An easy homemade bread recipe with a golden, crisp crust and a soft, wonderfully chewy centre.
There is something deeply satisfying about baking your own bread. The smell filling the kitchen, the warmth of a freshly baked loaf and that first slice still slightly warm from the oven — sometimes the simplest things bring the most pleasure.
This easy crusty bread recipe needs just a handful of everyday ingredients and is wonderfully straightforward to make. The dough is left to rise slowly before being baked until beautifully golden and crisp on the outside, with a soft and airy centre.
It is perfect served alongside a bowl of homemade soup, torn into pieces for an Italian-inspired sharing table, or simply enjoyed warm with good butter and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Makes
1 loaf
Ingredients
430g plain flour or bread flour
7g active dry yeast (approximately 2½ tsp)
355ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Method
1. Mix the dry ingredients
Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add the water
Pour in the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until everything comes together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
3. Knead the dough
Lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough onto it. If the dough is tacky and sticking to the work surface, add small amounts of flour to the surface to knead into the dough. Knead for around 5–10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and slightly springy.
4. Leave the dough to rise
Lightly coat a clean bowl with the olive oil. Place the dough into the bowl and turn it gently so it is lightly coated in oil.
Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean, damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 2–3 hours, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
5. Shape the loaf
Once the dough has risen, gently press out some of the air. Shape the dough into either a round boule or an oval loaf, depending on your preference.
Place the shaped dough onto a piece of baking parchment and cover loosely. Leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven
While the dough is having its final rest, preheat your oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas Mark 7.
If you are using a Dutch oven, place it, with the lid on, into the oven while it preheats so that it becomes thoroughly hot.
Dutch Oven Method
7. Bake the bread
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Using the baking parchment to help you, lower the dough into the Dutch oven.
Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue baking for a further 10–15 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully golden brown and the crust is crisp.
Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
No Dutch Oven? No Problem
You can still make beautifully crusty homemade bread without a Dutch oven. The key is creating steam in the oven, which helps the bread develop its crisp crust.
1. Prepare your baking tray
Place a heavy baking tray, cast-iron pan or ovenproof baking dish into the oven while it preheats to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas Mark 7.
Place a second, empty metal baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven.
2. Transfer the dough
Once the dough has completed its final 30-minute rise, carefully transfer it, still on its baking parchment, onto the hot baking tray.
3. Create steam
Quickly pour around 200ml of boiling water into the empty tray on the bottom shelf and immediately close the oven door.
Be very careful when adding the water as the steam will be extremely hot.
4. Bake
Bake for approximately 35–45 minutes, until the bread is deeply golden and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before slicing.
A Mia Dolce Vita Touch
Homemade bread is one of those small rituals that makes an ordinary day feel a little more special. There is no need to rush the rising time. Let the dough do its work while you enjoy a coffee, read a few pages of a book or prepare something lovely to eat alongside it.
For an Italian-inspired table, tear the warm bread into generous pieces and serve with extra-virgin olive oil, good butter or a little bowl of olives.
And if you're making a pot of our Italian Chicken & Vegetable Soup, this is the perfect loaf to serve alongside it.
Simple ingredients. A little patience. Something wonderful from the oven.
