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.
6,394 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
I’ve been making this bread for months with great success. We recently moved to about 6000 feet elevation and have had nothing but failures. How should I change the recipe to get back on track?
Catie! So sorry for the delay here. And sorry to hear about the bread trouble. OK, I have zero experience cooking at elevation, but I recently received a comment on another post with some insight. OK, apparently, bread rises faster at higher elevation, so I would not do the warm oven trick. Just let the bread rise at room temperature, and see how it turns out. If the dough is rising too quickly — doubling in less than hour or so — I would cut back the yeast by half a teaspoon or so the next time around. Try these two things and see if you notice any difference. Hope that helps!
I absolutely love this recipe!! I’d never made bread before, but was looking for a simple recipe. I’ve been making this for probably a year now, at least once a week, if not more often. It is so simple, and absolutely delicious!! Guests LOVE it, and I usually make an extra loaf when we have my hubby’s German co-workers over for dinner when they come to town. I send the extra loaf with them, and they talk about it for the remainder of their trip, and request it again when they come back.
I use 3 c all-purpose flour, and 1 c whole wheat flour. I also make it all in one 9×5 loaf pan, so we can use it for toast and sandwiches.
Missy, so wonderful to hear all of this! Thank you so much for writing in. Don’t guests go wild over it? It’s such a great party trick. Love that you make it for sandwiches, too. I’m doing the same thing for our camping trip this weekend. Can’t wait!
Hi, Missy. Years late, here, and I’m crossing my fingers you’ll see this. I’ve been reading back through all the comments to find whole wheat successes (I mill my own grains). I’m curious about your sandwich bread. Do you butter up your pan prior to baking, as Alexandra does her pyrex bowls?
I have had this recipe “pinned” for a long time but was waiting to get the right size bowl (which I never remember). So I decided to make it anyway and put the whole recipe in my clay roaster (without the lid). I think 1.5x the recipe would have been perfect for my small size roaster but this bread came out beautifully! I added fresh rosemary to mine and it is just so, so good – especially toasted! I have made the other no no knead recipes (which have a different texture and are also really goo) but this will be my go-to. It is so easy and absolutely foolproof! Thank you!
So happy to hear this Elise! Love the idea of fresh rosemary. Isn’t it the best toasted? And it makes the best grilled cheese. Yum!
I have been making this bread for awhile now and I wanted to share one of my favorite variations: I like to stir in 2 tsp. dried rosemary into the flour and then, after baking, I brush the tops of the loaves with olive oil and then sprinkle coarse sea salt on top. It’s delicious!
Francie that sounds so good! I am making a batch to take camping with us this weekend. I will try this!
Wow, this is dangerously delicious. I made one loaf in a Pyrex bowl with butter, and the other in an 8×8 square pan with olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary and sea salt on top. So amazing! I may have gone a bit overboard with the butter and oil, but I don’t regret it! The buttery crust and light airy texture are pure heaven. Sadly, I won’t be making this often because my husband and I will devour the whole loaf in a day. But now I have an excuse to throw more dinner parties so I can impress everyone with your amazing bread. Thank you so much for sharing this!
So happy to hear this! And I know, we tear through this bread. It’s hard not to when it’s freshly baked. And yes re more dinner parties! There is no better party trick than this peasant bread 🙂
Hi
can this be made with gluten free flour?
Yes! https://alexandracooks.com/2014/03/21/gluten-free-peasant-bread/
I just wanted to say that I made my first loaf using your recipe about 2 months ago… and ever since, I’ve stopped buying bread in the store (too much bad stuff in those!) and just make this once a week! So simple & so tasty! Toasts up really nicely too!
What I like is that I know exactly what I’m eating now… and the loaf actually lasts on the counter quite well just wrapped for a solid week before going bad.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Oh, and I also just wanted to add that I’ve found that I get the closest “bread” taste / look / feel when I use unbleached bread flour.
I’ve gone through a few different kinds of flour and that definitely makes the best loaf in my opinion. 🙂
Wonderful to hear this, Ryan! Isn’t it the truth? It’s so nice knowing what’s going into your bread. I am partial to unbleached bread flour, too. It makes the best grilled cheese, too: https://alexandracooks.com/2012/09/11/the-best-grilled-cheese/
Thank you so much for this recipe. I baked it yesterday for the second time. Loving it. I baked it in a single loaf in my loaf glass pan (guess mine is slightly bigger, so it fits perfectly). Love it. Since I am Asian, I spread mine with chilli paste. So yummy. And being single is not good when I bake bread, can’t be on a diet. Lol. However, still thank you.
Ris Ng
You are hilarious. I love it. Chili paste sounds amazing. And good to know about the single loaf pan — I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for a larger one.
I think i fixed my bread… i wasn’t letting it rise long enough and had to be very careful about measuring the yeast.. i was too accustomed to throwing in a packet. I still like it best with the blue packet of fleishman’s quick rise yeast.
Now i’m moving on to an easy wheat or multi grain bread… any ideas? (I have been eating too much white flour and it turns into glucose so it’s time to switch!
Thanks for starting me on the path to bread making!
What a relief! Seriously, I am so happy to hear this. I was totally stumped. OK, as for whole grain flour recipes, I would first suggest substituting one or two cups of the white flour for whole wheat flour and then adjust from there. Once you see how the texture changes when whole wheat flour is used, you will be able to make other changes using the partial whole wheat loaf as a guide. Question: do you use a scale to measure the flour? A scale is really nice, because as long as you keep the dry ingredients (flours, oats, whole grains, etc.) to about 510 g, you can change up the mixture in countless ways. Hope that makes sense!
Is there a way to use the bread machine to make this?…I could skip any kneading steps for sure. I don’t use my oven bc of a disability concerning my spine…I can’t bend over! I use my bread machine all the time…with bread mixes….but I would rather make bread from fresh ingredients! Any ideas?
Annette — I wish I could help! I have no experience using bread machines 🙁
Hi,
I have my first batch of bread in the oven. Hopefully all turns out well! I am already planning my next batch (out of town company coming). I would like to try adding some cheddar cheese to make a cheese bread. How much cheese would you/can you add without messing up the bread? I am so excited about this recipe! I hope my first batch turns out. Thanks!
So happy to hear this, Anna! As for adding cheese, I would add it after you punch down the dough after the first rise. I would just sprinkle a handful of cheese over the surface of the dough, and kind of fold the dough onto itself. Then maybe add a handful more before dividing the dough into two loaves? I have never actually added cheese. Let me know how they turn out!
I made this bread so many times. My dad lived with me and it was his favorite bread, and the man loved all kinds of bread! He passed away last Saturday at 84. Whenever I made it he would come in the kitchen and get so happy. He loved the end pieces the best. And he would cut a very large end off!
I thank you for the recipe and the memories a loaf of bread gave me.
Hi Cindy,
So sorry for your loss. May the Lord comfort you and your family. Take care.
Ris Ng
Oh Cindy, I am so so sorry to hear this. But is sounds as though your father was loved and lived a good, long life. You are a good daughter! Thank you for sharing such a touching story. Makes me happy and sad. I hope I can give my parents the same kind of love when they get to that age. Hope you are doing ok. I am sure the next few weeks will be hard. Thinking of you!
Bread looks great and I can’t wait to make it. I don’t have much experience in baking bread and I can’t understand why you specify NOT to used bleached AP flour. I buy AP flour without noticing if it is bleached or not (and I’ve discarded the bag after putting it into a storage container so I can’t confirm what I have). What difference would it make either way?? THANKS!
Hi GG, many people have had success using bleached AP flour, but I just find it gives the bread an off flavor and texture. It’s really just personal preference. Whatever all-purpose flour you have in the storage container should work just fine. Good luck with it!
I made this tonight , it turns out a nice tasty pheasant loaf that is quick and easy to make , that being said I am a long time bread maker so for me it was easy. It is a bit too salty for my taste and I will adjust for that next time but a good all around loaf of bread. Thanks Alexandra:)
Wonderful to hear this, Mary! Glad it was easy…that’s its biggest virtue. Question: what kind of salt were you using? Happy Fourth!
Hi! This bread is amazing! The first time I made it I made a double batch and gave it to my closest friends and they were thrilled. My question is, can you use rye flour in this recipe? The recipe is PERFECT, it’s just that my Mom gave me a huge bag of rye flour and I want to use it somehow. Thank you in advance and thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
Hi Jennifer! Wonderful to hear this. You can use other flours, but I would start slowly — maybe use 1 to 2 cups of rye flour in place of the all-purpose to start, and then see how it affects the texture. I love changing up the flours a little bit in this recipe, but the finished loaves are never so light and fluffy than when 100% all-purpose flour is used.
I just baked this for the first time and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Thanks so much for the recipe! (:
Wonderful to hear this, Candice!
This bread is awful*. I made it for the first time on Friday (4th of July) and I’ve made it 2 times since then (if you’re counting, that is 3 times in 4 days!) I’ve got a batch in the oven right now! This recipe has though er made my life 100x better (or worse…?) How will I ever get anything done now, I’m constantly baking bread?!
*my family eats it too fast! (^_-)
I’m not getting a good 2nd rise though. I’m currently doing a 1.5 batch (6 cups/765 grams flour) divided between two 1.5 bowls. Has anyone made a full batch in one 1.5 qt bowl, or is that way too much?
*supposed to say “This recipe has either made my life 100x better…”
You are hilarious! So sorry for the delay here — I’ve been out of town, and I’m finally catching up. So happy to hear you are busy making bread and having good success. As for your question, I think a full batch of bread will be too much for the 1.5 qt bowl. Questions: what kind of yeast are you using? Are you getting a good first rise? How long are you letting the second rise go?
Here a respons from belgium.
I made this bread this evening for the first time, i am curious what the kids will say tomorrow morning.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Maartje
Wonderful to hear this Maartje!
Can I use gluten free flour instead of normal flour for the Peasant Bread?
Thanks
Yes you can make it Gluten Free. She has a link to her recipe for that. One thing I suggest is using psyllium husk powder instead of the xantham gum. You replace it in equal measure 1:1.
Thank you for jumping in Tina! And thank you for the tip on the xanthum gum substitute — I think I read something about this on Food52. When I started experimenting with gluten-free variations, I had no idea xanthum gum was kind of a controversial ingredient. I’ve been meaning to try the psyllium husk powder myself. Here is the direct link to the g-f peasant bread: https://alexandracooks.com/2014/03/21/gluten-free-peasant-bread/
I haven’t tried it yet but I’m going to this week. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks so much for taking the time to convert your recipe to GF.
I made the Gluten Free version this weekend using the psyllium husk powder instead of the guar gum. That worked great but mine failed to rise the second time so my bread was more like ciabatta, which was great. Next time I’m going to let it make it’s first rise in the buttered bowl and go ahead and bake it then. I think even though I was very careful in the transfer after the first rise it was still too much handling. If there’s not a significant reason for the second rise I think this will solve that problem. I can’t wait to use this recipe for pizza dough and focaccia. I’m SO happy I found this! 🙂 Thank you!
Yes! Here is the link: https://alexandracooks.com/2014/03/21/gluten-free-peasant-bread/
I am in the process of making this bread now to have with supper. I love making bread but have dexterity problems with my hands now and cannot knead bread, I truly think this bread is going to be a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
ok so I rarely leave a comment about a recipe but this time is different. W O W i love this bread. I didnt have the pyrex bowls so i used bread pan and let me say,,, yum
I was leary about making bread again after all these years. No kneading? I was waiting for a failure but to my surprise it was a hit. thanks so much
Wonderful to hear this!
This is a great recipe! Looking forward to making it this weekend. I’d like to add some fresh rosemary to this. Have you tried adding herbs to it? Thanks so much for sharing this 🙂
Melissa, so sorry for the delay here. I have not added herbs, but many commenters have. Fresh rosemary will be wonderful. Just chop it up, a tablespoon or so, and whisk it in with the flour. Now that I say this, I realize I have made thyme dinner rolls, which are delicious: https://alexandracooks.com/2013/11/26/thyme-dinner-rolls/
What a wonderful video. So simple to follow. The bread looks yummy. I am making this one tomorrow.
Hi Alexandra, great post! Have you ever tried this bread with spelt four? I have just shy of 2 kgs of spelt flour (white and whole wheat) that I bought for another recipe and I would like to use it up. I’ll probably try it anyway but just wondering if you had 🙂
Hi Anthea, so sorry for the delay here! I have not tried spelt flour. I would suggest just substituting one or two cups at the most of spelt flour first before substituting more. I am sure it will work out fine, but it will definitely make for a denser loaf.
hi I like to know what is graham flour ? where can I buy it to make this bread ? thank you
Graham flour is a more coarsely ground whole wheat flour. You can usually find it with the flour at the grocery store, but it might be “hiding” up on the top shelf or with other specialty flours like rye. If you can’t find it there, try in the health food section. If you have a very small grocery store, you may have to order it or go to a health food store.
Holly, thanks so much for your wisdom here!
I would like to try this recipe with a sourdough starter. Do you think it will work? Your instructions are clear and consise and I thank you for this post! I’m going to try it like your recipe first, then I’ll try the sourdough version. Thanks!
+1 HERE!!!
I just fed my starter and getting anxious to try this out…
I think I will just omit some flour and water and replace with my firm starter…
And maybe leave out the yeast and prolong the rising time.
Anybody?
Hi Frank,
I just responded to Matt re sourdough starter, and while I have never tried it, a few people have had success and left some notes in the comments. This is what I found:
1. I am SOOO happy and thankful for this recipe. Just to follow up yesterdays post. I 1/2 the recipe and used 1 cup of my sourdough starter here. I did everything else to the “T”. My bread turned out amazing! After many failures at different sourdough recipes, I’m sticking with this one. It had such a nice subtle but most present sourdough flavor. Thank you Alexandra for your recipe. <3
2. SOURDOUGH NOTE – I had a 100% hydration sourdough starter on the go that needed to be divided/poured off, so I used 1 cup of it in the last batch of this bread (it replaced 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water from your recipe) – this also made an excellent loaf with heaps of flavour.
I very rarely bake anymore, but this is just too tempting! Hmmmm…..I believe I can smell it now!
Question from someone who doesn’t bake at all….I don’t eat butter, can I coat the bowls/pans with coconut or olive oil instead?
Tricia, you can use olive oil or coconut oil, but people have had issues with sticking. I suggest using coconut oil that is still somewhat solid but maleable — so that it’s not melted but almost the texture of room temperature butter. Does that make sense? And be very generous with your coating. This is crucial to prevent sticking.
Hi, hoping for a quick response because my bread is rising as I type! I am planning to use a 2.5L bowl to do the whole recipe because that is all I have. How will this change the baking time?
Thanks!
Julia
Hi, I just did the same today with a 2.5 litre pyrex and followed the directions exactly.
it turned out perfect
15 mins at 425 and 15 at 375 worked for the whole recipe in the one bigger bowl.
Thanks for jumping in here, Matt!
Hope it turned out well, Julia! Glad Matt was able to offer some guidance.
Alexandra,
Thank you for the great recipe. I tried all breads. All methods… everything. I’ve had successes and failures everywhere.
Then I discovered Jim Lahey… and the world changed.
Now I discover this recipe and it’s like Lahey’s (already foolproof) reciped, turbo charged with zero loss of quality.
Fast, foolproof and flavorful.
Thank you,
I am most certainly impressed and look forward to going into my habit of modifying the recipe.
But, as I commented to another commenter today, is there a way to search the comments (all 1800+) for anyone that may have commented about something in particular?
In my case, sourdough starter?
Or cheese?
Or?
you get my drift.
Thanks again for sharing this, you have given us something special and I hope you feel good about it.
Hi Matt! I’m so happy to hear this. I have tried all of the bread recipes, too, and while I like them all for various reasons, this is the one I always return to for its speed and simplicity. Glad to hear you agree. I am a huge fan of the Lahey pizza dough, however: https://alexandracooks.com/2014/07/08/the-zucchini-anchovy/
Now, as for your questions, unfortunately there is not a good method of searching the comments. I should look into some sort of wordpress plugin for that. A few people have used a sourdough starter. I searched the comments in my dashboard and came up with two that might be helpful:
1. I am SOOO happy and thankful for this recipe. Just to follow up yesterdays post. I 1/2 the recipe and used 1 cup of my sourdough starter here. I did everything else to the “T”. My bread turned out amazing! After many failures at different sourdough recipes, I’m sticking with this one. It had such a nice subtle but most present sourdough flavor. Thank you Alexandra for your recipe. <3
2. SOURDOUGH NOTE – I had a 100% hydration sourdough starter on the go that needed to be divided/poured off, so I used 1 cup of it in the last batch of this bread (it replaced 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water from your recipe) – this also made an excellent loaf with heaps of flavour.
As for cheese: Lots of people have had success adding grated cheese and other herbs and seasonings. I would add the cheese after the first rise. Just sprinkle it over the punched down dough, and use the forks to turn the dough onto itself and incorporate the cheese. Hope that helps. Let me know if there is anything else!
Thank you so much, Alexandra.
I’m so very pleased to find a great recipe, I could kiss you!
And thanks for your attention to the comments! You are a conscientious blogger!
You are so welcome! Thank you so much for you enthusiasm. It means a lot.