You can use homemade Tuscan bread to make sandwiches, serve it alongside classic Italian fare like lasagna, ribollita, and panzanella, or enjoy it fresh out of the oven dipped in olive oil.

Tuscan Bread Recipe: How to Bake Tuscan-Style Bread

Tuscan bread, also known as pane Toscano, is a crusty, oval-shaped white Italian bread. One key characteristic of the bread, which comes from the Tuscany region of Italy, is salt-free dough. The lack of salt allows the yeast to <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/baking-101-what-is-proofing-learn-how-to-proof-breads-and-other-baked-goods' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/baking-101-what-is-proofing-learn-how-to-proof-breads-and-other-baked-goods","linkCopy":"proof","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>proof</a> more effectively. With its fluffy interior and chewy exterior, Tuscan bread is the ideal vehicle for sandwiches and sopping up soups and sauces. You can bake Tuscan bread in three different forms: round bozza, long filone, or flat [ciabatta](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-italian-ciabatta-recipe-plus-8-ideas-for-using-ciabatta-bread).

Tuscan and sourdough bread are both crusty breads with different leavening methods. 

1. __Leaveners__: To make Tuscan bread, bakers use a yeast mixture called biga to create a fluffy, light crumb. Biga is made with flour, water, and active dry yeast, combined the night before baking. Sourdough bread doesn’t require yeast; instead, it rises using a sourdough starter mixture. 
2. __Time__: Biga ferments overnight, while sourdough starter ferments over the course of several weeks or even years. Biga relies on added dry yeast to develop much more quickly, while sourdough starter relies on the slower fermentation of natural yeast from the atmosphere.
3. __Flavor__: Sourdough starter develops a much deeper, richer flavor than biga. Sourdough bread also contains salt, and traditional Tuscan bread is saltless.
You can use homemade Tuscan bread to make sandwiches, serve it alongside classic Italian fare like lasagna, ribollita, and panzanella, or enjoy it fresh out of the oven dipped in olive oil.

Tuscan bread, also known as pane Toscano, is a crusty, oval-shaped white Italian bread. One key characteristic of the bread, which comes from the Tuscany region of Italy, is salt-free dough. The lack of salt allows the yeast to <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/baking-101-what-is-proofing-learn-how-to-proof-breads-and-other-baked-goods' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/baking-101-what-is-proofing-learn-how-to-proof-breads-and-other-baked-goods","linkCopy":"proof","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>proof</a> more effectively. With its fluffy interior and chewy exterior, Tuscan bread is the ideal vehicle for sandwiches and sopping up soups and sauces. You can bake Tuscan bread in three different forms: round bozza, long filone, or flat <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-italian-ciabatta-recipe-plus-8-ideas-for-using-ciabatta-bread' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/classic-italian-ciabatta-recipe-plus-8-ideas-for-using-ciabatta-bread","linkCopy":"ciabatta","category":null}'>ciabatta</a>.

What Is Tuscan Bread?

Tuscan and sourdough bread are both crusty breads with different leavening methods. <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Leaveners: To make Tuscan bread, bakers use a yeast mixture called biga to create a fluffy, light crumb. Biga is made with flour, water, and active dry yeast, combined the night before baking. Sourdough bread doesn’t require yeast; instead, it rises using a sourdough starter mixture. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Time: Biga ferments overnight, while sourdough starter ferments over the course of several weeks or even years. Biga relies on added dry yeast to develop much more quickly, while sourdough starter relies on the slower fermentation of natural yeast from the atmosphere. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Flavor: Sourdough starter develops a much deeper, richer flavor than biga. Sourdough bread also contains salt, and traditional Tuscan bread is saltless. </li></ol>

Tuscan Bread vs. Sourdough Bread: What’s the Difference?

Round Bozza Tuscan Bread Recipe 

You can use homemade Tuscan bread to make sandwiches, serve it alongside classic Italian fare like lasagna, ribollita, and panzanella, or enjoy it fresh out of the oven dipped in olive oil.

You can use homemade Tuscan bread to make sandwiches, serve it alongside classic Italian fare like lasagna, ribollita, and panzanella, or enjoy it fresh out of the oven dipped in olive oil.
