amazing Bread and Pizza. Those were certainly the days!
But now I love to get my hands (or my mixer) dirty with flour and make my own Italian Bread. This is the traditional way, with a Biga to start.
The taste is amazing and yes even the Italian was impressed!
How to make Homemade Bread
- To make the Biga – In a large bowl add the water and yeast, let sit five minutes then stir to combine.
- Add the flour and stir just until the flour has absorbed all the water. Do not form a dough.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel, place in a warm draft free area and let rise 18-20 hours.
- Once the time as passed, in the bowl of the stand up mixer add the Biga and add part of the water, combine with a spatula.
- Add the flour, yeast, salt and the remaining water.
- Start to knead the dough for about four minutes or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead to form a smooth dough ball.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rise two hours.
- Form the dough into a round or long loaf or even small buns.
- Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Cover and let rise for two hours.
- Place a pan of water on the bottom of the oven.
- Make a score in the bread and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately place the loaf on a wire rack to cool. This keeps the bottom from becoming soggy.
What is a Biga?
You may think that a Poolish and a Biga are the same, but the main difference is that a Poolish is a liquid dough and a Biga is a solid dough.
A Biga is a type of rise used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, including a ciabatta and Pandoro, are made using a Biga.
The addition of a Biga is said to add more flavour to the finished product and is also used in breads that need a light, open texture with holes.
Is the yeast active?
The yeast you are using could be old or dead, to tell if the yeast is still active, in a small bowl add a 1/2 cup of water, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast and a pinch of sugar over the top, stir it up, then let it stand for about 5 minutes.
If the yeast is still active, it will dissolve completely into the water and the liquid will start bubbling.
Make sure your water isn’t too hot or too cold. Too hot and you will kill the yeast, too cold and it will take a long time for the dough to rise. The perfect temperature is 100-110F.
Why do you need to place a pan of water in the oven?
The water in the pan will create steam which helps keep the crust soft. It also lets the bread to continue expanding freely. The steam that settles on the exterior of the bread also helps to dissolve the sugars in the dough.
Bread Flour or all purpose?
I personally use all purpose but if you prefer bread flour works just as well, some people swear by it. It will give your dough a chewier and denser bread.
How to score it
I love the look of a beautifully scored fresh loaf of bread. I discovered an interesting video on the different ways to score bread, you might want to check out the Foodgeek if you need an idea.
How to store the bread
Cool the bread completely, then store it in a plastic airtight bag, storage container, wrap in foil or the Italian way and, place the loaf in a paper bag then place it in a plastic bag and close tightly. It can be kept at room temperature for about two to three days.
Can you freeze it?
Yes you can freeze it, let the loaf cool completely, then you can either slice it or leave it whole. Be sure to wrap tightly with foil or freezer safe wrap and then place it in a freezer safe bag or container.
Properly stored, it will last for about 3 months.
Different types of Italian Bread
Apparently there are over 250 different types of bread in Italy that are actually made today. I certainly haven’t tried even close to that many, but a few of are favourites are a Ciabatta, Genzano, Lariano and the Italian can never pass up a Cazzottini or two.
More Delicious Bread Recipes
Traditional Italian Focaccia Bread
Italian Ricotta Parmesan Bread
Probably the most famous saying in Italian referring to bread is “fare la scarpetta” which means “make the little shoe,” it refers to a small piece of bread used to mop up the last of the sauce on your plate. So remember to leave some sauce next time.
So if you are ready and have the time why not make a loaf of Homemade Italian Bread? Let me know how you like it. Enjoy!
Homemade Italian Bread
Ingredients
FOR THE BIGA
- 1/2 cup water (lukewarm)* (120 grams)
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (2.6 grams)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (250 grams)
FOR THE DOUGH
- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water (lukewarm)* divided (200 grams)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (1 3/4 grams)
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt (10 grams)
*lukewarm water temperature should be between 100-110F (38-43C)
Instructions
FOR THE BIGA
- To make the Biga - In a large bowl add the water and yeast, let sit five minutes the stir to combine.Add the flour and stir just until the flour has absorbed all the water. Do not form a dough.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel, place in a warm draft free area and let rise 18-20 hours.
- Once the time as passed, in the bowl of the stand up mixer add the Biga and 1/4 cup + 3 1 /2 tablespoons (112 grams) water, combine with a spatula.
- Add the flour, yeast, salt and the remaining water (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon / 74 grams). Start to knead the dough for about four minutes or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and knead to form a smooth dough ball.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with tea towel and let rise for two hours.
- Form the dough into a round or long loaf or even small buns whichever you prefer. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cover again and let rise for two hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C). Place a pan of water on the bottom of the oven.
- Make a score in the bread and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately place on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Annette says
I’m dying to try this recipe and was wondering, would it ruin the recipe if I were to sprinkle Semolina on my parchment paper before baking the loaf?
Rosemary says
Hi Annette, no semolina is fine to use. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
Chet brewer says
Hi Rosemary, I’ve been playing around with this recipe some for the last year and have tried several tweaks. The large boba to dough proportions are similar to a ciabatta recipe from Carole field that I love. The large proportion of biga gives such a nice earthy flavor to the loaf and reminds me of breads I had in Italy as a 6 year old, bring back 60 year old memories. I have been working with higher hydration doughs and have experimented with a wetter biga or less flour in the dough with a little less salt. Both have come out well as long as you refrigerate the dough prior to shaping to stiffen the gluten. I am also using a 11.7 % protein high ash flour (King Arthur Galahad) and filtered water. I double the recipe and do three oval loaves. I bake in a covered lodge Dutch oven and the remove the lid for the last 15 minutes.. this is a wonderful base recipe and is going to give people a truly italian loaf that is impossible to find outside of Italian villages now. The city breads don’t come close.
Rosemary says
Hi Chet, thanks so much, so glad I could bring back memories and I love how you have worked with the dough. Take care!
Marri says
I love the simplicity of the recipe, but have a couple of questions.
Firstly, I’ve tried this bread twice – the first time with a 24 hour period and the second with 18 hours for the biga and both have produced a noticeable sour note. Would that be eliminated with a shorter ferment period, do you think? I make a recipe for an Italian type roll that is used with Chicago-style hot Italian roast beef sandwiches and the like, which has an 11-12 hour period. (It’s more a sponge as it uses more water.)
Secondly, and this one is a bit odd…I do get it with the Gonnella-style rolls as well… Why is the interior of my bread coming out tan when using white flour?
Okay, granted it’s an unbleached flour, but when making white sandwich loaves, with no sponge time, or even making it using the Yudane method with an overnight ripening period, the bread interior is white. But every time I make this it is not. I also get a darker crust whether it’s baked in the conventional oven or the AGA.
I’m at a loss as to why – and not sure if you might have insight.
Thanks
Rosemary says
Hi Marri, yes a shorter biga time will produce a less sour loaf. I just read this which might explain it “Yellowish crumb is a sign of well-crafted bread made with unbleached flour. Gentle mixing could be a way of preserving that coloration to minimize oxidation. Autolyse is also used, where you leave the dough alone after mixing and let it develop gluten on its own.” Hope that helps. Let me know. Take care.
Marri says
Hi Rosemary,
I made the bread again and only gave the Biga about a 6-7 hour rest. It was much less sour and hit the right note. I am still getting a tan colour to the bread, but hey, I can live with that. I know the flour is the right one to use.
Here it is, day 3 with the loaf, and it’s still soft. Getting ready to make bruschetta for supper and thought I’d give an update.
Rosemary says
Hi Marri, thanks so much, there are a couple of things you could do to get it to brown more, you could turn the temperature up a bit or brush the dough with a little milk before baking. Nothing like bruschetta. Take care.