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.
6,397 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
I am going to try this recipe tomorow.
Just wondering about something.
Always when I slice home made bread the slices get so thinik.
Do you have any tips on how to slice it thin?
Thanks!
It will be really hard to slice this bread thinly especially when it is freshly baked. Now, slicing day-old bread is another story. If you have a good serrated knife, slicing it thinly on the second day shouldn’t be too difficult.
I have come to believe that cutting homemade break is a talent … and some folks, try as they might, ust can never master it. Thankfully, it is one of my few talents along with making excellent breads … both of which are in high demand in my circle. Thank you for a new recipe for my repetoire.
I think I am going to put poppy seed on the butter in the bowl.
Do you think this will work?
And I whant to try to put in Sunflower seeds one day as wel.
For extra fiber I am going to put in 1 cup of wholeweed flower
And ad some crushed linseed.
I do not see my post from yersterday anymore so I wil ask my question again.
How do you slice your bread thin? With me that never seems to work.
Thanks
I am worried a little bit about the poppy seeds causing sticking issues, but if you butter the bowl generously, I don’t think there should be an issue. And I answered the slicing question below. You might have to scroll down a bit but it was a direct reply to your other question. Let me know if you still can’t find it.
It turnd out a bit smal, the second rais was not good but I am not shure why??
I used the following:
3 cups white flour
1 cup whole weat
3 tablespoons crushed lin seeds (flax)
3 tablespoons oat bran.
The first rais was perfect, it looked like your second rais.
the second one was not so good.
The taste was great so it was not the worst but I hoped for a big loaf of bread.
I made the foccatia as wel so we are going to have that for dinner with herb butter and soup.
I think the place to rais it was not ok??
someone once told me to do it beside the tv because that is a warm place.
I did the first rais in the oven like your instructions.
I am going to do another batch now.
I am going to follow your compleet recipe now to see if that wil make a differenz.
And I think I wil do the 2nd raise in the oven like the first raise, take it out after 20 minutes and than preheat the oven.
Let you know how it when.
I loved the tast so that is a realy good thing!
Anita, hi, sorry I couldn’t get to your questions earlier in the day…I was dealing with the kiddos 🙂 OK, first of all, I admire your persistence! Just answer me these few questions: How long are you doing the first rise for? What size bowls are you baking the bread in? And what kind of yeast are you using? The loaves are on the small side, just so you know. I think my photos are deceiving in terms of the size of the loaves — the bowls are on the small side, so the rise looks a little more dramatic.
Did the second batch.
again they are great, but did not raise as mutch as yours did in the second raise.
and I did it the way I wrote above.
so I am not shure what is happening.
The tast is great so I won’t stop making this one for shure!
I use Packets of dry yeast
the first time I used 1 or 1.5 l bowls
the second time I used 2 l bowls, the raised more but we tried them this morning and they were mutch more dens than the one i made yesterday morning.
I did the first raise for 1,5 up to 2 hours.
Also, a am from the netherlands so I don’t know if different hummidity could have something to do with it??
I did some egg on top and put the poppy seeds on top, that turned out well.
I was actualy thinking, could I bak the bread after the first raise without punshing it in with the forks?? Becaus that raise is perfect I would emagine that the bread would become ligt and airy.
thanks for your help
Good morning
I have made this bread this morning to the recipe, 4 cups of flour to 2 cups of water. It was not a wet dough at all. Very dry, so I quickly tried to double it. Very disappointing as I was looking forward to the bread. . Is it 2 cups of flour (1lb2ozs) to 2 cups of water? I am keen to make this as I can see it would be just wonderful. Thank you
Linda — this is so odd. No, it is definitely 4 cups (1 lb. 2 oz) flour to 2 cups of water. I am surprised that it was not wet at all. What kind of flour were you using? If the dough does not seem wet next time around, I would suggest adding water by the tablespoon until it appears the way it does in the fifth picture in this post. I’m so sorry about the trouble 🙁 Let me know if you have any other questions. I would love this turn out well for you.
APOLOGY to you Alexandra. I equated 4 cups with 4 x 250gms and put in the 1kg of bread flour. Rushing and doing the double yeast etc, your bread still came out a wonderful bread. It made the 2 rounds plus 1 bread loaf 🙂
Today, I stayed with your 4 cup measurement etc and have two beautiful golden loaves of joy. Thank you so much for this recipe
My apologies again, this recipe is definintely a winner xx oo
No worries! So wonderful to hear that the bread still came out well the first round and even better the second round. Thanks so much for writing in. Happy to hear you like the bread 🙂
It’s not a “super wet” dough. Its formed. I was thinking wetter too, buy is really not. It’s not gooey.
As a mother of a child with severe food allergies (peanut, tree nut, eggs, fish, shellfish, pineapple and coconut), I am forced to make just about everything we eat from scratch. I make bread weekly. There is no store-bought bread in our house. I gave up on bread machines when she was about 21/2 or 3 (she’s almost nine now) because I would inevitably burn out the motors from using them too much. (Her older brother is now 13 and eats like a 13-yr old. lol. We go through a lot of bread.)
Over the years I have learned how to make bread very well. It’s something I love and I think I’m pretty darn good at it too! I have 2 main recipes that I always use. They always turn out and we always love them. I tried your recipe on a whim on Sunday. All of my regular pans were dirty from making zucchini bread and I didn’t feel like cleaning off the counter to knead the dough. I also didn’t have time to do my usual no-knead, one-bowl recipe (the famous NY Times recipe).
Anyway, my daughter and I had a field day making this. She LOVED using the 2 forks to separate the dough and she LOVED buttering up the pyrex bowls. The best part was the taste! This is easily one of my top 3 bread recipes I’ve ever made and I’ve tried over 50 recipes (at least). Thank you for sharing this. I will be making it often. Yum!
Nicole! Hi and I’m SO sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you! I was away for a week with the kids, and I’m just catching up now. THank you so much for writing in and sharing your story. I so admire your commitment to making everything from scratch. Since the health of your daughter is at stake, I of course understand doing so, but it is still admirable and inspiring. I am so so happy to hear you like this bread and that you and your daughter had fun baking it together. It certainly has its virtues, namely the no-kneading and the short rise time and the buttered Pyrex, as you note 🙂 Thanks again for writing in. Take care and happy baking!
This bread is The Bomb!!! Sooo easy and incredibly delicious!!
Wonderful to hear this! And I see how the wording regarding the bread texture might throw some people off…I’ll rephrase
I have made at least a dozen loaves of this bread and my family loves it! I just checked measurements again before I make another loaf of garlic bread. I’ve only used bleached all purpose and have no issues. I generally cover my bread with olive oil, fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and basil before cooking but have also made a few with cheddar cheese and jalapeños on top! I’m so glad I found this recipe and thankful you’ve posted it. I’d never made bread before this and was so proud the first time I pulled a loaf out of the oven!
So awesome to hear all of this! You are so creative. I love the idea of adding all of those herbs. And the cheddar and jalapenos sound heavenly. Yum! So happy to hear the family approves.
Fall has finally come to Northern California so obviously it’s time to whip this recipe out! I made the mistake of posting on Facebook that I had the first batch rising and I’ve got a few people begging for a loaf or two 🙂 this is hands down my absolute favorite (and most asked for) recipe, so I just wanted to pop in and say thank you again for posting this and I hope everyone is in good health!
Thank you, Aly! Nothing makes me happier than to hear this.
Here in United Kingdom, there is no such thing as Bleached flour, and hasn’t been for many years. However, some manufacturers say that their flour is unbleached ; this is a con trick! Perhaps it is the same in US and you are unaware.
I have been reading this recipe for days, to make sure I understand it, and intend to make it today. It looks amazing.
My only problem is converting the measurements to metric or imperial, as I don’t understand cup measurements, but wish me luck……
Lesley — good luck with it. Let me know if you have any questions. I need to convert the ounces to grams…can’t believe I havent done that yet. GOod luck with it!
Best and easiest bread ever ! I’ve been making this two to three a week for the last month or so and everyone loves it!
Some of my modifications:
-Double the recipe and it fits perfectly in 3 loaf pans. Great for grilled cheese sandwiches
-Add roasted garlic after the first rise
-Add a tsp of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour, seems to help with the rise
-Substitute one cup of flour with one cup of flax seed meal
Can’t wait to try the cinnamon raisin variation I read here
Thank you so much from our entire extended family!
Ken! Thank you so much for all of these ideas. I am definitely going to be doubling the recipe and baking it off in loaf pans…this will be so helpful when school starts. I have never tried flax seed meal or vital wheat gluten but will have to do so soon, and I love the idea of the roasted garlic. Question: do you massage the roasted garlic into the bread or mix it in with your hands? And about how much do you use? I love this idea.
I’ve done both roasted garlic and Kalamata olives and for both I have had trouble getting them to mix in. The best way I’ve found is after the first rise to try and mix them in with both hands. But even then the dough doesn’t seem to want to stick and they end up not evenly distributed. Any help with this from anyone else? 🙂
As for the amount, I just eyeball it, probably just under 1/4 cup (for either the olives or the garlic) per loaf pan.
I can imagine the add-ins being difficult to incorporate. I wonder if tossing the olives with a little bit of flour might help? And for the garlic, I’m wondering if it might be able to be mixed in in the first round? Added right to the dough when you’re mixing the flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast together? Thanks for the estimates on quantities 🙂
I used a small can of kalamata olives today. They mixed in perfectly. What I did is I added them just after I poured in the water/yeast mixture on top of the flour. Because the mixture was still watery as I started to stir, the olives spread nicely through the whole dough mix as it formed.
I just pulled two loaf pans out that are full! A cheddar/jalapeño and a garlic. I’m looking for a third loaf pan now! The bread is perfect for grilled cheese like Ken said. I also make a plain loaf and my 6 year old has pb&j on it 🙂
Time to wash up some dishes and get started on another!
So happy to hear this Aly! Yes, PB&J on this bread is a staple around here. I must try a cheddar-jalapeno variation soon. Sounds SO good.
I made the bread yesterday, with one modification:
I substituted organic soya milk for most of the water, because it helps the keeping qualities of bread.
So simple, fabulous taste, and amazing to watch during the process, as the rise is so rapid.
I intend to try adding a small quantity of spelt or rye flour next time.
Thank you for this recipe.
wonderful to hear this! I will have to try the soy milk — I never knew that about soy milk. Thanks!
And another thing, has anyone tried using a Pullman tin? Could be interesting, but probably using a light oil to grease the tin, as so much butter would probably burn in a tin. It would make a fabulous sandwich bread.
Lesley, hi, and yes, I have used a Pullman tin — you can’t bake the whole batch of dough in one tin: use 3/4 of the dough or less. And I still used butter to grease the pan and didn’t have burning issues but oil would work nicely, too.
Made this bread today. Awesome! Made one round loaf and 6 muffin size. Delicious. Love the texture and the crunch of the crust.
so happy to hear this! love that you made mini ones, too…aren’t they fun?
My second rise didn’t do well. It did rise some, but didn’t look like your’s in the end. I’ll try it again.
Jo — sorry to hear this! What size bowls are you using? I have a feeling that the bowl size might be throwing people off — my bowls are deceivingly small.
Made it this morn, after my mother forwarded the link last week. Excellent bread! I love how it crusted up, on all sides – very crunchy! I love that it uses AP flour (cheap) as opposed to bread flour. I used basic loaf pans as my Pyrex collection is scant. Next time I will try either cast iron or the lid from a roasting stone. And yes, there will be a next per my wife!
So happy to hear this, John! Definitely report back on what other vessels you try…I am curious.
Used the cast iron dutch oven this morn and it worked well! Left the lid off, and cooked it longer as I did not split the dough. This will be wonderful with the pork butt cooking in Guiness in a different Dutch oven and the slaw I will make later!
Are ya ready fer some FOOTBALL?!
Thanks for the recipe!
So fun! I need to try this in my cast iron dutch oven, too. I bought one after reading Tartine Bread, and I haven’t ever tried it with this peasant bread. Thank you for the inspiration. Your pulled pork sounds amazing! Is it a secret recipe? Hope you had a great football weekend!
Love, Love, LOVE this bread. My husband requests fresh loaves every week. One question- I’ve started using pyrex glass loaf pans. I’ve buttered the holy heck out and the bread still sticks. I’ve actually gave myself a second degree burn trying to dig the bread out of the hot pans when the pan slipped out of my oven-mitted hand. The pain for the love of good bread. Any way, my question is any ideas on how to make the bread come out easier??
Oh no! Sarah, that is terrible. I am so sorry to hear this. And honestly, I don’t know how to advise. I just added a series of videos to this post, and in one you see how well I butter these bowls — take a peak…is this how well you butter yours? My only other suggestion would be to invest (sorry, these are the worst kinds of suggestions) in some non-stick loaf pans. I have a pair that I use for banana bread and for my no-knead oatmeal bread, and I butter them well (though not nearly as well as when I do the Pyrex for the peasant bread) and the bread never sticks. So happy to hear you like the bread. Hope your burn has healed! Will check back if I think of anything else.
Sarah, I had the same thing happen to me today! I have been baking bread for over 40 years so don’t feel bad. We will solve this. But I feel your pain
Oh no! The burning? Or the sticking. I hope not both but especially the burning 🙁
What’ are your feelings on traveling with the dough after the second rise in order to bake at the party?
I’ve done this! Love that you are considering this. This is how I have done it: punch dough down right before heading out the door; bring bowls and butter and a cooling rack (some people don’t own these). Then, once you get to the party, butter the bowls, split the dough, let it make the second rise, preheat the oven, etc. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions– just a head’s up, I’m on the road to Lake Placid to camp so my service might be spotty over the next few days. Good luck with it!
Wow. I was prepared to say that this bread was good, but it was better than expected, so buttery and soft with perfect crumb. It was almost impossible to cut hot…but it just had to be done. Done in 4 hours! I was amazed. I’ve made no-knead breads before, but they take 12 hours for the first raise! I covered my bowl with a damp towel and sat it outside in the shade because it was nice and warm, about 85 or 90 degrees outside, and my house is just never warm enough. In an hour and a half I had to peel the towel off of it…and I used the BIG bowl I always use for bread. I was a little worried the 2nd rise wasn’t enough, because I don’t have the same shape bowls you use. I used my 1 quart Pampered Chef batter bowl and an old 1 1/2 quart Pyrex mixing bowl, they’re more “upright”. But it turned out beautifully. My husband said, “This recipe is a keeper!” While he loves all the bread I’ve made, he’s never said that before! Thanks for a terrific recipe. Oh! I should probably mention I used bleached AP flour, because that’s what I have, and I added a Tbsp of essential wheat gluten. I’ve been doing that whenever I used AP flour for bread and maybe that’s why my first rise was soooo high! I’ll definitely be making this again. Maybe in ramekins for individual loaves?
Alice, thank you so much for writing in! I am so happy to hear all of this. And yes, the shape of the bowl makes a huge difference in regard to the second rise. Love that your husband approves, too, and definitely try making the bread in ramekins — it is so much fun, and so much fun this time of year…chili, soup, stew season. I have never used essential wheat gluten. Should I give it a go? Do you recommend a brand?
I intend to try your bread, and I promise you won’t be hearing me ask you if anything can be substituted, or added, or changed in any way. I don’t need or want gluten free, or sourdough, or to turn it into something it was never intended to be. First of all, I think that’s a rude thing to do. It is what it is, and that’s all that should ever be asked of it. It sounds wonderful, and as I am a consistently good bread baker, I expect that it will be what you say it is. Thank you for your presentation!
You are funny. I hope you like the bread just as it is 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions. It’s one of my faves, and I always hope it turns out well for people. I doubt you will have any trouble with it as you are an experienced baker, but let me know!
Updating to say that the next day this bread was even better than the day I cooked it. Having just had a slice with butter, while I waited for the grilled cheese I was making, it’s the best I’ve ever made. My husband says so too. I intend to buy Pyrex bowls like yours so my loaves are more “loaf-like” and not shaped like a flower pot. 🙂 Again, thanks for a terrific recipe.
So wonderful to hear this. I just want everyone to have this same experience. And you are funny…it’s not all about the shape 🙂 Here is a link to a site that sells the 322 bowl: https://www.shopworldkitchen.com/bakeware-mix-prep-5302485.html You can also find them at flea markets and on ebay.
I have been making my own bread for a few years now, but not as much as I would like to, with being a wife and mother to an 8 year old and a 2 year old, working 3 days a week and going to school 2 days a week its hard to find time to do those special little things that my family loves so much! But this recipe I tried tonight because Friday just happens to be one of my days off and it was so easy and only took a few minutes to put together and the clean up was so easy! And baking it in the bowls was super fun! I have so many cute loaf pans, but I used the bowls just to follow the recipe for the first time as it, but I am sure I will be adding my own spin on it and it will be a go to recipe a lot more! I usually bake bread and make home made jam for Christmas gifts and I am thinking this year this is the bread I will use! It will save me a trip to the Chiropractor’s office from kneading 25+ loaves of bread! This recipe is wonderful! I am so happy to have stumbled onto it! Its so great to find ways to cut corners but not have the end result show that you didn’t have to put in hours of hard labor! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ohhh, so wonderful to hear all of this! And you are amazing — raising two kids, working, going to school AND still managing to make homemade food for your kids. Seriously, they are lucky to have you. I am so happy that you like this recipe and that it might make your Christmas gift-giving operation and post operation a little less taxing 🙂 Thanks so much for writing in. Happy Weekend!
Thank you for the many helpful hints! I’m making this soon and will post my results.
Making it for the 3rd time this evening. We LOVE it! So easy and fantastic.
Yay!
This bread was so easy and soooo good! It’s addictive. My hub and I are about to eat the whole loaf in one night! Thank you for a delicious recipe. I’m definitely going to try the “faux-caccia” because more of that buttery crust can only be better. mmmm….
yay! So happy to hear this!
Can you use a cast iron skillet like some of the other crusty breads? I’ve made your recipe as is and it is wonderful with the pyrex!
I have never tried, but someone recently wrote in saying he had baked the whole loaf in his cast iron dutch oven over a fire and that it was delicious, so I think the answer is yes! As always, I would just be sure to grease well with butter. Or were you thinking about baking the loaves in preheated cast iron pans?
I think i have this bread pinned since you post it ! My bread maker is broken and i was searching for an easy bread recipe… Which it certainly is ! In my bread maker, i was throwing all the ingredients at the same time, and never thought of allowing the yeast to rise by itself.
Here, i let the dough rest in the fridge all night after the first rise, because i was looking for a fresh breakfast bread for my son, who lately can’t eat sugar or salt. So basically, it’s is only flour, yeast and water 🙂 i needed the good ratio.
Thank you for all the good tips !
So happy to hear this, Sandra! I need to add the “overnight rise” tip to the notes … it’s so nice to have fresh bread in the morning!
Thank you so much for this recipe. My second try was perfect and I have a very impressed fiance. : )
I made two batches, one normal in a glass bowl and one in a fairly shallow oval terracotta dish. When the oval loaf was done cooking, I took it out of the oven and immediately spread the top with a generous amount of butter. Then, I spread it with fresh roasted garlic (the entire head – we love garlic). I sprinkled some Italian seasoning over the top, and added a generous layer of a fresh cheese blend – Romano, Parmesan, and Asiago. I put it back into the oven until the cheese started to bubble, and then broiled it. We ended up with AMAZING garlic cheese bread. Best either of us have ever had, and we love our bread!
yay on the impressed fiance!
And, um, your garlic cheese bread?! that sounds so incredibly delicious. TOtally trying that ASAP. Thank you for writing in! what a great idea.
I have tried this recipe three times today and I do not know what I am doing wrong. It has failed every time. I thought it might be the yeast because I can never get it to foam – so I went and bought another jar of yeast – still failed – so I went and bought another brand of yeast and changed the brand of flour – still failed. I am so frustrated!! I have went step by step and watched the video’s numerous times. UGH!!!
Jimmie, oh no! This is terrible. I want to call you immediately to discuss. Ok, any all-purpose flour should work though I am partial to King Arthur. In terms of getting the yeast-water mixture to foam, are you using 1.5 cups COLD water and only 1/2 cup hot water? Sometimes people switch these and the hot water kills the yeast. If you use instant yeast (also called rapid rise), you can skip the blooming step and stir the yeast right into the flour along with the sugar and salt. Seriously, if you want to email me directly (ali.c.stafford@gmail.com), we can set up a phone call or a skype session or something. I am so sorry to hear this!
if your yeast doesn’t bloom your bread wont rise, the reason your yeast doesn’t bloom in your water is probably because the water is too hot for the yeast to bloom properly or your yeast is too old, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. you should be able to put your hand in the water you are using and leave it there to the count of 10 if you cant its too hot. only thing u can do for old yeast is to just get new … check expiration dates, just cause u just bought it doesn’t mean it isn’t out of date it may have been left on the shelf too long, i also keep mine refrigerated till ready to use. and make sure to add your sugar to the yeast water, water re-hydrates the yeast and the sugar helps it grow (it shouldn’t take more then 5 min to start getting foamy (if it doesn’t get foamy like in proper temperature water the yeast is bad.), and make sure you give the bread dough enough time to rise too before putting it into the oven it usually takes an hour or so depending on the types of yeast used.
Tina, thanks so much for your input here. You are absolutely right — the water is probably too hot or the yeast (before the new jar came into the picture) was probably too old. So appreciate you piping in.
Just came across this on Pinterest yesterday and decided to make it, it was my first time making bread without a bread machine and I was very nervous about it, but it turned out wonderfully! I think I will double it next time to make a few loaves 🙂 Thank you for sharing the recipe!
What kind of bowl would you recommend mixing it in if the recipe is doubled? I made it in the 2.5qt Pyrex bowl this time but I’m afraid that would be too small if I doubled it, or would I just not let it rise as much the first time?
Yay, Jessica, so happy to hear this. OK, did you bake the whole loaf in the 2.5 qt bowl? I have been meaning to try baking the whole batch of bread in some sort of vessel but don’t have the right size. Ok, i can’t believe this, but I still have never doubled this recipe. But, many of the commenters have. One guy doubles it and divides the dough amoung three loaf pans. I think the 2.5 qt might be too small for a double batch. You could use your 2.5 qt for half of the double batch, and then bake off the other half in a couple of loaf pans? Also, the whole batch (a single recipe) is too big for one loaf pan. Hope that helps!
Everything went great until the second rise. I am still waiting for it to rise to the top of the bowl. I used the exact same bowl you used. It is still 2 or more inches below the rim and it has been 35 minutes. I’m going to wait until 45 minutes before I bake them.
Sahndra, oh no! Ok, something is not right. The second rise shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. Question: did your first rise go ok? DId you do the warm oven trick? The oven wasn’t too hot was it? Im worried that you partially cooked the bread during the first rise.