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”
Hi Alexandra,
I made this bread today and I loved it.
I did see that you made some in a popover pan. Would the oven temperature and the amount of time it takes to bake be any different?
Thanks for this awesome recipe 🙂
So happy to hear this! Ok, I think I kept the temperature and times about the same, but the mini loaves in the popover pan cooked faster. I think I did 10 minutes at 425 and then 10 minutes at 375 and then started checking them after that. You will be able pull one out using tongs to check the bottom — tap it gently and if it feels somewhat hollow, the loaves are probably done. I wouldn’t bake them for more than 25 minutes total. Hope that helps!
Hi Alexandra,
I stumbled over this recipe on facebook and thought i have to try this. Well i did today and found it really simple and enjoyed making it.
Here at home we enjoyed eating it and even our cat had a try of a crumb and ate it without playing with it which is unusual for her.
Alltogether thank you for this wonderful bread which will be a keeper here in Germany.
Wonderful to hear this, Samantha! So glad your kitty enjoyed it as well. Thanks for writing in and for reading from afar! I love Germany. I only visited very briefly — a college soccer trip to Belgium, Holland and Germany — but I am dying to get back.
So, I’ve tried this recipe before with great success. It’s one of my favorite breads now! However, I no longer have the Pyrex bowls I used to (long story). I still have a nice set of regular loaf pans. Will those work? Does the shape of the bowl/pan affect the rise?
Michael — SO sorry for this very delayed response. Yes, regular loaf pans will definitely work, just be sure to grease really well especially in the corners. Also, I might consider doubling the recipe and splitting the dough among three loaf pans if you have them. You can use two loaf pans for sure, but the loaves won’t be terribly large. And one loaf pan for a single recipe is too small — the dough will spill out. Hope that helps!
This bread is amazing!
Do yourself a favor and buy a proofing box. It changed my life. I never had a place warm enough to raise bread dough and I always killed it when I tried to do it in the oven. It fold flat and takes almost no room to store… that is, if I ever put it away. I use it constantly. I think I got it from KAF.
Cindy
Cool! I might just have to do this. I can never have too many kitchen gadgets. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I made this bread today & it is delicious! I was wondering the best way to store it…in a ziploc, on the counter or refrigerate? Any suggestions?
Yay! So happy to hear this, Lynn. I suggest storing it in a ziploc at room temperature, especially if you think you will eat it within the next few days. In the summer, maybe refrigerate it. And if you feel like you won’t eat it within a few days — winter or summer — slice it, wrap a few slices at a time in plastic wrap, and store in a ziploc bag in the freezer — it makes wonderful toast!
Hi, again, Alexandra:
More adventures in baking using your lovely recipe!
I made the faux focaccia bread and it came out perfectly. I used a TON of coconut oil to grease up my Le Creuset braiser pan and the most perfect circular loaf of focaccia bread resulted — no sticking! It slide right out onto my cooling rack and LOOKED & SMELLED WONDERFUL!
Faux focaccia? Not in my opinion. Seriously, this is: THE. BEST. FOCACCIA. BREAD. EVER. PERIOD. 🙂
This will make great cheese toast (one of my favs) when sliced! Going to go make some in a few minutes as it’s breakfast time for me! Mmmmmm. Cheese toast with black pepper & red pepper flakes and a dash of sea salt with a hot mug of green tea. Heaven!
I encourage everyone to do try making this recipe using the focaccia option!
Best wishes for a lovely & blessed week to you and your family!
Very warmest regards,
Patti 🙂
Patti you are the best! Thank you so much for writing in with this tip. I am SO going to use coconut oil the next time I make the focaccia. And thank you so much for your enthusiasm! Lurve lurve lurve it 🙂
made your bread last night,so easy and so good! couldn’t wait til it cooled! I used 2 pyrex loaf pans, and slathered the corners with butter, as you suggested- came out of pans so nicely. I also used honey instead of white sugar-yumsterthank you and your mama
You are so welcome! Nice call on slathering the corners with butter. So happy to hear that this works out in two loaf pans. I’m going to try with honey next time. Thanks for sharing!
oh helpful hint on second rising-i used a heating pad to speed it up-worked well
Great tip, Sophie! Love it. Thanks for sharing.
Would this work in a loaf pan? I only have one bowl the proper size..
Yes, absolutely! Just be sure to grease it really well. And it might not be the tallest loaf of bread, but the pan will work just fine.
Has anyone tried this with GLUTEN FREE flour?
I just tried tonight. It is baking now but the dough did not rise as I expected so there was not much to punch down. I am letting it try to do the second rise now so I will update when it is out of the oven.
Sheryl, I would love to hear how the gluten-free flour turns out. I have a chiropractor that is constantly on me to remove gluten from my diet…but it is SO HARD! I have a very stressful and demanding job and often eat on the fly (when I actually slow down enough to eat!)…what can be held in the hand is the easiest for me to consume. Eliminating bread has been impossible for me, not only for convenience but also just a sucker for fresh-baked bread!
I would love to hear how the gluten-free version turns out as well. I am a sucker for fresh-baked bread and couldn’t imagine giving it up, but so many people are interested and in need of gluten-free bread, and I would love to know how to make a good loaf.
Hmmm. Sheryl, what kind of yeast were you using? And did you do the warm oven trick? We’ll get the bottom of it!
I’ll be trying this recipe. It looks so good. We all love homemade bread. I’ve been making the 5 minute Artisan Bread for several years and it is so good.
This looks somewhat quicker and oh so pretty.
Thank you for the recipe
OOOOOHHH! Fauxcoccia! This recipe looks great and I cannot wait to try it!!
Hi! Your bread looks fantastic! I’ve never made bread before and am very excited to try your recipe this week. I do have a question, I know your recipe will make two loafs of bread. If I am only wanting one at the time would you recommend freezing the dough or cooking the bread then freezing that?
Thanks!
Amber, hi, and I’m so sorry for this delayed response! OK, I have successfully frozen one round unbaked. So, after you punch down the dough and divide it, wrap one in plastic wrap and place in the freezer, and proceed with the recipe for the unfrozen piece. When you are ready to bake the frozen half, let it thaw in a greased mixing bowl (not the bowl you intend to bake it in); and after it thaws, transfer it to the greased baking bowl, let it rise to the top, then bake it off. Make sense? Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi, this looks fantastic as I love homemade bread. I was wondering, could this be made like rolls. I would put it in a pyrex cake pan (9×13) and would spoon the dough in like “drop biscuits”. I was just curious if it would work. I know that it would look more like biscuits, but the taste would be wonderful. Just curious. Also can you use regular salt instead of kosher?
Cynthia, I have never tried this, but someone else successfully made monkey bread using this dough recipe, so I don’t see why dinner rolls would be any different. The only thing I worry about is the dropping process — the dough is so wet, that I think if you just drop them into a pan, it’s going to all meld together. I think you might have better luck, using well floured hands to shape and drop. Does that make sense? And yes on the regular salt. I would use maybe 1.5 teaspoons of regular (like Morton’s table salt?) salt. Hope that helps!
Can you double this and let all of it rise in one bowl to make 4 loaves? I’ve made this bread about 10 times now and my husband and I love it!
Catie, hi! I think you can. As long as you have a large enough bowl, I don’t see why it would be a problem. The first rise might take a little bit longer, too. One guy who commented says he regularly doubles the recipe and bakes it off in three standard loaf pans. I’ve never asked him, but I imagine he lets the first rise go in one large bowl. Hope that helps! Sorry for the delayed response here…I’m behind in life right now 🙁
I tried this this bread and loved it. I played with some small amounts of it by placing about 2 tbs into a ramekin. My thought was that this just might make the perfect biscuit size to put sausage and an egg on for those early mornings I have to work. I hate that I didn’t get a pic before the grandsons came over as they were cooling, but it was a big hit! Thanks again for sharing!!!!
Susan hi! So sorry for the delayed response here…I absolutely LOVE this idea. I think I am going to have to try that immediately. I have bacon on hand. I think this might have to be breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for writing in and thanks for the wonderful idea. Happy to hear the grandsons approved 🙂
I was a baker for 12 years before I had to retire due to disability and I always LOVED to bake bread. For the past several months I have been trying a ton of no-knead bread recipes. I even pulled out my bread machine. My collection of bread recipes has really grown. Yesterday I finally got around to your recipe. I found it earlier but I didn’t have to bowls . After searching and not finding what I wanted, I decided to use the corning ware I have. The pans are about 4 x 7 , 1.5 quart. WOW! I now have a favorite bread. It is so easy, I don’t have to wait 24 hours while it is in the fridge and it is wonderful! Thank you so much for the recipe.
BettyGrayce! I am so so happy to hear this! I know, I have tried all of the slow-rise, no-knead recipes as well, and while I love them, I always go back to this one. Glad to hear you had a bowl on hand that worked. Thanks for writing in.
I love your bread! It is the first bread I’ve ever made and I am so pleased with the results every time. If I want to make one loaf at a time, can I leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator? Do you know how long it will last that way?
Alana, hi! Thanks so much for writing in. First of all, so happy you like the bread. As for storing the dough in the fridge, I think you could, but I don’t think it will keep for much more than a day, and you might have to punch it down (maybe a couple of times, too) when you see that it has risen to the top of its storage vessel. I have been meaning to try this myself as this isn’t the first time this question has been asked. If you feel like trying, definitely keep the bowl covered in plastic wrap, and I would say don’t leave the dough for much longer than 24 hours after you punch it down the first time. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!
The photos are beautiful. I live in Denver – 5,200 feet elevation. Do you have any suggestions for high altitude adjustments? Thanks!
I love this recipe! I always give up on making homemade bread because it takes so much time, but this is a snap. And finally, a use for my pyrex bowls!
I just wish mine would rise as high as yours! 😉
Katrina, it probably isn’t rising as high because the size of your bowls might be larger. My bowls are deceivingly small. So happy you like the recipe even so!
Thank you for posting this recipe! I have never made bread before, but your recipe and instructions made it SO easy. I am hooked! I prefer whole wheat and made my first batch with a brand that is made for baking— it worked beautifully and tastes awesome!
Yum! Awesome to hear all of this. Great to know that it works out well with whole wheat…I need to be better about that 🙂
Also- just as FYI- the last time I made this I added rosemary. I made one loaf in the bowl, but split the other half into 3 sections- let rise for about 20 min then patted out a very thin to make pizza dough and let rise again for 15 min, patted out again and baked. I think I baked it for about 15-20 min and then put them in a plastic bag in the fridge. I made several homemade pizzas through the week- IT WAS AWESOME!
Awesome! I have been wanting to try the dough as pizza — can’t believe I never have — and now I am inspired. Nice work on getting a head start on meals for the week…if only I could be so organized! Rosemary sounds amazing, too. I might try to make rosemary dinner rolls for Thanksgiving…I will report back!
I love your mother 🙂 I have never even considered trying to make bread, thinking it was too difficult. I adjusted the recipe to 3/4 because I live alone and wasn’t sure it would really turn out so good. I didn’t have any round bowls so I made it in a glass loaf pan and have to say that this is some of the best bread. This is the bread that you stuff in your take home box from the restaurant, if not better. I’m not sure that I will ever buy bread again (I never bought a lot to begin with) and I look forward to trying some of the variations that others have posted on here. I also look forward to sharing with my own mother. Thank you for posting.
So awesome to hear all of this. And well done on scaling the recipe down — a whole batch never fits into one loaf pan…can’t believe I’ve never scaled down the recipe myself. I hope you do share the recipe with your mother. I truly believe there is no better gift than fresh bread. Thanks for writing in!
Hi, Alexandra!
I DID IT! I DID IT! YAY! DOUBLE YAY!!!!!
(My sweet hubby came home with two pounds of real butter a few days ago — sick of my whispering under my breath that I needed butter to do this process correctly, probably. lol)
So, I have now successfully made your AWESOME ROCKIN’ PEASANT BREAD this evening! The loaves tumbled gently out of each of my little Pyrex bowls without issue. Amazing. They look and smell great! We’ll be having freshly baked bread with our eggs for breakfast tomorrow for sure!
Again, THANK YOU for such a great recipe! I truly have been enjoying your blog! Keep up the great work and know that people like me appreciate all the great information you share!
Very warmest regards & blessings to you and your family!
Patti 🙂 <3
HOORAY HOORAY!! So so happy to hear this. Your sweet hubby is such a gem. Hope those eggs were as good as ever. I am experimenting with a batch of peasant bread in the fridge, rising slowly in the cool environment, hoping that tomorrow I’ll be able to bake off faux English muffins and treat myself to a spectacular egg sandwich tomorrow morning. I will be sure to report back. Thanks for your kind words, and thank you so much for writing in. Love hearing from you 🙂
Can you use this recipe to make dinner rolls? I’d love a quick ciabatta roll recipe.
Dave, yes, you can! Here is my cheaters’ ciabatta recipe: https://alexandracooks.com/2013/04/24/three-fats-on-faux-ciabatta/ It uses the peasant bread dough. I should warn that a couple commenters have had difficulty with it, so I don’t want to lead you down a frustrating path. I can’t totally pinpoint the trouble areas yet, but if you feel like trying the two bits of advice I would offer are: 1. go heavy on the semolina flour when you are in the process of dividing the dough and shaping the portions into balls, and 2. use a light hand in the last shaping step, when you are stretching the rounds in preparation for baking. Hope that helps. Let me know if there is anything else!
Hi There,
I’m about to embark on my first attempt at making bread sing your recipe.
I was wondering, do you think it would work with loaf pans? (I don’t have any pyrex yet.)
Thanks for sharing.
Nick
Absolutely! Just be sure to grease the pans with butter really well, especially in the corners. One commenter noted that he doubles the recipe every week and bakes it off in three loaf pans — just wanted to give you that reference because if you make a single recipe and bake it off in two loaf pans, your loaves will probably be a little small; but don’t try to fit the entire loaf into one loaf pan either — it will overflow. Let me know if you have any other questions! And good luck!
I was wondering if you have ever frozen it. i would love to make this as a gift to pass out to my neighbors for the holidays so I would want to start making it now and give it out a few days before if I can freeze it so I am not making a ton all in one day. thanks…and byvtge way it is incredible
Tami, hi! So glad you like this. I have frozen the dough after the first rise (after I punch it down with forks) wrapped in plastic wrap, and I freeze the baked bread all the time, sliced up so that it can be toasted easily. I have to admit that I don’t think it tastes as fresh after it is frozen — it definitely benefits from being toasted or heated. It is still very good — I don’t want to discourage you — but I don’t want you to be disappointed either. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I featured your recipe link on my blog and then posted the results as follows, hope you enjoy it, I LOVED the bread….
Frompost on Foo-ee Farm
I posted a recipe link for Peasant bread (link below) the other day and promised to let you know how it made up, could it really be easier or tastier than my Amish bread recipe? Well on first review it looked like it might be easier indeed, there is no kneading or shaping involved and you cook it in a Pyrex bowl, surely sounds foolproof to me. So yesterday I wrote down the ingredients, skimmed the directions, and started the process. My final product was about an inch thick….not the beautiful round loaf pictured. Apparently I did something wrong…like not thoroughly reading he directions. If I can’t make a “foolproof recipe” right what kinda baker am I? Well, the boys gamely cut into the failed loaves (so as not to hurt my feelings), slathered them with fresh butter, and took bites. Utter joy spread over their faces as they exclaimed that it was DELICIOUS bread. I took a bite and it was warm-bread-from-the-oven nirvana. I can’t even describe crust. chewy-crunchy yum
TS asked what it was called and then remarked that “those peasants sure ate good.” So I tried again, this time following the directions. I have to say it is wonderful bread. Comparing it to my Amish bread is like comparing an apple to an orange. There is definitely room in my breadbox for both.
So funny…loved your story! Thanks for writing in. So glad you and the boys ultimately approved 🙂
I was wondering if you can make and bake and then freeze…would like to give away as homemade gift for Christmas to my neighbors and close friends but that’s alot of bread to make all at one time 🙂 Love the bread it’s delish! Think I am going to try and butter the bowl with some garlic butter and see how it does for garlic bread…have a blessed day!
Tami, hi! So glad you like this. I have frozen the dough after the first rise (after I punch it down with forks) wrapped in plastic wrap, and I freeze the baked bread all the time, sliced up so that it can be toasted easily. I have to admit that I don’t think it tastes as fresh after it is frozen — it definitely benefits from being toasted or heated. It is still very good — I don’t want to discourage you — but I don’t want you to be disappointed either. Let me know if you have any other questions. Love the idea of buttering the bowl with garlic. Let me know how it turns out!
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it once, and it didn’t rise the second time. I was really upset because I wanted an easy bread recipe! So I tried it again and was extremely careful (following your videos exactly) and it worked! Mine didn’t get as tall as yours but it tasted great. Especially while still warm. I wonder if it is an altitude thing (I’m in the Southwest US). I’m going to try to make rolls with the recipe and small glass bowls.
It might be the altitude, but it might just be the bowls you are using. What size are they? Mine are deceivingly small. Glad the bread worked out the second time around!
I have a similar recipe. I bake mine in a round cake tin with the loose bottom as well, or two small loaf tins and even baked it in two coffee tins (750g) as well, just need to cut the part where lid comes with an electric can opener for a smoother edge. Sometimes I use half all purpose flour and half nutty wheat.
I’ve been dying to try the coffee tin vessel!
Where did you purchase the salt bowl. Love the bread, four sisters now making the bread. D
Oh, so happy to hear about you and your sisters! The salt cellar was actually something my husband picked up in Mexico when he was a senior in high school. Isn’t it great? I have tried hard to search for others online, but I can’t quite find anything like it. If I find a source, I will be in touch!