Homemade Crusty Italian Bread

Add the bread flour, salt and olive oil and stir to form a rough dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead and 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Lightly grease a large clean bowl with extra olive oil and add the dough. Turn it over in the bowl so it’s covered with the oil and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot to rise 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

Move the covered bowl to the refrigerator for 12-24 hours to get the best flavor and texture to the bread.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Punch down the dough and split into two equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough out into a large rectangle that is about 1-2 inches thick. Starting on the long side, roll the dough up and then pinch the ends into a point to form a baguette shape.

Place the two baguettes on a sheet pan that has been sprinkled with a little bit of cornmeal or lined with parchment paper.

Cover the loafs lightly with a tea towel and let them rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.

When the dough is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 450˚ with a large cast iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven.

After the dough is done rising, remove the towel and use a sharp knife to run a 1 inch slit down the top of each loaf.

Add the sheet pan with the loafs to the middle rack and then add enough water to the cast iron skillet below so it’s filled about halfway.

Immediately close the oven door and bake the bread for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. The bread should also have a hollow sound when you knock on the top of it.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.