Name: Italian Bread Using a Bread Machine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 2 - 1 pound loaves
Ingredients: 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; 1 ⅓ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C); 1 ½ teaspoons salt; 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil; 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon water; 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Wonderful Italian bread made in a bread machine then baked in the oven.

Italian Bread Using a Bread Machine

all-purpose flour

brown sugar

water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

salt

olive oil

(.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

water

cornmeal

Place flour, brown sugar, 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.


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 cutting board 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).


In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife. Gently shake the cutting board to make sure that the loaves are not sticking. If they stick, use a spatula or pastry knife to loosen. Slide the loaves onto a baking sheet with one quick but careful motion.


Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.


I was intrigued by all the positive feedback on this recipe. It WAS excellent. I took in some of the suggestions: I cut the salt to 1 tsp, I let the bread rise on my parchment covered stoneware sheet, I did brush the top with the egg wash and I did cut the bread lengthwise. I didn't have any cornmeal so I skipped that. The parchment prevented any sticking. I also put the pan of ice cubes in the bottom while baking. I used all bread flour and it was fine. I may try it in a loaf (in a loaf pan) and use the half bread flour/half AP flour option and see how that turns out. Has anyone ever tried this in a loaf pan?

The crust is superb; nice and chewy and the middle was nice and soft. I did let the bread rise about ten minutes longer than the recipe called for, as it looked a bit on the skinny side at 40 minutes. 

I am a microbiologist by trade. Yeasts are living organisms. They respond to moisture and, more importantly, temperature. If it's cold, your yeast just isn't going to rise as fast as you'd like. There is an optimum temperature for all microorganisms. Since we work with human pathogens, and not commercial food organisms, I don't know the exact range that this would be. I do know that the extra ten minutes made all the difference in the rising for this bread.

I got bigger loaves by letting the dough rise on the actual baking sheet. Moving the dough after rising caused it to fall and resulted in small loaves.

Can I give this six stars? What a great recipe-easy and yummy. I let the loaves rise on a pan with the cornmeal and then baked it without having to move it. There is a local Italian restaurant we go to for the bread. This was better than that. I used 2 cups bread flour and 2 cups all purpose flour.

For those of you that use a jar of yeast instead of small packages.  1 package is equivalent to 2 and 1/4 tsps of yeast.  

Anyways great bread!

My family and I loved this bread, my husband is Italian and he loves bread. We go to a little local Italian shop where they make fresh bread and it is amazing, this recipe came very close to it. I have been on a bread making kick for the past 2 years and have all kinds of bread making books one even from Le Cordon Bleu and this recipe ranks right up there. The crust was chewy and golden, this bread is little dense but delicious, a perfect bread in my humble opinion. The only alteration I made was to only add 1tsp of salt. I would not make the whole recipe in the bread machine because it is a bit of a dense bread and it will turn out too heavy. This recipe is now one of favorites, thanks for sharing Destiny!  a little tip how do you know when the bread has risen enough? The dough will double in size. It will be soft and look a bit airy. When you touch it with your finger, it will feel soft and an indention in the dough will remain. If it feels a bit springy and the dough bounces back from the indentation, it hasn’t risen enough.

I wasn't expecting so much from such a simple, easy recipe and boy was i delighted!  It had just the right amount of sweet/crunch to it and what a pretty loaf it makes!  i used bread flour instead of the all-purpose so shaping it was a breeze. i added some sesame seeds too.  i also used parchment paper for baking to prevent sticking.

I just LOVE this bread!
The egg brushed on it right before baking makes it shiny and beautiful.  When cutting the top of it b4 baking, I tend to cut diagonally both ways rather than one cut down the middle; impressive look.  1 t. gluten/cup flour makes it even softer.  My family and friends love this too!!

OMG! This bread is sooo good it disappeared right off the table in no time. I tweaked it a bit after reading some reviews. I used my bread machine to make the dough and my oven to bake it. First, I put in warm water and yeast and let it stand for 10 min. This activates the yeast. Then I added all the ingrediants, making sure to add the salt last (on top). I used half All-Purpose flour and half Bread flour. I also reduced the salt to a rounded tsp. I set my bread machine for the rapid french coarse. This worked better than the dough setting which only allows one rise. I set a timer to remind me to take it out before the machine started baking. This gave the dough more needing and rising cycles. As many have suggested, I divided and shaped the dough and let it rise on the baking stone or pan (because transfering your dough can possibly make it flatten) which I covered with parchment paper and a sprinkling of cornmeal. You know the dough is ready to bake when it is soft and leaves an indentation when gently poked. If the indentation fills back in let it rise some more. Rise range 40-60min. I applied the egg solution using a paper towel softly brushing the dough. I think this is better than using a stiff brush because the dough can easily flatten. I pre-heated my oven to 400 and when I was ready to put in the bread I turned it down to 375. I didn't use the water or ice cube at the bottom of the oven as some have suggested (I forgot). But my crust came out crispy, flaky, perfect!

Excellent and easy!!!!
Why buy it anymore
Made it several times ``
Will never buy italian bread again

This bread is so easy to make, and even the kids love it.  Also makes great garlic bread after slicing.  The loaves look like they came from an Italian bakery!

*************** Just AWESOME!  Made as directed with NO CHANGES.  I made these into sandwich roll sizes and need to work on my rollong tech more.  I tried using the knife to split but one collapsed on me.  Another fell while brushing with egg mixture.  I opted to leave that go and sprayed with olive oil instead and gave a quick sprinkle of cornmeal.  They were so delicious!  I made them with chickem cutlets, broccoli rabe, long hots and good provolone cheese.  Simply great!  Family liked them so much they planned out a few more meals they want just so they can have the rolls again!!!  Thanks for sharing!  -/-/-/-/- Just an additional note - hubs said to me the next day:  "I never noticed how store bought rolls taste so floury and doughy until you made these. Yours were so much better!"  I am going to try and make a batch to see how they freeze and if it works then BYE -BYE store brand!/-/-/-/Ok another addition - made lunch for my brother with the leftovers - COULD NOT believe I made them!  Still crispy outside and a soft chewey inside ---can you tell I love theis recipe?  I have enough left over to make garlic bread for dinner too.  Cant wait to have one!
*** made the leftover rolls as garlic bread - they were fantastic!**** My daughter watched me make 1 roll tonight (this is like the 4th time we hae made these now) and she rolled up the rest.  She is 9 and has claimed this as her job from now on.  Ino longer buy rolls - I have this recipe and Becky to make them for us!

This is nice bread. I will cut back to 1 teaspoon of salt next time. It was a bit too salty.

Terrific recipe - but I don't own a bread machine!

This is what I did: 

I used rapid rise yeast - so non-machine makers adjust times accordingly for regular yeast!

I used all ingredients as stated.  I proofed the yeast with the water/brown sugar first, then added to the remaining ingredients in my stand mixer's bowl.  Using the dough hook I mixed/kneaded the dough approximately 5 minutes on low speed.  There was no need for additional flours - it was perfect.  

I turned the mixer off, removed the hook and put a towel over the bowl, letting it rise for about 30 minutes.  Then, I removed the dough and punched it down, made it into two loaves and placed them directly on my large pizza stone covered in cornmeal, covered them with the damp towel and put them into a slightly warmed oven to rise for about 35 minutes.

At this point, I followed it up just as the recipe stated with the egg wash and slicing the top (I did short diagonals instead of down the middle - but it really makes no difference that I can see) and baked them for 35 minutes on the nose.

Great recipe, awesome tasting bread, and so very easy to make.   My daughter and I had the first loaf gone before it cooled - sliced it and smeared it with the "Garlic Butter" recipe from this site.  I had to make two more batches that night just so we had some left over!

A good, heavier bread similar to a calabrese. Nice crust.

Outstanding ~ Perfect Everytime!!  I have been trying to master baking bread either by hand or with the bread machine for my whole married life (22 Yrs).  Here is the recipe I have been looking for.  Comes out perfect every time.  Have shared recipe with others and they say the same!  I start off the ingredients in the bread machine, put it on "dough" cycle and it does all the work.  I rise the dough on the cookie sheet sprinkled with (I use semolina flour) and put it in a warm oven, spritz with water occassionally.  When I bake it I spritz with water every minute or 2 for the first 5-10 min. (from bread making class for artisan bread) Excellent!

Love it. I get rave reviews every time and it makes AMAZING garlic bread. I have often left out the cornmeal and it still turns out wonderfully.

Loved it!  I'm a fairly experienced baker and found this to be an awesome dough to work with.  I used a tad more water - it's very dry here with the heat on.  Use the full amount of salt - I reduced it per other reviewers suggestion and wished I hadn't.  No need to go to the store when perfectly awesome bread can be made at home!

Good recipe. It makes two mini loafs. Tastes just like the Italian bread you get with take out. The steps for the machine are

1. Place ingredients in bread machine and start it.
2. Machine will knead the bread and then go on to rise the bread
3. After the rise the bread machine will beat the dough down.
4. After it's done beating the dough down that is when you want to take it out.
5. Cut in two, put on parchment paper for 40 minutes cover in plastic wrap with a towel on it.
6. Bake 35 minutes.

The bread tasted fine. I was a little confused as to how long to keep the dough in the bread machine. The dough cycle 'punches down' the dough before the final raising time. This is when I took the dough out to form into loaves. Worked okay and looked pretty with the egg mixture.

Did you ever make something and, when it's done baking/cooking you think, "Wow, I can't believe I actually made that!!" That is exactly how I felt about this bread. I followed the recipe and directions to a "T" with one exception. I followed reviewers' advice and placed my loaves on a parchment-lined baking sheet to rise. That way I didn't have to move them after they did their last rise. I have had unsuccessful attempts with bread baking in the past but this could not have been easier. The house smelled heavenly while the bread was baking. My little boys could not wait to sink their teeth into a slice. When my husband came home from work,he saw the loaves on the table and asked, "Where did you buy those? Looks good! I highly recommend this recipe. I will make this many, many more times, for sure!

One of the best Italian bread recipes I've tried.

This is a terrific recipe. I made two beautiful, delicious loaves. I put a pan of hot water in the bottom of my oven during the cooking time. If you're not sure they're cooked through, use your digital thermometer - it will read 200 degrees when they are ready to remove from the oven.

This Italian bread was delicious!  I made this for my family and they couldn't believe I made this from scratch!  I do not have a bread machine, so this is what I did.  
1. Proof the yeast with 1/2 c. water, 1 tbsp brown sugar.
2. I mixed 2 c. bread flour and 2 c. all-purpose flour with 2 tsp of vital wheat gluten.
3. Added the remaining water to the yeast mixture and slowly added the flour until a dough formed.
4. I kneaded the dough until it was elastic and smooth and let it rise in a greased bowl.
5. I followed the rest of the directions in the recipe

I hope you all enjoy, it's a delicious recipe!

Great, easy recipe ! Tried making it into bread bowls and found out my yeast was not good, so they didn't rise too well, but the taste is excellent ! Thanks for sharing a bread recipe a bread making chicken can follow, LOL !!!

Am I the only person who had to add more water and olive oil to my recipe? I went exactly by the recipe, but my dough was way too crumbly. I had to add 1/3 cup more water and 3 tsp more olive oil. Other than that tweaking, it turned out really well and tasted great. The crust was definitely perfect. I had been wanting to find a crusty bread that tastes like what we can get at our local Italian bakery and this comes very close!

This recipe is fool proof indeed! I took other reviewers' advice and baked it on the same pan it rose on. I let it rise about 45 minutes and turned my back for a second, only to have my cat step on the risen forms covered with a clean tea towel (I'm sure it looked like a comfy warm pillow to her). One of the loaves was squished in 2 places. I let it rise another ten minutes and baked them both off. The 'paw prints' baked right out. This was the most delicious bread I've ever baked-and I've baked many! A second attempt is in the bread machine at this moment. This time, I'm keeping my eye on the cat. 

Wow, this is fantastic exactly as written, I have made it twice in the past 3 days.  The second time I made it I beat the egg with the 1 T of water and saved just enough of the mixture to brush over the top of the bread before baking and through the rest of the egg mixture into the bread maker before I started it up and I think it made the bread a little bit more tender.  
The first time I followed the recipe I noticed that a lot of the egg mixture went to waste because you only need a very small amount to brush over the tops before baking and figured it couldn't hurt to throw the egg into the dough rather than let it go to waste.
Also don't forget roll the loaves in the cornmeal before placing in the pan and then sprinkle the cornmeal again on top after the egg wash.  The cornmeal gives the bread a really nice texture on the crust

very good... the longer it rises the better!

This is SUPER yummy bread. I especially like the texture from the cornmeal bottom. But the instructions are kind of off. You can just shape the loaves and let them rise directly on the baking sheet. If you try to move them once they've risen you may end up deflating them. Also, I'd recomend slashing them before the final rise after you've shaped the loaves. 

Baked it right in the bread machine- SO good.  I kept all the ingredients as is except I cut back on the flour to 3 cups (that is the max capacity for my machine).  I was really worried that less flour would screw up the finished product- I set my machine to bake while I was out of the house- so there was no room for tweaking as the bread was being made.  But guess what? We had a gorgeous loaf of bread.  VERY good.

Very tasty, although my loaves don't look like the picture.  I should have cut deeper like other reviewers mentioned.  For my family, the salt was just right.  I threw a handful of ice cubes in the oven after about 15 minutes of baking - the crust is light and chewy.

I have made a lot of breads.  This one is one of the best ever.  I have been giving it to all my friends.  Some people say it was heavy and they didn't let it rise enough. I think so, because I have made this about 6 times now and had nothing but perfect bread in every way.  I would not change a thing.  We love it! thanks alot... for one of the very best bread receipes on here...

This turned out beautifully the first time.  Cooked it on my stoneware, and it looked fantastic.  My barbecue guests loved it!!


Very good bread, chewy &amp; more dense than I expected.  Not sure if I am the only person that had to add more warm water &amp; olive oil?  Will make again &amp; try bread flour.  Salt amount was just right.

Wow, this is super-easy, and pretty good! I used 3 c unbleached AP and 1 cup bread flour, reduced the salt slightly (but since I use kosher salt, it's as if I reduced it even more) and after the egg wash, I used my microplane to do a super-fine grating of romano across the top. It turned out really well - the egg wash did a great job of creating that crusty, shiny outer layer (make sure you get it all the way around, or you'll have soft crust where you miss). Be sure to cut fairly deeply; mine only opened a bit with a cut about 1" deep. I took the advice of a few reviewers and let the loaves rise right on the stoneware on which I baked, which was good thinking since moving always deflates the loaves a bit. Even so, I wish the loaves had been just a touch higher, so I plan to let it rise a bit more next time. Thanks for the recipe, it's a great starting point, and a darn tasty way to get your daily allowance of vitamin carb. :D

My husband says it's as good as the bread from the best Italian bakery in our hometown!  To avoid making the bread dense, I used 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 bread flour.  While the bread was being kneaded by the machine, I added 1 tsp at a time of warm milk.  Total came to 1/4 C, but I live in a dry climate.  The dough came out light and had a beautiful elasticity.  The finished product is heaven!

I like this bread, it did come out a little dense but all the better for an olive oil and vinegar dip. The crust was perfect, the bread itself had an excellent soft and chewy texture. It wasn't too flavorful but wasn't by any means bad. I will definitly be making this again, perfect accompaniment to any italian dish, esp if dipping the bread in oils! Update: Allow the bread to rise in oven with a pan of hot water resting on lower rack.

I used this to make muffalettas for a party, and people raved about it!  The bread was perfect for the sandwiches, soft enough to bite into easily but firm enough to bear the meats, cheeses and olive spread  without falling apart.  And with the help of the bread machine, it's super easy.

This is a great bread recipe. I use it all the time -- especially to make garlic bread. The crunchy crust is the best!

This bread was excellent! I followed the instructions exactly, including leaving all of the salt in it. I find things that are skimped on salt are skimped on flavor. Just my opinion. Anyway I let the loaves rise on the baking stone I baked them on. Perfect beautiful loaves with incredible flavor and texture. Definately a keeper!

This was delicious.  Following other reviewers suggestions, I used half all-purpose flour (bleached) and half bread machine flour.  The first time I  decreased the salt to 1 tsp, but I also made it with the 1&amp;1/2 tsp the recipe called for and it wasn't salty at all.  My only caution is read up on how to "shape loaves" if you've never made bread without the bread machine before.  My first attempts were kind of ugly- but still delicious- because I didn't know a thing about that step.  I'll use this recipe again and again, thanks!

I've too have used this recipe over and over again and it's been wonderful everytime.  I use whatevers leftover to make the best garlic bread.

This was excellent! I let it rise on the baking sheet so it wasn't moved, and did not add any egg or anything on it. I slashed the top and it helped it rise more. After I cooked it mostly, I let it cool a bit and then cut it halfway through into almost slices, spread garlic butter in it, wrapped it in tin foil and baked it for another 10 min. Ahhhmazing!

Followed the recipe exactly but I had problems with the rise.  It took close to 2 hours, ended up using the hot water method  (hot water in a bowl in the oven when turned off with the bread above it), did this for an extra hour and it rised but still not as much as I had expected.

Wow!  I can'believe I actually made French Bread!  This recipe was so easy!  I'll admit confusion over the diretion to 'place seam side down'.  Yes, I'm that much of a bread novice!  I know now that to form the loaf you fold the ends up and the sides up to meet down the middle.  These 'seams' are placed down.  These loaves were beautiful and delicious.  Highly recommended.

Skip the egg wash and put an iron skillet filled with hot stones on the lower shelf in the oven. Ten minutes before finish, squirt water on the stones for a better crust...

The bread tasted good but moving it to the baking sheet causes it to fall flat.  Against my better judgement I followed those instructions and it was flat.  I'll make this again and let it rise on the baking sheet.

Several people have complained that this bread was not high enough; I would point out that Italian bread, as we saw during our years in Rome, is NOT very high.  I remember thinking it looke like 'bakery flops' til I got used to it!  This bread is still going strong in my house after years!  Tonight I am taking 6 (SIX) loaves to a family party!  That says it well.

Best bread i've ever made.  Such a simple recipe with fantastic results.  i've had my bread maker for years and used it rarely.  Now i'm making one loaf after another.  i'm having a little trouble keeping the bread from not flatting out while rising.  It's still great though.

I had a lot of fun making this recipe. I added garlic powder, italian seasoning and parsley. I cut it in four pieces and twirled 2 together, making 2 lovely loaves.  The first was devoured in less than 10 minutes, and I had to hide the second one to save for dinner! Thank you!

This is an incredible recipe. I have made it twice now with perfect results both times. I rolled it out into an oval on the floured counter-top and then rolled it up into one long oval loaf and the result is a fantastic, light airy bread with just the right amount of saltiness. I did, however, skip the eggwash part and instead rubbed the top down with a cold stick of butter immediately after taking it out of the oven. The whole family gobbles it right up. Love it!
edit: I should add that I let it proof directly on a greased baking sheet so I wouldn't have to move it.

we love love LOVE this bread!  perfect texture, perfect crust, and the perfect combination of easy use of the bread machine and enough hands-on work that you feel like you actually made it!  great flavor---i can't praise it enough:  thank you!

This turned out great! I used my breadmachine, following the directions listed with one exception. I used bread flour rather than all purpose flour. I made a mistake when measuring out my yeast too (pregnancy brain) but it still turned out great! 

I have a second batch in the breadmaker now with all purpose flour, the right amount of yeast and I threw in 2tsp of vital wheat gluten in.  I'm sure this batch will turn out great as well! 

The crust is a nice brown after using the egg wash as stated and the taste was great! These loaves will be coming with us to my Mothers house tonight for Christmas Eve's feast of the 7 fishes. I'm sure it will be a hit!

I thought it would be perfect given the reviews, but it was very very bland.  My husband said it tasted like pizza dough.  If you do attempt and realize the same thing, I made some garlic rosemary oil to dip it in which gave it a little flavor.  Way too bland and dense.  Will NOT try again.  I didnt transfer to the baking sheet-- I let it rise on the stone.

Wow, this was WONDERFUL!  I didn't have brown sugar so I used cane sugar with a tiny splash of molasses. Turned out great!

This did not turn out very well for me!:-(

I spray with water about every 5 min. and use a pan of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven, crispy crust and delicious soft and inside jsut great.

Was running low on olive oil and brown sugar so I replaced with walnut oil and molasses - still worked perfectly!  The true test of a recipe - when you can substitute ingredients and still get a great product.  I read one comment about it not rising - I'm betting you wound up buying old yeast.  You have to check the exp date on those packets before buying them.  I've had my fair share of dissappointment from using old yeast.  :-)

Excellent recipe.  I actually made 5 small round loaves of bread and then hollowed each one out when they were cooked.  Brushed inside of bread with olive oil and garlic mixture and cooked for another 15 minutes.  I then used them as bread bowls for Potato Soup.  Really easy recipe and everyone LOVED the bread bowls!

I am rating this in two phases, for ease, I rate it a five. I did have to add more water since the dough was quite crumbly. Also I used honey instead of brown sugar since I didn't have any. I used two bread  pans instead of free form loaf. Instead of using a damp cloth, I used two plastic grocery bags to cover the dough, the bags fit perfect and does not touch the dough. I will come back and tell you how the loaves turned out.

Made this to go with chicken parm, pasta and salad and it delicious and so easy!!  I put mine in two loaf pans and let them rise for the 40 minutes and then just brushed olive oil on top and baked them.  I can't say enough about this bread and how good it is!  It's great toasted as well for breakfast!

This recipe is great!  Seeing that I'm cooking for 2, I cut the dough into thirds.  After shaping into loaves, I wrapped two in plastic wrap and frooze them and cooked one for dinner to have with the meatballs I cooked earlier.  Enjoy!

Worse bread I ever made, probably something I did. But followed the recipe exactly.  Bread came out heavy, to flat, and the inside was a gray color, very dense.  Of well back to the italian bakery.

This bread was perfect!!  I made one large loaf instead of two smaller ones, and sprinkled on a few sesame seeds before baking.  My 6-year old gave it "25 stars!!"

Very good bread.  Easy to do.  I only needed 3 2/3 cup of flour.  The inside texture of this bread is incredibly soft.  The crust is nice as well.  Thanks for posting it.

Very nice flavor.  I dont have alot of bread baking experience and this was easy enough.  I followed the recipe, and I resisted the urge to add Italian Seasoning as I was going to serve it with Pasta e Fagioli a la Chez Ivano from this site, and I knew that was going to be full of the seasonings so I didnt want to over do it.  On techinque however, I did make a change.  I let the bread rise on the stone that I baked them on.  So glad I did.  I dont know how in the world I would have transferred it.  I was trying to work fast with the egg wash and it was starting to spread out, so I can't imagine what would have happened if I moved it.  I meant to add a pan of ice to the oven but forgot.  Great recipe, even for a beginner.  Thanks for sharing!

I used the basic parts of this recipe to make an italian bread dough in the machine (then hand shaped, placed in a peforated bread pan, and baked in the oven). The changes: I used about 3 cups of European flour and 1 cup of Ancient Grains flour from King Arthur Flour. I added vital wheat gluten. I increased the water to about 1 1/2 cups (due to the flour I was using) and I also added 1/3 cup grated parmesan romano cheese. I didn't use cornmeal as I didn't have to "slide" the bread dough onto anything as I did the second rise directly in the perforated french loaf pan. I did use the egg and water wash. I baked until the loaves were golden brown and 190 degrees farenheit. I actually had a soft crust (which was fabulous). I've been making a lot of crusty artisan bread and my husband wanted a soft crust bread. The kids loved it too, so much they actually ate the left over bread the next day !!! I imagine this loaf would have intended to be "crusty" because it is an italian bread, but my family just raved how wonderful it was. With the differences in flour, extra water, entire egg wash (not egg white only), and the fact that I covered the bread with a piece of aluminum foil before it became "too brown;" were probable contributors to my soft crust. However, I was not disappointed in the least and will definately make this bread again !!! Thanks for the posting.

Very good, used garlic salt in place of regular so it was fragrant and tasty.   Definitely one for the recipe box!

My hubby loved this,  we will be making this recipe again!

I made this tonight.  It looks positively perfect.  It was simple, did it in the breadmaker, took it out and moulded it into a loaf, sprinkled a  parchment papered cookie sheet with corn meal, and placed the dough on top.  It rose for about 1-1/2 hrs., I basted it with the eggwash, after I sliced it down the center, and I only made one large loaf.  I did cook it for 35 mins., it was hollow sounding, just like the recipe said.  I have eaten a slice (couldn't help myself), it is denser than an Italian loaf, but delicious nonetheless.  It does soften up when it cools, doesn't stay rock hard on the outside like bakery bought loafs, but all in all, a wonderful replacement for store bought bread, you know how much fat is in it, and really what you are eating.  I have had that breadmaker in my basement for a couple of years now, and while wandering through this website today I decided I had time (how easy is this), and so I made it.  Just the two of us now, we eat less bread, because I'm not out shopping daily for groceries, so I must try other recipes, preferably ones with grains in them.  Just wondering if there is a way to make this recipe into rolls.  I may try.  

I am new at cooking, but followed recipe and it turned out wonderful. I did use bread pans. AS suggested, I used 1 teaspoon of salt, 7 ice cubes in a pan below bread pans.

Oh my gosh! So good! I am so happy with this... 'cept it's not gonna be so good for my figure to eat the incredible amount of it that I want to! I had no cornmeal so let it rise on the greased cookie sheet. Next time I'm trying the pan of ice cubes thing and see what it does though this was incredible!

Italian bread does not, I repeat, does not get any better than this. Don't have a bread machine, so I put all the ingredients in a bowl, mixed it by hand, and ended up with the best rolls. Shaped into 4 rolls. You gotta try this :)

I don't have a bread machine instead make it in my kitchen aid mixer.  It comes out perfect every time.  I also use it to make pepperoni rolls.

LOVE!!! This is the ONLY recipe I use for Italian bread. After trying a few other ones nothing compares to this one. I make it plain, or throw in some garlic powder, parsley and oregano. I like to use it for grilled cheese samis but have to bake 2 because the 1st loaf gets devoured by my family topped with butter and honey. Must try!!!

fantastic bread! This is the first time bread actually worked out for me. I never like the way my bread machine cooked the bread into a cube shaped loaf. It just isnt the same as baked in the oven. I let my bread rise on the pan that i cooked it on so i did not have to move it. Made a batch today and will make another tomorrow. Delicious.

I wish there were more than 5 stars!  I don't have a bread machine, so I combined the warm water, brown sugar and yeast and let it get foamy (about 10 min) then added the oil, flour and salt.  I kneaded it in my Kitchen Aid for about 5 min and let it rise about an hour.  It made a really nice, soft dough - great to work with!  VERY good!

I used all bread flour, only 1 tsp salt and added 4 tsp gluten to the dough. Great bread!

This bread is fantastic!  The flavor and texture is the same as the local Italian bread bakery.  I shaped the loaves and put them on my baking sheet with parchment paper eliminating the need for the cornmeal.  I also found that by making the slice down the length before rising seemed to work better than right before baking the loaves.  Since I keep my house cooler, I let them rise about 1 1/2 hours giving me larger less dense loaves of bread.  My entire family loved this bread and I will be making it often.

Made this as written, with one exception I shaped and let rise on a warm pizza stone. Baked it on the same stone and got wonderful results. Thank you Destiny.

This came out better than any Italian bread I've made, bread machine or hand-kneaded.  It still wasn't what I was wanting.  The inside was soft and fluffy but too much like Wonder Bread.  The crust was nice and crunchy but I was expecting crisp and flaky since I put the tray of ice cubes in the oven.   I'm terrible at making bread so I still gave this 4 stars.   The one that comes out the best is one I found on a blog about frugality, it is not kneaded at all but left overnight, then cooked in a pre-heated cast-iron pot with a lid.  It's FANTASTIC and comes out perfect every time.   I am going to try this one again, though and see if I can get it to come out how I want it since it was SO close and good! Thanks for the recipe!

I am so impressed w/ this recipe.  What a great tasting, dense bread.  I reduced salt to 1 tsp b/c my bread doesn't rise very well if I put anymore than that in.  I increased the olive oil to 1 Tbsp.  I wasn't sure if 1 1/2 tsp was going to be enough, since all bread recipes I've come across have asked for 1-2 Tbsp oil.  I also had to add 1 Tbsp of water as the machine was mixing b/c there was a bit of flour at the bottom that just wasn't mixing in to the dough.  The recipe made 2 wonderful loaves.  I forgot to put the egg wash on, but it still turned out great.  I cut one open and used it for garlic bread (made garlic butter spread).  It was terrific w/ my spaghetti and meatballs.  I found a new garlic bread!  Thanks for the amazing recipe!  PLEASE TRY THIS RECIPE...it really is terrific.

I have been using this recipe for a couple of years.  My family loves it!  My husband is of Italian decent and we can never find true Italian bread hard on the outside yet soft inside this simple recipe does that, so happy baking.

at the recommendation from a friend from this site i tried this recipe and man oh man...it sure is a great one...i used drk brown sugar coz i didn't have lite...not sure if it made a difference coz it turned out very well...will use this recipe ALOT...thanks...update...used lite b.sugar this time and it turned out great again...thanks again

This was good bread, just not quite as good as Mama D's Italian Bread.

Excellent! I tried one of the other suggestions using wheat gluten. I don't have a bread machine, did it with mixer. Turned out beautifully. My husband has banished me from the bakery!

The flavor wasn't bad, but the bread came out very, very heavy and dense. Also, moving the bread from a cutting board to a baking sheet caused a little deflation. I find this to be an unnecessary step. It should simply rise on the baking sheet.

I make homemade bread alot and this is one of the best tasting, easiest breads I 've ever made. My kids devour it.  Tip, since I start it in the bread machine, I give it an extra rise before baking to intensify the flavor. 

This is a great recipe. My son and husband loved it. In fact, my son had it toasted this morning for breakfast and it is just as good today as it was yesterday. The only thing I did different was instead of making two loaves, I just made it into one big loaf. I had to bake it alittle longer because I like my bread browner that what the recipes called for.This is a keeper!!!!!!!

This bread turned out totally awesome!  I made garlic bread with this after it had baked and cooled.  Grumpy gave it 2 thumbs up!

This bread was soooooo good!!! I made it on a rainy morning which made my day! My family loved it!!!! This recipe was so easy, and delicious!! I will be making this again soon:)

The bread is good.  Many people are complaining that it is not what you find in a bakery, well you are not baking in a bakery you are in your kitchen using a bread maker.  I put a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack and baked each loaf separate ( I don't know if that made any difference in the crust ) &amp; the crust came out very nice.  So for a quick recipe for sandwich bread (which is what I used it for) it is fine.  One loaf I dusted with rosemary and garlic it was good.  I will make again when I need a quick loaf for a stew or garlic bread or sandwiches etc.

I have made this twice and it is excellent.  I also let the dough rise on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.  Makes a beautiful loaf with little effort.  Bread also stays fresh longer than most homemade loaves.

Awesome bread!  This recipe cannot be improved.  Like other reviewers, I used 1 tsp of salt and put the loaves on parchment paper on top of my baking stone.  I wish I could give this more than 5 stars.

We love this bread!  I've been trying to make an Italian bread similar to the loaves we remember from an Italian bakery in Portland, Maine, where my Italian grandparents lived.  This recipe is pretty much spot on.  Great chewy crust and an inside with great flavor and texture.  I bought a bread lame and am trying to get the scoring down right.  Will definitely make this again and again, thank you!

This was a great recipe. Tasted just like bakery bought italian bread. The only problem I had was that the bread didn't rise as much as i would have liked. However,  this may have been my fault because I think i made the loaves to long. Next time I will make them shorter this way they have more height.

italian bread using a bread machine

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Servings: 1.5

Cost: $19.29 /serving

Author : deleteduser

Ingredients

Instructions

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