Simple, classic Italian bread takes just a few ingredients and a pretty simple process and bakes them into a delicious crusty bread that’s perfect for dipping in soups, making crostini and sandwiches, and just snacking on – it’s that good!
Oh, hey, is this thing on? It’s been a little while since I’ve been on here. And I’m going to talk about that, so if it’s not your jam, go ahead and hit the “Jump to Recipe” button. If you’re here for this, though, pour yourself a glass, pull up a chair, and let’s chat.
Let’s talk about that nasty thing called burnout.
It’s happened to me before, but this one hit with a vengeance. I’d taken on too much as usual, everywhere, filling every inch with work, responsibilities, and commitments until there was no room left for me. And then everything went sideways these past couple months with work, and I was asked to take on even more, and all of this culminated in one of the worst health and burnout crashes I’ve ever had, the kind that makes even things you love feel like a chore. I didn’t want to talk about data or talent or even food online or anywhere. The thought of experimenting, playing with flavors, creating something new from scratch? Too much. So I didn’t.
I knew I had to make changes, but “I’ll do it tomorrow” is evil and seductive when everything feels like too much.
I don’t know what jogged me out of it – but I started feeling like myself again. Clarity. Optimism. The ability to say “no” to doing something I don’t want to make room for in my life. The ability to find balance. And in that space, I started feeling the urge to create.
Not to just throw things together, but to create. Not to just go through the motions just to get food on the table and but to experiment, to listen to the flavors calling me, to try things I hadn’t tried in a long time.
Like baking bread.
I’ve never been all that good at it (or baking in general – it takes too much precision where I’m more of a fling spices in it until it tastes right kind of person). Baking bread takes time, patience, and care – three things I haven’t felt in a long time.
But standing in my kitchen, even if I wasn’t actually kneading the dough but slowly feeding ingredients into my mixer and watching the bread hook do its work, and then pressing and folding and punching down and waiting for the rise, I found something I hadn’t realized I’d lost.
Presence.
I was actually present in my own life.
I found myself paying attention to the details – the tackiness of the dough as it came together and recognizing when it looked just right, the slow and steady rise, the scent of yeast blooming into something magic. Shaping and kneading bread is a kind of therapy and oh so satisfying when it goes right.
And this one went so right. When I finally pulled my first golden crusty loaf from the oven and felt the crackle of its shell when I tapped it with my nails and cut it up so we could snack on it when it was still warm, fresh, and airy, even if it was shaped a little off? That was everything. Hell, I was prouder of that first loaf of crusty Italian bread I made than of a lot of work or conference presentations I’ve done, applause included.
You can’t rush bread. You can’t force the process. And as it turns out, you can’t force your way out of burnout either. You have to step back. You have to slow down. You have to give yourself time to rise again.
It’s amazing what a difference giving things time to rise can make.
Simple Italian Bread
Equipment
- stand mixer with bread hook optional
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups warm water 110F
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 each egg for brushing
- 2 tsp seasoning of your choice for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir it gently and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it is foamy. The foam means the yeast is activated.
- In a large mixing bowl, or a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, combine the flour and salt (I use the slowest stir setting for all of this).
- Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil slowly to the flour. Let mix until a rough dough forms, about 10 minutes in the stand mixer and a little longer if kneading by hand. The dough should be smooth and stretchy.
- Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a loaf by folding it over and rolling into a log. Place it on a baking sheet.
- Cover the loaf loosely with a towel and let it rise again for 30-45 minutes, or until it becomes puffy.
- Heat your oven to 400F.
- Whisk the egg. Make diagonal slashes across the top of the bread with a sharp knife and brush the egg over the top of the loaf for a crispy shiny crust. Sprinkle lightly with seasoning of your choice (I used a little garlic salt and Italian seasoning for this loaf).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the loaf is golden brown. Tap the bottom of the loaf - it should make a hollow sound.
- Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.