I love bread, and homemade bread is at the top of that list. I remember my mom making us homemade bread fairly often as a kid, and we always loved it!
Nowadays, I also enjoy making homemade bread for my family regularly. Not only does it taste so much better than store-bought bread, but I can feel good about the ingredients in homemade bread too. I make all different kinds of bread – yeast bread, sourdough bread, quick breads, biscuits, and more.
Homemade bread doesn’t have to be a super complicated process, although there are certainly types that take all day. This particular recipe is one that I can start a few hours before dinner and still have fresh, warm bread in time for dinner. It always comes out great!
To start, you just need 6 basic ingredients – water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, and flour. After mixing everything together to form a cohesive dough, you don’t need to knead this dough – just let it double in size for about an hour.
Next comes the fun part! The dough gets divided into two parts and each part is rolled into a long loaf. I typically press each portion down until it is roughly in the shape of a rectangle that’s 10 to 12 inches long. Then, it’s time to roll the dough along the long side to form a long log shape. After pinching the dough together lightly, the long loaf can be placed on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to rise a second time.
This bread only takes 20 to 25 minutes to bake and then it can be devoured! My family loves this bread with jam, butter, or even plain. Enjoy!
Italian Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups warm water
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast, or 1 packet
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 to 4½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, add the warm water, yeast, olive oil, and sugar. Stir lightly and allow to sit for a few minutes so the yeast can become active.
- Add the salt and 3 cups of flour to the bowl.
- With the hook attachment, mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Add 1 to 1½ more cups of flour until the dough forms a mostly smooth ball, but do not overmix the dough. The dough should not be sticky.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel. Allow to rise until it is double in size, which will take about one hour.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan and set aside.
- Uncover the dough and punch it down.
- Divide the dough into two portions of approximately the same size.
- On a clean countertop (you may need to add a little flour if the dough is sticky), gently press one portion of the dough into a rectangular shape that is roughly 10 to 12 inches long.
- Roll the dough into a log shape, rolling along the long side to create a log shape that is 10 to 12 inches long. Pinch any seams in the dough together.
- Gently place the shaped loaf onto the prepared parchment, making sure to leave space for a second loaf.
- Repeat the shaping process with the second half of the dough.
- Place the second shaped loaf on the prepared pan with the parchment paper, making sure to leave several inches between the loaves.
- Once both loaves are on the parchment paper, lightly cover again with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise a second time.
- Once the bread has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400°.
- Carefully uncover the risen bread and use a sharp knife to cut three or four scores across each risen loaf. If you would like, you can skip scoring the bread.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
- Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy the bread warm or at room temperature.
