Authentic Pane Di Casa Italian Bread Loaf – VIDEO
This Pane Di Casa Bread is an easy, homemade classic Italian bread recipe with a crunchy crust and a soft exterior. Pair this authentic Italian bread with pasta, use it in savory sandwiches, or turn it into garlic bread!
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Pane Di Casa, meaning “Bread of The House” in Italian, is a quick and easy bread to make at home. And who doesn’t love an authentic Italian bread loaf?! From Rosemary Parmesan bread to Italian Sandwich bread, Italy knows what it is doing with bread baking.
These bread loaves are usually homemade and baked to be eaten the same day. However, you can now find them at Italian bakeries for purchase.
This rustic Italian bread recipe is versatile. It is perfect to pair with most Italian dishes, such as pasta, antipasto, and meat & cheese.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make homemade bread
- Soft bread with a crunch crust!
- No pizza stones or dutch oven needed
- Perfect to pair with marinara sauce and pastas
- Great to make into garlic bread
- Simple and easy to find ingredients
- You can make and bake Pane Di Casa in the same day
FAQ
Pane Di Casa is a traditional Italian bread that has a flavorful and crusty exterior. Its center is soft and fluffy. It’s perfect for eating with marinara sauce, or baking into a garlic butter toast.
Pane Di Casa is made using commercial yeast, whereas sourdough bread is made using a sourdough starter. The sourdough bread has no commercial yeast.
No, since traditional Italian bread does not use wild yeast that ferments slowly, it is not the same as sourdough.
Key Ingredients For Authentic Pane Di Casa
- All Purpose Flour: Or bread flour. Not all flour brands are the same. Refer to my baking conversion chart to see the brands of the ingredients I use.
- Fine Semolina Flour: Do not use course semolina flour! Course semolina flour won’t absorb the water, and you’ll end up with bread that on one wants to eat.
- Yeast: Leavening Agent. You can use dry yeast or instant yeast
- 10g Salt: I used kosher salt.
- 1 ⅔ Cups 375g Water: Make sure the water is warm (110°F-115°F). Cold water will make the dough rise slowly.
Fine Semolina Flour Substitution For Italian Pane Di Casa Bread
Semolina flour is high in gluten, which is the protein in the wheat. It is traditional in a lot of Italian food. However, I recommend that you stick with semolina flour. Not only does it give the best texture, but it also gives the best flavor!
However, if you must substitute or you don’t have semolina flour at home, I recommend that you substitute with bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. The higher protein will help with keeping the chewiness of the bread.
Step-By-Step Pane Di Casa Recipe Photos
Scroll down for the printable recipe card
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water and yeast. Let sit for five minutes until the yeast is foamy. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl and knead by hand.)
Add all-purpose flour, semolina flour, salt and water into the bowl. With the dough hook attachment, knead for five minutes. The dough should form a smooth ball that isn’t too sticky. If it is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.
Grease a large bowl. Add the dough ball into the greased bowl. Let rise at room temperature for an hour or until doubled.
Once the doughball has doubled, place it on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough ball into a round loaf by folding the dough’s bottom, sides, and top.
Turn over so that the folds are on the bottom. Flour a sheet of parchment paper with semolina flour and all-purpose flour. Transfer the shaped dough onto the parchment paper.
2nd Rise: Cover with an upside-down mixing bowl and let rise for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle some water on the top of the bread. The water will help develop a crispy crust during baking.
Slice the top of the dough with a bread lame or cut with kitchen shears. You can also slice with a very sharp knife.
Transfer the bread onto a baking sheet then place it inside the oven. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Then, turn down the heat to 425°F and bake until golden brown and the internal temp of the bread is 195°F.
Tips For Making Amazing Pane Di Casa Bread
Do Not Skip The Rise Times
The first and second rises are important in any yeast bread recipe. Without those crucial parts of the recipe, the bread will be dense and won’t be pleasant to eat.
Rise times are dependant on the yeast you use and the temperature of your kitchen. Make sure to checkout my Baking With Yeast Guide to learn about dough rise times and commercial yeast.
Sticky Dough? Add More Flour
Although sticky dough is normal in a lot of homemade breads, it is not the case for this rustic bread recipe.
If you find that this bread is too sticky to handle, add one tablespoon of all-purpose flour or bread flour at a time until it is manageable. Make sure to only add a little flour at a time. Adding too much will change the consistency of the dough.
Make Sure The Hot Oven Is At The Correct Temperature
Your oven needs to be at the correct temperature in order to produce great bread. This is crucial! The hot temperature will help the bread rise during bake time.
Sadly, the temperature you set your oven is not always actual temperature. To combat this, I recommend using an oven thermometer.
Overnight Instructions
If you are crunched for time and cannot make this pane di casa bread recipe in one day, then you can make this bread overnight. You have two easy options: place the bread dough in the fridge before its first rise or after its first rise.
Overnight Option One: Bread Dough Does Its First Rise In The Fridge
You will mix all of the ingredients together and knead (steps1-2). Once the dough is kneaded, it in a greased bowl. Cover so that it does not try out. Place in the fridge.
The next day, you will take out the dough and let it come to room temperature, which will take roughly 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
After 1-2 hours, you will continue the rest of the steps in the bread recipe.
Overnight Option Two: Bread Dough Is Shaped Then Does It’s Second Rise In The Fridge
Prepare the recipe through step four. Once you have shaped your bread loaf, then you will cover it and place in the fridge for its second rise. It can stay refrigerated for up to 15 hours.
One to two hours before you need to bake the bread, take the dough out of the refrigerator and keep covered. Follow the rest of the instructions for baking the bread.
How To Store Authentic Pane Di Casa Bread
You can store this bread at room temperature for up to three days. To store it at room temperature, simply place it in your bread box or in a plastic bag after it has cooled down.
This bread can also be stored in the refrigerator and freezer. You will need to place it in a ziplock bag or wrap in a piece of plastic wrap.
To reheat this bread, check out my guide on how to reheat bread for ultimate freshness.
Other Recipes You May Like
Easy Greek Yogurt Bread Loaf With Yeast
Easy Dutch Oven Rosemary Parmesan Cheese Bread
Soft Italian Sandwich Bread With Olive Oil
Quick Sourdough Pasta In Five Steps
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Authentic Pane Di Casa Italian Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Semolina Flour Fine, not course
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Yeast 7g or one packet
- 1 2/3 Cups Water
- 1 3/4 Teaspoons Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water and yeast. Let sit for five minutes until the yeast is foamy. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl and knead by hand.)
- Add all-purpose flour, semolina flour, salt and water into the bowl. With the dough hook attachment, knead for five minutes. The dough should form a smooth ball that isn’t too sticky. If it is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.
- Grease a large bowl. Add the dough ball into the greased bowl. Let rise at room temperature for an hour or until doubled.
- Once the doughball has doubled, place it on a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough ball into a round loaf by folding the dough’s bottom, sides, and top. Turn over so that the folds are on the bottom. Flour a sheet of parchment paper with semolina flour and all-purpose flour. Transfer the shaped dough onto the parchment paper.
- 2nd Rise: Cover with an upside-down mixing bowl and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. OPTIONAL: Place a pizza stone on the center rack. If you don’t have one, don’t use it.
- Once the oven is preheated, sprinkle some water on the top of the bread. The water will help develop a crispy crust during baking. Slice the top of the dough with a bread lame or cut with kitchen shears. You can also slice with a very sharp knife.
- Transfer the bread onto a baking sheet then place it inside the oven. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Then, turn down the heat to 425°F and bake until golden brown and the internal temp of the bread is 195°F.
Video
Notes
- Check out the step-by-step photos on my blog post. They’re very helpful!
- If your yeast does not become foamy, then your yeast might be dead. You’ll need to start over. Check out my Baking With Yeast Guide to help troubleshoot your yeast problems.
- No Stand Mixer? No Problem! You can knead any basic bread recipe by hand. Simply add the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon then knead by hand.
- Shaping The Dough (Optional): If you have a banneton, you can place the dough in there after it is shaped.
- Overnight Instructions: You can let the dough have its first rise in the fridge overnight. To do so, mix all of the ingredients. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from the fridge and let the dough to rise for two more hours at room temperature.
- Other Bread Recipes You May Like:
