Rustic Italian Crusty Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to crispy crust bread? ›

The best way to brown and crisp your bread's bottom crust – as well as enhance its rise – is to bake it on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel. The stone or steel, super-hot from your oven's heat, delivers a jolt of that heat to the loaf, causing it to rise quickly.

Although a little vague like artisan bread, the general consensus is that rustic bread is not shaped with a pan and it is only made with simple ingredients such as just flour, water, salt, and yeast (or starter). Rustic bread is usually baked at a higher temperature which results in a thicker crust.

Ciabatta

The bread was inspired by French baguettes but with a more rustic, chewy texture and a thicker crust. This bread is made with a high-hydration dough that is fermented for a long time, which gives it a unique texture and flavour.

As you are rolling out and topping your first pizza, switch your oven to broil. Right before you launch, swtich your oven back to bake or convection bake 500F. The idea is to get your Steel even hotter than 500 F for this thin crust bake. It really helps crisp up that bottom.

This means putting it in plastic wrap is a bad idea. Conversely, a hot place will evaporate the moisture in the bread and make it go stale quicker. Therefore, the best place to store bread is a cool dry place. Bread bins are excellent for providing such an atmosphere.

A “tight crumb” aka small holes in the interior of your bread can be the result of different factors: under-fermenting, over-fermenting, and a lack of gluten development. The most confounding part of sourdough bread baking is that the rise times of recipes are just a suggestion or range.

What is rustic bread? Rustic bread is roughly shaped and not baked in a loaf pan. It is usually made of only yeast, flour, salt, and water. It has an “imperfect” look.

Other sweet options include maritozzi, the famous Italian sweet bread often found in Rome, or biscotti to go with your coffee. A healthy Italian breakfast might consist of some bread, butter, jam, some yogurt, and fruit. Italians also eat muesli and cereal in the mornings with yogurt or milk.

In Italian, the end of the bread is called the "la crosta." This term refers to the crusty outer portion of the bread, which is often slightly thicker and more textured than the rest of the loaf. In Italian cuisine, the crosta is highly valued for its rich, toasty flavor and satisfying crunch.

Where is the best bread in Italy? ›

It may be controversial — in fact, we know it is — but many Italians believe the best bread comes from the region of Puglia. The town of Altamura in Southeast Italy is known for its traditional large knots of bread called Pane di Altamura. Read on to learn what makes this “Priest's Hat” bread so special.

'Pane di Altamura' or Altamura's bread is one of the oldest bread varieties in Italy, with records showing the evidence of the bread being produced in 37 B.C. It is a bread that comes from Altamura, a town in the Alta Murgia region of Puglia in South Italy.

Pane Siciliano is a traditional bread from Sicily made with durum wheat (semolina), sometimes a little olive oil (as I do in this recipe), and even sweeteners such as honey or barley malt syrup. The flavor is nutty, sweet, and with a buttery mouthfeel, thanks to the olive oil.

Water – crispy crust

Water may be brushed on or spritzed. Water keeps the dough skin from forming the crust, enabling the dough to expand. It also smooths out the crust, creating a more refined appearance. Apply just before baking.

What are the best techniques for creating dark color and shine on bread crusts? To create dark, burnished crusts on their loaves, professional bakers brush milk, egg, or water onto the surface of the risen dough before baking.

Baking quick breads at too high temperatures can cause a hard outside crust.

Before putting anything on the crust (sauce, cheese, toppings), cook the crust in the oven for 3-4 minutes. This will limit the amount of moisture on the crust allowing it to get a little more crispy. Also, since traditional ovens do not get as hot as pizza ovens, the dough needs more time to get crispy.