72 Reviews of Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread

From: GoodMorningBurger

On Sep 7, 2005

Fab! I made this with 3 cups of whole wheat flour, as i am trying to cut down on my white flour intake...I formed the risen dough into one large round loaf, and after the 45 minute second rise, baked at 400ºF for 31 minutes, and the crust was insanely crisp, and the moist bread inside made me weep! :'''''-) EXCELLENT! A++++++ _Joanna

From: Missy Wombat

On Sep 3, 2005

***** This is an excellent bread with a very nice crispy crust. Perfect for dunking in olive oil! I was most impressed by the way it rose particularly since I used the bread machine to mix the dough. I managed to misplace the second page of instructions and didn't have net access at the time so baked it for 45 minutes at 190 deg C as one big large loaf. Donna, have a go at this one yourself! Definitely worth it! Addit: This is a six star bread. It consistently rises well whether you finish it in the oven or just do the whole thing in the breadmaker. This has become my default recipe for when I want a reliable great-tasting bread that can be used for things like bread baskets.

From: enestvmel

On Mar 13, 2008

I loved this bread. I used all wheat flour. It turned out great! I did put it in one round loaf. Instead of opening the oven every 5 minutes I just put a shallow dish of water on a different shelf. I remembered hearing somewhere that helps with the humidity in the stove giving it a thicker crust. It seemed to help. I was going to put it in for 45 min like someone else suggested, but mine only took about 25-28 minutes. That was at 350 degrees too (about 50 degrees). My stove runs really hot though. I think that's because I wasn't opening up the oven every 5 minutes. I love that it shows 2 ways to be able to make it! I cheated and used the breadmaker. Thanks for the awesome recipe!! It took every ounce of my being to not slice up that loaf while it was warm and save it for supper.

From: Canadian_in_the_Bay

On Apr 9, 2007

This bread made decent Italin dinner rolls for my Easter dinner. After the bread machine's dough cycle was over, I separated the dough into 14 segments, placed half of them on the pan (prepared as directed) to rise and the other half on a prepared pan, covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. The first pan was allowed to rise for 45 minutes, then I brushed the rolls with water and sprinkled them with flour. After the first five minutes of baking, I sprayed them with water and then allowed them to bake for another 7-8 minutes until they were ready. The second batch was taken out of the fridge the next day, let to rise for about an hour and 15 minutes and then baked in the same manner as the first batch and this worked wonderfully.

From: PetesNina

On May 3, 2007

All right! What a great bread! This was very easy to work with. Since I am not a ginger fan I left the ginger out. I subbed honey for the sugar and used rapid rise yeast and cut the rising times by maybe 15 minutes each rising. I split the dough into three long ropes, braided them together into one long loaf and let rise. Then I brushed the top with an egg wash, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked as directed. The loaf came out as beautiful as any from a bakery and went just as quickly. I will make this bread again and again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

From: Pattie2

On Feb 13, 2004

Beautiful and delicious. I also used the dough cycle on my bread machine; makes homemade bread almost effortless! I agree-the best wheat bread I've made. My teenagers were suspicous of the "wheaty" look, but also loved this bread.

From: Provl8dy in training

On Mar 13, 2009

FANTASTIC!! I have tried several wheat Italian breads and have never been satisfied. I grind my own wheat and used hard white wheat berries for this recipe and was vary happy with consistency and taste. I would have liked my crust to be crunchier so next time I will use egg whites instead of water to coat the top. This recipe is a keeper!!

From: dale!

On Sep 9, 2003

Oh my goodness! This bread is so incredibly delicious! It has a wonderful slightly sweet flavour and a lovely appearance. I baked as directed in 2 loaves. One loaf is the perfect size for 2 people and I froze the other loaf for later. I made the dough in my bread machine also. This went perfectly with Healthy pumpkin soup #22047. I will use this recipe many more times!

From: sugarpea

On Jan 17, 2005

Wonderfully crusted bread with a soft and delicious interior. I mixed and "kneaded" the dough in the food processor with a dough blade so this was very easy to make even without a bread machine. Loved the look of the floured top crusts.

From: Nurse Rain

On Apr 20, 2008

So delicious. This will definately be my new staple for bread, buns and dough. Yummy. I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, and made one round loaf. I baked it at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and it is beautiful. The crust is crisp but not sharp, just the way I like it. I brushed the unbaked loaf with melted butter. Thanks for this keeper.