My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
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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 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 4:00pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00pm. 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 sourdough focaccia and this sourdough sandwich bread and this simple pita bread recipe.
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. It’s also my favorite bread to use for these egg salad sandwiches and for this no-tuna “tuna” salad.
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 above). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread as are these brioche pull-apart rolls.
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, these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured above) have a soft and light crumb. I really like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, which is made from white whole wheat berries that, when sprouted, yield a creamy, sweet, milder-tasting flour. You can use 100% all-purpose or bread flour for an even lighter loaf or your favorite whole wheat flour in place of the sprouted wheat flour.
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 above) unfortunately isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for the wheat flour. But the process and recipe is still super simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread 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 above, 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 like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, and 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 KAF sprouted wheat flour, for example, I don’t change the water amount at all. When I use the Trailblazer flour, on the other hand, 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 now 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 one costs 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. Watch a how-to on Instagram Stories here.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour. I like King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour (see this post) or sprouted wheat flour (see this post).
- 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.
6,428 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
My dad bought me a vintage set of Pyrex bowls for my wedding and now I have a wonderful reason to actually use them! I stared my bread around 11:30 and pulled it out just a few minutes ago. My husband declared it a delicious success!! I was a little worried about the yeast, mine didn’t bubble as much as your picture, but it seems to have worked out great. I’ll be using this recipe for along time, thank you!
Hannah — wonderful to hear this!
Hello! Please respond to the above posts by myself and Dinine! Thank you 🙂
Hi Alexandra, Thanks for getting back to me. My kids love this bread (and so do I) but I would really like to make it a bit lighter and less dense. I used Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast 1/4 oz tear off (3 in a pack) and I only heated the oven up for 1 minute total. However, the bowls were 1.5 and 1.75 each. On the second rise, I did not put the dough on the oven. I waited almost an hour each time (b/c it didn’t seem to be rising). I know it’s a conundrum, but if you find out any thing more than I’d love to know. Thanks again!
I’ve been longing to make my own bread for a long, long time. But the fact is, that is not one of my expertise. The moment I read the post I knew I wanted to make this bread. So for a last minute sort of thing I did. It is delicious! A few of my thoughts, though:
Instead of butter maybe use olive oil? Olive oil is a fat so it won’t do anything weird in the replacement of butter. It also gives it great taste.
Though it was very easy, it seemed to take a long time to rise.
Anyway, it was very good and I’d love sometime to try to make it again with savory herbs. Thank you for the recipe!
Madeline — so happy you liked this! Was it the second rise that took a long time? Also, just a warning about the olive oil: several of the commenters have tried olive oil but had issues with sticking, so make sure you use plenty of oil. For whatever reason, butter prevents sticking better. Love the idea of adding some herbs!
Made this bread last night after having bookmarked the page for quite some time. I’ve halved the recipe as it would be just for my husband and I. BIG MISTAKE! We almost forgot dinner and only ate bread! It was light, soft and …boy, that was easy to do! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Adriana — wonderful to hear this! I know, warm/fresh bread is nearly impossible not to inhale 🙂
I just want to add that I just tried baking this recipe as one big loaf (in a corningware-type dish) and it turned out just as awesome. Only have to tack on a few minutes to cook time.
Also, I’ve found that the easiest way to butter the dish is to just melt the butter and then swirl it all around…
I know this wasn’t rocket science to begin with, but I wanted to simplify as much as possible. I also don’t proof my yeast; I just throw the yeast in with the flour and salt, and then melt the sugar in the warm water and pour in. I mix it with a kitchen aid mixer and let it rise in the mixer bowl.
So much thanks for this recipe! It’s all the bread we eat now 🙂
Lily — So great to hear this! I have been meaning to try baking off the whole loaf in a bigger vessel, but I actually don’t have one on hand. Do recommend a brand/shape? And, I have been meaning to do a followup post using instant yeast, because that truly does simplify the process even more. Sounds like you have this process down to a science!
Made this last night for dinner with friends and it was a hit. Everyone wants the recipe! I did c
I made this last night for a dinner with some friends and it was a hit. There was none left and they all want the recipe. I did make some small changes. First, I added a little bit more salt. Second, my wife had just finished up making yogurt, so I used 1 1/2 cups of whey instead of all water. The bread still turned out fantastic and I will be making it again! Thanks for sharing your mother’s recipe!
Gabe — I love it! So resourceful! I have made the bread with whey from leftover ricotta, and I love the texture/flavor of the loaves with this slight change. I still have never made yogurt — is it something I should try? So glad you liked the bread!
Is there a way to make this gluten free? My son has celiac’s disease.
Katie — I haven’t had success with making this gluten-free yet, but it’s something I’m working on. Will be in touch when I do!
Oh my stars! I love bread… I love THIS bread! I never bake bread becase I am a) too lazy to knead and b) afraid of proofing yeast… you have solved both my problems in one fell swoop! I did my first rise on top of the dryer while doing laundry (genius; worked like a charm!) I used my 1.75L square corning baker (sandwich bread!) and my 2qt round pyrex baker… I added dill, dried onion and dried garlic; delish! I think I will try some cinnamon raisin next 🙂 thank you, thank you, THANK you!! Off to get another slice 😉
Rebecca — I love it! Love the dryer idea and love that you have conquered your fear of proofing yeast! And you are so adventurous — I love the flavorings! I am always so boring, but when I read comments like yours, I am inspired to experiment with herbs and seasonings. Thanks!
I really wanted to make bread but haven’t had the required time. When I saw this recipe I knew I could make this easily on many days. Made it once using 1/2 white flour, 1/2 oat flour. I was gone (4 of us) in less than 24 hours, eaten every way you can imagine, often plain.
I am making it again now. 1/2 oat flour, 1/4 white whole wheat, 1/4 white flour. I really like to get the whole grains in there. I hope it is equally good.
I am also making one loaf as a foccacia this time as we love foccacia.
I have a 1.5 qt pyrex and a 2 qt pyrex. I let the first rise go two hours and the 2nd 30 minutes. The loaves did not come to, or go over, the bowl lips on the second rise but it rose well both times so I didn’t worry. To those who are having trouble with the second rise, I would say, if it is rising very nicely, bake it at 30 minutes. The dough is expanding but if your bowl is bigger than 1 qt it’s never going to fill the bowl completely. That’s okay.
Margaret — thank you for this! I have never used oat flour. I am going to pick some up next time I get to the store. I love that you are experimenting with whole grains as so many people want to fit them in their diet these days.
And thanks for the encouragement to others regarding the rising time and the size of the bowls. I think you are right — at the 30 minute mark, those bowls should be in the oven 🙂
I buy the SAF yeast of King Arthur in vacumn packages and put it into some glass jars and place in freezer. I had been having trouble with the yeast and came across a hint that yeast should be removed from the freezer, a couple hours before proofing it and now I am having better success. I am only able to tolerate baked goods made from King Arthur flour.
Also put some Potato Buds in with the flour. Wonderful texture.
Carina — I have some SAF yeast as well. My mother, who swears by it, sent it to me. I haven’t actually opened it yet bc I have so much Red Star on hand in my freezer. Great tip about removing the yeast a little early. I tend to agree about the King Arthur flour. I think it’s definitely the best. I like a lot of Hodgson Mills products as well as Bob’s Red Mill products, too, but for basic all-purpose and bread flours, I like King Arthur.
I just have to say that your mother’s peasant bread recipe was the easiest bread recipe I’ve made so far. I’m very pleased this recipe calls for the bare minimum. I’ve told my friend about your bread recipe and she was particularly excited that bread could be baked in a pyrex glass bowl. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to trying out other recipes of yours!
Madonna — wonderful to hear this!
I’ve never made bread before (bread machine doesn’t count)…so was a little intimidated, and skeptical I could pull it off…shouldn’t have been on either count. This bread is MAGICAL!! I had to stop myself from eating the whole damn loaf! Absolutely delicious…and so very easy.
I had one little snag though, Alexandra, I buttered both pyrex bowls, but the one that held the bread for the first rise (in the oven), after baking, that loaf was totally stuck in the bowl. Had to pry it out. The other loaf slipped out without a hitch. I did butter them very generously, so I don’t know. Any thoughts on what it could be?
I’ll definitely be making this bread again. Its impressive, and would be a crowd pleaser. Thank you!!!
Sharron — I’m so happy to hear this! I only wish everyone had the same experience as you with this recipe … except for the sticking of course. Ok, I’m just a little confused: After the first rise, did you “punch” down the dough with the forks and place half of the dough into a freshly buttered bowl? And did you leave the other half in the same bowl to make the second rise? I’m just trying to make sure I understand the situation correctly. If this is the case, I think it’s probably just because the dough absorbs the butter during the rises, and because the first rise is on the long side — 1 to 1.5 hours — the dough absorbs more during the first rise than when it is making its second rise, making the vessel that the dough is in less nonstick. I hope I am making sense. If you have the option for letting the first rise take place in a porcelain or aluminum mixing bowl and then transferring both halves of dough to freshly buttered bowls, I don’t think you will have the issue with sticking. Does that make sense?
Just to update – I baked the recipe without the sugar and it turned out great. I think it tasted a little like sourdough because it lacks the sweetness and I still ate it just as quickly as when I used sugar in it. : )
Shelley — thanks so much for the update! Good to know about the no sugar. I love a sourdough loaf, too.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have made 2-4 loaves every week for the past three weeks and have not purchased a store bought loaf since. My husband and son LOVE this bread! I live in Hawaii and bread (as well as everything else) is SO expensive. For a cheap loaf of sandwich bread it’s about $3.50. We figured out that it is about $1.00 per loaf for this bread. The savings is tremendous and you can’t beat the taste and smell of fresh bread! Mahalo!
Rachel — so happy to hear this! I have heard that it is quite expensive to live in Hawaii, so I am so happy that you have found a way to cut costs somewhat. Thanks for the cost analysis, too — wonderful to know this. I can’t believe I haven’t done this myself yet. Thanks for writing in!
Hi! I made this bread yesterday and it is delicious. However I think I need to adjust the cooking time. I baked it for 10 minutes at 425 and then turned down to 375 for only 20 minutes and when I took it out, I could not dump it out of the bowl because the outside was already crispy. I had to pry the bread out of the bowls and then i didnt so the last 5 minutes and the loaves were done. I buttered the bowls well. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Laura, hi! Sorry for the sticking issues. Were the sticking issues on the very bottom of the bowl? Or near the top? Is there any chance the butter was somewhat melted when you added the dough to the bowls or when you stuck the bowls in the oven? Also, what kind and size bowls were you using? Sorry for all of the questions! Just trying to think of all of the possible issues.
This recipe looks so simple and I can’t wait to try it! Just one thing though, how would I go about using this recipe with instant yeast? I couldn’t find any active dry 🙁 I’m a beginner to all this and have no clue which steps need to be changed! Help pleaseee
Elyssa — With instant yeast, it’s even easier. You don’t have to proof it. This is what I would do: Place your flour in a bowl with the sugar and the yeast. Add the lukewarm water and then the salt. Stir until a wet sticky dough forms, and then proceed with the recipe as follows. Let me know if this makes sense. Good luck with it! And don’t hesitate to ask if you have more questions.
Just add the yeast directly to the bowl of flour
Having friends over for dinner tonight, I am baking bread again! I am going to try the whole batch in my 3qt square baker, what do you think? I will let you know either way; thanks again for the recipe!
Rebecca — I am probably getting to you too late, but I say go for it! I think the 3 qt will definitely be big enough to hold the whole portion of dough. I hope it turned out well for you! I would love to hear.
Great recipe! my question is, if I do not have oven proof “bowls” is there another way I can bake them?
Michelle — do you have any loaf pans or square baking dishes? You can bake the bread in any ovenproof dish — the round shape is just nice for creating a more dinner-like shaped bread. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I made this bread today and it came out great! I have not made more than one loaf of bread yet so this is for sure an easy one to get started with! Delicious!
Keely — so happy to hear this!
Lovelovelove this bread! 3qt square was perfect sized for the whole batch, second rise was beautiful, friends loved it, and my sister repinned the recipe! Another success!
Rebecca — wonderful to hear this! And thanks for the tip on the handheld foodsaver — should I get one? What brand?
Oh, something else I wanted to mention; I have a handheld foodsaver with ziploc bags, that’s what I use for storing this bread, keeps it nice and moist!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve never made bread before and this was so easy! A couple of questions: I made mine in loaf pans. While it’s super delicious, it’s not tall enough for sandwich bread. Did I do something wrong with the second rise (definitely rose in 30 minutes, but not to the lip of the pans), or do I just need to have an uneven split with one pan for sandwich size and the other as a “nibble loaf?” Can I put all the dough in one pan or is that courting disaster?
Laura — nope, you did nothing wrong with the second rise. You were right to not add all of the dough to one loaf pan, which I have tried, which definitely ends in disaster: dough spilling over the sides of the loaf pan, (which actually bake into tasty breadstick-like shapes, but which is just not ideal). I think your best bet is to use about 3/4 of the dough — fill your loaf pan about 3/4 of the way full — and then bake it when it rises to just below the lip of the pan. And with the remaining dough, you could make a few mini loaves using buttered ramekins or one small nibble loaf, as you say, if you have the right-sized vessel.
Thank you so much for this recipe. 🙂 I made it with a round casserole dish the first time, and it turned out great! I’m making it the second time tonight, using mini loaf disposable tins (they’re like 2-3 bucks for a pack of 3 at Walmart). I plan to cut one of them up and put it in a gallon size baggie for my husband to take to work for lunch (with peanut butter, of course). He loves the idea. 🙂
My suggestion for the bread: Immediately after taking it out of the oven, brush butter on the tops (as much as it will absorb), then let it cool. It makes a nice kind of glaze and adds that much more buttery taste. 🙂
Alexis — wonderful to hear this! Love the idea of the mini loaf tins, too, which my husband would also love to bring to work with him. Is peanut butter a guy thing? I mean, I love it, too, but Ben keeps a jar with him at his desk at work. Thanks for the butter-brushing tip, too.
i’ve been making your mother’s peasant bread for a couple of months now, and have to say i am a complete devotee. i use half bread flour and half whole wheat and even when my second rise is not fantastic, am consistently thrilled with the results. i’ve been using my 1.5 L pyrex bowls, but just purchased 1 QT pyrex bowls to see if i would have less trouble with the second rise and i have to say i was really surprised by how much smaller the 1q bowls seem. i’m guessing i’ll have much taller bread now! can’t wait to try them out. thank you so much for sharing this recipe. my whole family loves this bread.
Megan — I am so happy to hear this! And, if you feel like it, please report back on how the second rise goes with the smaller bowls. I think you will see a dramatic difference, though the taste will be just the same. So happy to hear your family approves, too.
Alexandra- I just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe. If I saw you in person we would probably have to have an awkward stranger hug. This bread has changed my cooking life….seriously. I don’t mind cooking. I have three kiddos and a husband…and they need to eat. But coming up with dinner recipes can exhausting. When I saw this bread and decided to try it I had never baked bread in my life. Other than banana bread but you get what I’m saying here. Baking homemade bread has become my therapy. It is utterly satisfying to make something from scratch, literally watch it grow and change and then have a beautiful outcome that your friends and family can enjoy.
Since I started out with this bread I have tried baking numerous bread recipes…all amazing. But I always come back to the Peasant Bread for the comforting crackle of that buttery crust and the ease of the no knead.
My friends and I now refer to this as my Jesus Bread….because I’m telling you this bread is amazing and might just be able to walk on water. And I may or may not feel like I’m having a spiritual moment when I eat it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
(PS: saw others were having sticking issues. I use 2 T. of room temp butter for each bowl and sometimes I even add a little dab of EVOO to the very bottom of the bowl and move it around a bit. It helps with my stubborn bowl that tends to want hang on to the bread.)
Elizabeth — your awkward stranger hug would be received with open arms because when I read your comment I wanted to reach through the screen and give you a hug. Your reaction to the bread is the reaction I want every one to have who makes it. I can’t agree more with you in terms of finding bread making to be therapeutic and to be so rewarding. Nothing makes people happier than freshly baked homemade bread. Thank you for your nice comment. I have two kids and another due to arrive any day, and as much as I love to cook, I find planning dinner to be a stress. Unless I spend my alone time (nap/quiet time) preparing dinner, the dinner hour is total chaos. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like with a third one in the mix. How do you do it?!
Thanks for the tip on the sticking issues, too.
I think everyone should have a foodsaver! I have a regular sized one too… Foodsaver brand is what i have (a hand me down)I know there are other types out there, but never have used them… We buy meat/chicken/etc in “value packs,” and with just the 2 of us, it is so easy to portion and no freezer burn! I like the handheld with ziplocs for lunch meat and my bread because I am always in there. 🙂
Rebecca — thanks! I love the idea of the handheld one for lunch meat and bread…added to my wishlist 🙂
just pulled this marvelous bread from the oven. it looks beautiful. didn’t have to put it back in to brown. we homeschool & are having our oklahoma land run reenactment tomorrow. this bread will be awesome as our sandwiches as we eat in our “staked claims of land”. this bread was so easy to make, I couldn’t believe it! by the way, I have 4 kiddos. going from 2-3 is the hardest, but any more after that really makes no difference! you will do fine. 🙂 my youngest is almost 19 months. just always make sure to include your other 2 with things you are doing with the baby. & make time to do one on one things, without baby, with the other 2 as well. both you & your husband need to do this. it’s important. 🙂 we have special one on one time with each kid each month. they love it! good luck!