This recipe from my childhood, my Grandma's Italian Bread is soft on the inside with a crunchy crust. It is a bread you will be making over and over again.
Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a well-greased bowl.
Preheat to 450° F. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can also use a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down - see note*. Allow the stone to sit in the oven for 20 minutes at 450° F before placing the dough on top of it. If using a baking sheet, only place it into the oven for 10 minutes prior to baking, not the 20 as with the pizza stone.
This recipe makes two loaves.
Instead of using the dry yeast from a jar, you can also use 1 package of dry yeast which will yield you the amount needed.
For rising, I usually turn my oven to the lowest temperature and then turn it off before I place the dough into the oven to rise.
Compliments of 365 Days of Baking and More