My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This is the no-knead bread recipe my mother has been baking for 45 years. Start to finish, it can be ready in three hours. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — no need to preheat a baking vessel for this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp with a soft, tender crumb. 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
When I tell you that, if forced, I had to pick one and only one recipe to share with you that this — my mother’s peasant bread — would be it, I am serious. I would almost in fact be OK ending the blog after this very post, retiring altogether from the wonderful world of food blogging, resting assured that you all had this knowledge at hand. This bread might just change your life.
The reason I say this is simple. I whole-heartedly believe that if you know how to make bread you can throw one hell of a dinner party. And the reason for this is because people go insane over homemade bread. Not once have I served this bread to company without being asked, “Did you really make this?” And questioned: “You mean with a bread machine?” But always praised: “Is there anything more special than homemade bread?”
And upon tasting homemade bread, people act as if you’re some sort of culinary magician. I would even go so far as to say that with homemade bread on the table along with a few nice cheeses and a really good salad, the main course almost becomes superfluous. If you nail it, fantastic. If you don’t, you have more than enough treats to keep people happy all night long.
The Magic of the Peasant Bread
So what, you probably are wondering, makes this bread so special when there are so many wonderful homemade bread recipes out there? Again, the answer is simple. For one, it’s a no-knead bread. I know, I know. There are two wildly popular no-knead bread recipes out there.
But unlike the others, this is a no-knead bread that can be started at 4:00 pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00 pm. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — there is no pre-heating of the baking vessels in this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp without any steam pans or water spritzes. This is not artisan bread, nor is it trying to be. It is peasant bread, spongy and moist with a most delectable buttery crust.
Genuinely, I would be proud to serve this bread at a dinner party attended by Jim Lahey, Mark Bittman, Peter Reinhart, Chad Robertson, Jeff Hertzberg, and Zoe Francois. It is a bread I hope you will all give a go, too, and then proudly serve at your next dinner party to guests who might ask where you’ve stashed away your bread machine. And when this happens, I hope you will all just smile and say, “Don’t be silly. This is just a simple peasant bread. Easy as pie. I’ll show you how to make it some day.”
Peasant Bread Variations
Once you master the peasant bread, you can make any bread your heart desires — this simple no-knead bread recipe is the foundation of many of the other bread recipes on this site, namely this hugely popular overnight refrigerator focaccia and this simple homemade pizza dough. It’s even the inspiration behind this simple pita bread recipe and these no-knead dinner rolls.
The below post is organized as follows:
- How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
- The Best Way to Store Bread
- Peasant Bread Dinner Rolls
- Peasant Bread Sandwich Bread
- How to Add Seeds and Nuts to Bread Dough
- How to Make Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
- How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
- How to use Whole Wheat Flour
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
Many more variations on the peasant bread can be found in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs:
Bread Toast Crumbs
Love the peasant bread? There’s now a book filled with 40 simple bread recipes plus 70 recipes to use up every crumb of every loaf you bake.
How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
First: You need yeast.
This is the yeast I buy exclusively: SAF Instant Yeast. Instant yeast can be whisked into the flour directly without any blooming or proofing. If you want to stick to active-dry yeast, there are instructions in the recipe notes on how to do so. Red Star yeast is great.
Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add lukewarm water.
Mix until you have a sticky dough ball. Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours…
… or until it looks like this:
Punch down the dough using two forks.
Then split the dough down the middle again using the two forks.
Because this is a very wet dough, it must be baked in an oven-proof bowl. I am partial to the Pyrex 1L 322 size, but any similarly sized oven-proof bowl will work.
Butter the bowls well; then transfer half of the dough to each prepared bow.
Let the dough rise again until it crowns the rim of the bowl, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the bowls to the oven to bake:
This bread is irresistible when it’s freshly baked, but it also makes wonderful toast on subsequent mornings as well as the best grilled cheese and sandwiches of all kinds.
The Best Way to Store Bread
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other eco-friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag. You can re-use the bags again and again.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would freeze it. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
To use the peasant bread dough to make rolls, simply divide the dough into smaller portions and place in a buttered muffin tin as in these No-Knead Thyme Dinner Rolls (pictured below). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread recipe.
No-Knead Sandwich Bread
To make sandwich bread, multiply the recipe below by 1.5 and bake the bread in two buttered 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pans. Made with half all-purpose flour and half King Arthur Sprouted Wheat Flour (no longer available unfortunately), these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured below) have a soft and light crumb.
How to Add Nuts and Seeds to Bread Dough
To add seeds and nuts (or dried fruit and cheese), simply stir them into the dry ingredients. This recipe for Quinoa-and-Flax Toasting Bread will offer guidance on how much to add.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
Making gluten-free peasant bread (pictured below) isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for wheat flour. But the process is still relatively simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread recipe to be even simpler than the original. Find the recipe here: Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
To coat the peasant bread in seeds, as pictured below, simply coat the bowls with everything bagel seasoning or with dukkah or sesame seeds or whatever seed mix you wish. The seed-coated loaves look so beautiful, and it’s amazing how much the flavor of the coating permeates the loaves. Find the recipe here: Everything Bagel Seasoning Peasant Bread
How to Use Whole Wheat Flour
To use whole wheat flour in the peasant bread, simply replace as much as 50% of the all-purpose flour with your favorite whole wheat flour: I’ve been loving the Cairnsprings Mill Trailblazer stone-milled flour. With the Trailblazer, I can use up to 75% of it in the peasant bread, and it yields a beautiful, chewy texture as well as a lovely flavor and aroma.
When using whole wheat flour, you may have to use more or less water — there is no rule as to how much more or less, and it will take some trial and error to get right because all flours absorb water differently. When I use the Trailblazer flour, for example, I reduce the water by at least 50 grams.
If you’d like to learn more about whole wheat flour and stone-milled flours, read this: Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
If you’re looking for more of a crackling crusted boule (characteristic of a loaf of sourdough bread) as opposed to the buttery crispness of the peasant bread, you can bake the peasant bread dough in a preheated Dutch oven.
There are detailed instructions below the recipe in the notes section, but one thing to keep in mind before you begin is dough hydration. The peasant bread is a very high-hydration dough, meaning there is a lot of water relative to flour. Because baking the peasant bread in a Dutch oven will require some handling of the dough — to shape it into a round and to create some tension — you may want to reduce the water from the start. Consider holding back 20-30 grams of water to make the process more manageable for you.
My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Notes:
The bread:
This is a sticky, no-knead dough, so, some sort of baking vessel, such as pyrex bowls (you need two 1-qt bowls) or ramekins for mini loaves is required to bake this bread. See notes below the recipe for sources. You can use a bowl that is about 2 qt or 2 L in size to bake off the whole batch of dough (versus splitting the dough in half) but do not use this size for baking half of the dough — it is too big.
Peasant Bread Fans! There is a book: Bread Toast Crumbs, a loaf-to-crumb bread-baking book, filled with tips and tricks and answers to the many questions that have been asked over the years. In the book you will find 40 variations of the master peasant bread recipe + 70 recipes for using up the many loaves you will bake. Learn more about the book here or buy it here.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, I love SAF Instant Yeast, see notes below
- room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Mixing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast (I love SAF Instant Yeast). Add the water. Mix until the flour is absorbed. (If you are using active dry yeast, see notes below.)
- Let it rise. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (In the winter or if you are letting the bread rise in a cool place, it might take as long as two hours to rise.) This is how to create a slightly warm spot for your bread to rise in: Turn the oven on at any temperature (350ºF or so) for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two 1-qt or 1.5-qt oven-safe bowls (see notes below) with about a tablespoon of butter each. Using two forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl, which it will be clinging to. As you scrape it down try to pull the dough toward the center (see video below for guidance). You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down. Then, take your two forks and divide the dough into two equal portions — eye the center of the mass of dough, and starting from the center and working out, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Then scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier — my small salad forks work best; my dinner forks make it harder. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Some people like to use flexible, plastic dough scrapers for this step.
- Let the dough rise again for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or near a warm spot) or until it has risen to just below or above (depending on what size bowl you are using) the top of the bowls. (Note: Do not do the warm-oven trick for the second rise, and do not cover your bowls for the second rise. Simply set your bowls on top of your oven, so that they are in a warm spot. Twenty minutes in this spot usually is enough for my loaves.)
- Bake it. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. If you’ve greased the bowls well, the loaves should fall right out onto the cooling racks. If the loaves look a little pale and soft when you’ve turned them out onto your cooling racks, place the loaves into the oven (outside of their bowls) and let them bake for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- The bowls: The cheapest, most widely available 1-qt bowl is the Pyrex 322. Update: These bowls are becoming harder to find and more expensive. As a result, I’m suggesting this cheaper option: the Pyrex 3-piece set. You can split the dough in half as always (see recipe) and bake half in the 1-quart bowl and half in the 1.5 quart bowl. The loaves will not be the same shape, but they will be delicious nonetheless.
- Yeast: I buy SAF Instant Yeast in bulk from Amazon I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. If you are using the packets of yeast (the kind that come in the 3-fold packets), just go ahead and use a whole packet — It’s 2.25 teaspoons. I have made the bread with active dry, rapid rise, and instant yeast, and all varieties work. The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to “proof” it — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.
- If you have active-dry yeast on hand and want to use it, here’s how: In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit — this step will ensure that the yeast is active. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast-water-sugar mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
- Troubleshooting: You can find step-by-step video instruction here.
- Several commenters have had trouble with the second rise, and this seems to be caused by the shape of the bowl they are letting the dough rise in the second time around. Two hours for the second rise is too long. If you don’t have a 1-qt bowl, bake 3/4 of the dough in a loaf pan and bake the rest off in muffin tins or a popover pan. The second rise should take no more than 30 minutes.
- Also, you can use as many as 3 cups of whole wheat flour, but the texture changes considerably. I suggest trying with all all-purpose or bread flour to start and once you get the hang of it, start trying various combinations of whole wheat flour and/or other flours.
- The single most important step you can take to make this bread truly foolproof is to invest in a digital scale. This onecosts under $10. If you are not measuring by weight, do this: scoop flour into the measuring cup using a separate spoon or measuring cup; level off with a knife. The flour should be below the rim of the measuring cup.
- Here’s a printable version of this recipes that’s less wordy: Peasant Bread Recipe, Simplified
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven: Preheat a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF. Dust a clean work surface with flour. After the first rise, turn the dough out onto the floured surface and shape it into a ball: I like to fold it envelope style from top to bottom, then side to side; then I flip it over and use the pinkie edges of my hands to pinch the dough underneath and create some tension. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Let rest for 20 minutes. If you feel your dough is spreading too much you can lift up the sheet of parchment paper, dough and all, and place it in a bowl of a similar size. After the 20 minutes, transfer the dough, parchment paper and all to the Dutch oven. Carefully cover it. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 minutes more.
- To bake the peasant bread in a loaf pan: If you are using an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can bake 3/4 of the dough in it; bake off the rest of the dough in ramekins or other small vessels … the mini loaves are so cute. You can also make 1.5x the recipe, and bake the bread in 2 loaf pans. If you have a large loaf pan, such as a 10×6-inch loaf pan, you can bake off the entire batch of dough in it. For loaf pans, bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.
- How to Bake at Hight Altitude:
- First try the original recipe as written (preferably with a scale). You may not need to make any adjustments. One commenter, who lives at 9200 ft finds the original recipe to work just fine as is.
- If the original recipe doesn’t work, try adding a little bit more water because it rises fast and it is so dry: about a quarter cup for every 512 g of flour.
- Try decreasing the yeast to 1.5 teaspoons.
- If your dough is especially gooey, try decreasing the water by 1/4 cup. But, if you aren’t using a scale, my first suggestion would be to buy a scale and weigh the flour, and make the bread once as directed with the 2 cups water and 512 grams flour, etc.
- Punch the dough down twice before transferring it to the buttered Pyrex bowls. In other words, let it rise for 1-1.5 hours, punch it down, let it rise again for about an hour, punch it down, then transfer it to the buttered bowls.
- Variations:
- #1. Cornmeal. Substitute 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup of cornmeal. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- #2. Faux focaccia. Instead of spreading butter in two Pyrex bowls in preparation for baking, butter one 9×9-inch glass baking dish and one Pyrex bowl or just butter one large 9×13-inch Pyrex baking dish. If using two vessels, divide the dough in half and place each half in prepared baking pan. If using only one large baking dish, place all of the dough in the dish. Drizzle dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (if using the small square pan) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if using the large one). Using your fingers, gently spread the dough out so that it fits the shape of the pan. Use your fingers to create dimples in the surface of the dough. Sprinkle surface with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF and 17 minutes (or longer) at 375ºF. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack.
- #3. Thyme Dinner Rolls
- #4 Gluten-free
- #5. Everything Bagel Seasoning Bread. Simply coat the buttered bowls with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
6,603 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
I have made your mother’s peasant bread on 4 different occasions, and the crumb is gummy what am doing wrong? I followed your recipes exactly.
Hi! Are you using a scale to measure? What type of flour are you using? Where do you live?
Your recipes are the best! I have both of your books and cook regularly from your posts.
I have made the whipped ricotta with grilled bread several times now. You mention that I can use the whey when making bread?? I have searched your site and blogs, but cannot find any mention of how to use it. Do I just substitute the whey for the lukewarm water? Thank you for all the wonderful, delicious food you’ve introduced into my life!
Awww thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂 Means a lot to read this. So great to hear about the ricotta and grilled bread.
OK: make sure the whey has cooled to room temperature/lukewarm temperature — it just can’t be too hot or it will kill the yeast. If you have a thermometer, aim for 100ºF.
Also: keep in mind that the whey is a little salty, so you may want to reduce the salt slightly or even by half.
Also: bread made with whey will brown more quickly, so keep an eye on it or lower the temperature by 25-50 degrees to start.
Good luck!
Can you halve this recipe and just make it in one 1L bowl?
Yes!
Unbelievably easy and absolutely delicious 👏🏻🧡
Big thanks to your mother 💐
Great to hear Bea!
You say we can use ramekins for the bread, bit don’t have temps or times. Please help!
Same temperatures! Depending on the size of your ramekins, the timing will vary. I’d shorten the time by 10 minutes or start checking on them then anyway. Rely on visual cues — nice golden crust — before removing them.
A few months ago I decided to start making my own bread. I came across this recipe and was intrigued by its simplicity. After making it close to a dozen times I felt confident to bring it to a potluck and everyone was raving about it. I enjoyed it myself but was humbled by my friend’s responses. Thanks for a wonderful bread!
Awww, it’s so nice reading this. Thanks so much for writing and sharing!
Hi! Can I use a 2 L Pyrex bowl for the entire batch?
Thanks!
Yes! Add 10 minutes to the baking time.
Hi Ali! I’m a new subscriber and I wanted to compliment you on a well organized and user friendly site. I’m hoping to begin making bread here right away. Appreciate the time and thought-take care.
It’s my pleasure, Colleen! Welcome, and thank you for your kind words. Please let me know if you have any questions along the way 🙂
Your recipe for homemade ricotta links to this bread recipe, yet I don’t see any mention of where or how to use the leftover whey from the cheese. Do I simply replace the water with the whey?
Hi! I need to add more notes here 🙂
Yes, use the whey in place of the water. Keep in mind that whey is a little salty, so you may want to reduce the amount of salt slightly in this recipe and any bread recipe you use the whey in. It also will cause the bread to brown more quickly, so you may need to lower the oven temperature. I’d consider baking this bread at 375F the entire time.
If I have two 1.5 L Pyrex bowls .. would I still split them? Or just try to put it all in one of the 1.5 L bowl?
PS / I’m from the area where Pyrex began!!! We used to have an outlet store but unfortunately it closed two years ago. Hard to find it now!
You can use them! Keep in mind the loaves will be squatter than what you see in the photos but the texture/flavor will still be great. If you’re up for it, making 1.5 times the recipe is ideal for two 1.5 L bowls. And you can use a 2 L bowl for the entire batch of dough.
Just want to tell you Alexandra how much I have appreciated this recipe and other recipes on your site. Each one obviously tested and they turn out perfectly.
I have made many loaves of the peasant bread over the past several years. Making some today and am very grateful to have this recipe. They turn out exactly the same every time!
thank you!! ~Donna
So nice to read all of this Donna 💕💕 Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write. I’m so glad your peasant bread turns out perfectly 🙂
Hi. What is the benefit of using a glass bowl vs making a boul and bake it on a sheet pan?
It’s just that it’s such a wet dough, that it needs some sort of vessel to contain it. If you were to bake it on a sheet pan, it would spread way out, almost like focaccia.
If you’ve never baked bread before, neither had I until I made this recipe. This recipe is easy that I’d almost call it “stupid” easy.
Instead of baking in a bowl, I put my dough halves into 2 8.5×2.5 loaf pans. They’ll only rise to about halfway up the pan, so lidding them isn’t required. Baking WITH the lid on results in a smoother top surface.
They turn out to be adorable sandwich-perfect loaves in the pans. Baked with flour, 3/4 flour and 1/4 wheat, and wheat. It’s delicious no matter what you do with it, and its flavor profile suits both sweet and savory. What’s better than making toast from your own bread, after all?
Great to read all of this, Sabrina! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Made as written; increased ingredients x1.5 to make 2 loaves in 2 quart casserole dishes. This bread recipe is AMAZING!! Taste and texture exactly like bread we ate as a kid… bought from a long-defunct family-owned bakery (long lines to buy as they put the freshly baked and wrapped loaves out for sale). A definite keeper!! Thank you for sharing!
Great to read all of this! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Do you know if it’s possible to convert this from instant yeast to sourdough? I know 100 grams of sourdough starter equals the 2 tsp of instant yeast but am wondering if the process is the same except for extending the rise time. I’ve made this bread several times before and love it but am hoping it can be converted to sourdough.
That’s it! Add 100 grams starter, omit the yeast, and extend the rise times. Nothing else to it!
I love your recipes and have purchased both your books! Quick question, if using sourdough starter in place of yeast, would you also omit the sugar?
I typically do! There’s really no need for it with a long slow rise.
And thank you re recipes and books!! Means a lot 🙂
What is the temperature set at for the oven for the Peasant Bread?
This was a great bread recipe that was ready in time for our dinner of steak and salad! I used my Dutch oven and it was a piece of cake! UM…. LOL…. I mean BREAD!
EASY and DELICIOUS.
Great to hear, Deirdre! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes!
Made the peasant bread. Very easy and delicious.
Made the peasant bread. Very easy and delicious.
Great to hear, Elizabeth!
I followed your recipe exactly and the read was delicious! This will be my go to recipe. Quick, easy and so yummy!
I have this recipe saved in my phone and use it all the time. The best and quickest bread.
Great to hear, Jill! Thanks for writing 🙂
Hello! This looks so yummy! I made it, and the rises went great but when I cooked it, it didn’t seem to rise anymore and it turned out fairly dense. I should mention I am using Einkorn flour. not sure if that changes anything.
Einkorn flour will make for a denser loaf since the gluten structure isn’t quite as strong. Are you using a scale to measure?
dang it! do you have any suggestions on how to improve that? let it rise longer? I love the nutrition it offers. Yes, I use a scale.
I’d maybe try for a longer rise. You could mix the dough and stick it in the fridge immediately — be sure to place it in a sealed bowl that will allow room to grow (4 qruarts) — and let it rise for 24 hours or as long as 72; then remove from the fridge and proceed.
This recipe is my favorite bread recipe. It’s wonderful hot out of the oven. We also love it as garlic toast and my husband loves it toasted plain. I share this recipe with all of my friends. This is no-knead and could not be any easier. I increase the recipe just a bit and make it in two loaf pans. Oh, and it makes a great base for bread pudding. I make it almost every week. Wonderful as a gift for a friend too – the recipe & a fresh baked loaf. ❤️
So nice to read all of this, Audrey! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
This is great especially as it toasts well too. Very quick and easy. Thanks for sharing
Great to hear, Vicki!
Ali, I am commenting again on you and your fabulous, oh so easy recipes.
I have made this recipe as written as well as adding fresh/dried herbs. Most recently I have added fresh, from the garden, roasted garlic. I can’t tell you enough how much your recipe is loved by our family and friends. This bread recipe has been given as gifts and to just put a smile on someone’s face. Thank you for this and everything you create and sharing with us. I can now, in my elder years, add baker to my list of hobbies thanks to you.
Awww Teri, it’s so nice to read this. Roasted garlic + herbs is one of my favorite combinations. Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this 🙂
This recipe really can’t be beat for everyday bread. It’s easy to memorize. It comes together SO fast. (I’m talking under 15 minutes of “active” time, from starting the dough to transferring it to the pan.) It’s quite forgiving of minor errors or changes in your environment (e.g., winter or summer + high and low humidity). It’s very easy to memorize, too.
I mostly eat bread in the context of toast or the occasional sandwich, so I typically use the 1.5x recipe and bake it in two loaf pans, freezing one loaf for later. Works great! I’ve made it for several years now and have yet to be disappointed.
Great to hear, Katherine! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of these notes — so encouraging for others 🙂
I prefer making bread in a loaf pan. Is there away to change the recipe so it makes 2 loaves?
Yes! Make 1.5 times the recipe and divide the two between two loaf pans.
Ok. Back to sourdough Peasant bread.
Omit the yeast, use 100g of starter.
Is there a decrease in the 2c of water since the starter is hydrated? Also how much time should be added in the rise? I’m taking my starter out of the fridge TODAY!! 😂😂😂
Thanks again for all your advice over the last year (since I discovered you)
Sherrie from Texas
You shouldn’t have to! You can, but for simplicity, I suggest just adding the 100 grams of starter.
Good luck!! And it’s my pleasure 🙂
Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful recipe!!!! I had never made a bread before and decided to try your peasant bread recipe and it turned out AMAZING! Crispy crust and fluffy delicious inside. I know I’ll make it over and over again. My child cannot have enough of it and neither do I.
Great to hear, Tatiana! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂
If I could, I would rate this bread much higher than 5*
This is my first attempt at making it and it turned out so good.
It’s a staple now.
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m waiting for your cook book to arrive…..
So nice to hear this, Claudia! And thank you re cookbook… means a lot 🙂 🙂 🙂