Mom’s Italian Bread

Name: Mom's Italian Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).
Ingredients: 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast; 2 cups warm water (110° to 115°); 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 teaspoons salt; 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

I think Mom used to bake at least four of these tender loaves at once, and they never lasted long. She served the bread with every Italian meal. I love it toasted, too. —Linda Harrington, Windham, New Hampshire

Ingredients

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Test Kitchen Tip; To ensure a light texture be sure to take the time to knead well. After kneading the first few minutes, press your thumb into the dough. If the indent stays, you're done. If not, knead a few more minutes.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 106 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 197mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch.

Originally published as Mom's Italian Bread in Taste of Home December/January 2010

Reviews

My Review

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Average Rating:

GUY

Feb 3, 2019

Great, easy recipe. The bread is delicious, and it browned very nicely. Nice crisp crust and soft chewy interior. The only change I did was to bake it in a pre-heated covered cast iron dutch oven. I baked it for 20 minutes at 450 degrees with cover on, then uncovered and baked an additional ten minutes. Internal temperature of the loaf was 195 degrees when removed from the oven.
Katie

Jan 28, 2019

First off, the bread looks nothing like the picture, it is a really pale white, it gets hard but doesn't brown well, after reading comments suggestions said to dab water for a nicer crust which i decided to do. It has a weird appearance and the bread you can see breaks apart when rising. Im pretty let down after waiting for an hour and a half before even baking it. The loaves are about 12 inches a piece. Its very very heavy and hard. Was incredibly hard to cut through since it's rock solid. The inside is nice and soft not too doughy but Idk if I'd make it again. Overall tastes very bland but would be perfect in soup, as toast, or with an italian dish. If I did use this recipe again I'd add some garlic and herb with butter on top.
Sara

Dec 10, 2018

I have never made bread before and this recipe made it so easy!! Instructions are easy to follow and I even baked cookies while waiting for the dough to rise. My entire family LOVED it. This is definitely my new go to recipe. I can't wait to try and add some flavors next time!
Mickey

Nov 11, 2018

First, it was an easy recipe. It tastes great. If you want a hard crust, spray with water before cooking, and once during. I also, used the King Arthur olive oil herb for one cup of the flour to create a different loaf the next time. Definitely a keeper. thanks.
Mike

Jun 15, 2018

A frequent request when we invite friends for dinner. Makes GREAT toast, too!
chrissy

Apr 14, 2018

I had to bake for an hour and 15 minutes to get a good crust. No flavor in this bread.
mousepotato

Feb 28, 2018

I've added Parmesan cheese and garlic powder to this to make it a great addition to spaghetti night. It stays nicely moist as well.
Kathy

Dec 25, 2017

I've made this recipe several times, it's my favorite!!! Delicious every single time. Thank you for sharing it.
Allison

Oct 24, 2017

This bread turned out perfect for me. It's a simple Italian bread with a salty flavor and a chewy crust. I followed the directions exactly as written and made sure to add only as much flour as needed (which turned out to be 5 cups). It's better to start with a dough that is slightly sticky and knead in more flour if needed. There are so many factors that can make your bread fail - old yeast, water too hot, too much kneading, not enough kneading, over proofing, under proofing, and the list goes on. Believe me, I've had many bread failures over the years but I realize that it doesn't necessarily mean the recipe is the problem. I will definitely keep this one in my recipe file.
14Geraldine

Jul 17, 2017

I gave it 5* because it is quick and easy to make. I have one negative that I noticed when I switched to regular salt instead of the real salt I had been using, (only because I ran out). The bread tasted extremely salty. Has anyone else noticed this? It makes great toast and my friends love when I bake it for them. I just cannot get over that salty taste. If I drop the amount of salt in the recipe, will that make a difference?