Crusty Italian Bread

Before you start

This is the Italian-American bakery loaf: a long, plump bread with a thin, crackling crust, a soft and slightly springy interior, and often a coat of sesame seeds. It is a lean dough with a touch of sugar and olive oil, which keeps the crumb tender and helps the crust brown in a home oven without becoming tough. It is ideal for tearing at the table, dipping in olive oil, or slicing for garlic bread.

Steam is what gives the crust its crackle. Moisture in the first minutes of baking keeps the surface soft so the loaf can expand fully before the crust sets, and then the dry heat finishes it crisp and golden. A simple pan of boiling water on a lower rack is enough. Bake until the loaf reaches about 96°C (205°F) inside and sounds hollow, then let it cool fully so the crumb is not gummy.

Ingredients

• 500 g (4 cups) bread flour
• 340 g (1⅓ cups plus 1 tbsp) warm water — about 32°C (90°F)
• 5 g (1½ tsp) instant yeast
• 10 g (2½ tsp) granulated sugar
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine salt
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• Topping1 large egg white — beaten with 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds — optional
• 1 tbsp cornmeal — for the pan

Method

1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water and olive oil. Knead for 7 to 8 minutes in a mixer or 10 to 12 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth, elastic and passes a rough windowpane test.
2. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 75 to 90 minutes, until doubled.
3. Turn the dough out and press it into a rectangle about 25 x 30 cm (10 x 12 in). Roll it tightly from a long side, pinching the seam as you go, then roll the log under your palms to about 35 cm (14 in), tapering the ends slightly.
4. Set the loaf seam-side down on a parchment-lined sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and proof for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy and a gentle poke leaves a slowly filling dent.
5. Meanwhile heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) with a metal pan on the lowest rack and a baking stone, if using, in the center. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
6. Brush the loaf with the egg white wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut one long slash about 1 cm (½ in) deep down the length, holding the blade at a shallow angle.
7. Slide the loaf into the oven, pour about 240 ml (1 cup) boiling water into the hot pan and close the door quickly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and the center reads about 96°C (205°F).
8. Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing. The crust crackles as it cools; that is normal.

Tips for success

• Wear oven mitts and pour the water in carefully, keeping your face away from the burst of steam.
• For a crisper crust, turn off the oven after baking and leave the loaf inside with the door ajar for 5 minutes.
• Divide the dough in two for a pair of 30 cm (12 in) loaves; bake them for 22 to 26 minutes.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour makes a softer loaf with a less open crumb. Reduce the water by 15 g so the dough is not too slack.

Egg white wash

Brush with water instead for a matte, crackly crust; the seeds will cling less, so press them on gently.

Instant yeast

Use 6 g (2 tsp) active dry yeast, dissolved in the warm water for 5 minutes before mixing.

Variations

Overnight biga Italian bread

Mix 150 g of the flour, 100 g of the water and a pinch of yeast the night before and leave covered for 12 hours. Add it with the remaining ingredients, keeping the total yeast at 5 g, for a more complex flavor.

Semolina loaf

Replace 150 g of the bread flour with fine semolina rimacinata and add 15 g more water. The crumb turns pale yellow and slightly sweet.

Troubleshooting

Crust is thick and tough

The loaf baked too long at a lower temperature, or there was no steam. Use the full oven heat with steam and bake to temperature, not by time alone.

Loaf split along the side

It was underproofed or the slash was too shallow. Proof until the poke test is slow to spring back and cut decisively.

Crumb is gummy

The bread was sliced warm or underbaked. Bake to 96°C and cool at least 45 minutes.

Loaf spread flat

The shaping was loose or the dough overproofed. Roll the log tightly to build surface tension and bake as soon as it passes the poke test.

Storage

Keep the loaf cut-side down on a board or in a paper bag at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Plastic softens the crust. Slice and freeze for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough. Contains wheat and egg; sesame if used.