This beautiful Italian Pane Bianco (Italian for “white bread”) is a soft bread filled with sundried tomatoes, cheese, fresh basil, and garlic which is shaped into a figure-8. And even though it looks a little complicated, it’s really easy as pie! Great to serve alongside your favorite Italian dinner or as a fun party appetizer with an olive oil dip.
This easy bread recipe came from a bread baking group I used to be part of along with several other food bloggers. We’d set a theme for each month and bake something related.
One month the theme was Italian Breads. Although there are loads of beautiful, traditional Italian breads, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at a shaped loaf like a simple braided or knotted bread. This beautiful curvy loaf with its Italian flair and flavor was a big hit!
I posted a photo of the finished loaf of Pane Bianco on Instagram right after it came out of the oven and it got more attention than any photo I’ve ever posted. Not only is it visually stunning, it’s really delicious and it makes your house smell wonderful while it’s baking!