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.
6,418 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
This looks fantastic! Instead of a 1.5Q bowl, could I use a 1.5Q loaf pan?
Thank you!
YEs, absolutely!
This is fantastic!!! My new favorite bread recipe. My loaves stuck to the bowls (mostly bottom) and I had used as much butter as I could get to stay on the bowl, but not a big deal, just going to add more butter to the bottom next time. It tastes great, and I used 2 1/2 tbsp sugar. Thanks for the recipe!! And the tips for making the water temp for yeast and how to make a warm place to rise worked great, going to adopt those methods for other baking 😀
Wonderful to hear this, Amanda! And sorry about the sticking…frustrating. The bowls weren’t warm at all when you buttered them, were they? REcently, I buttered warm bowls, and the butter melted a bit, and I had sticking issues, too. Just a thought. Hope next time you don’t have sticking issues!
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve never had the patience to bake bread before, but this is so easy I think I’m going to be making it a couple times a week, and more importantly, camping. I just need to figure out how to cook it in a Dutch oven…
Wonderful to hear this, Erik! Last summer, one man wrote in telling me that he successfully baked this peasant bread in a dutch oven. He didn’t give any details, but I hope his success inspires you. If I try it on our next camping trip, I will report back. Good luck!
there is an online recipe club http://www.justapinch.com in the search box enter Dutch Oven Bread, my fave is Candy Hummer’s recipe, but there are several to choose from…try adding herbs, like rosemary/thyme/sage
Love this bread. I no longer purchase bread. This is what I use. On Shabbat I make Challah, which is not nearly as easy as this. It’s great but for a super easy super delicious bread this is a wonderful recipe. Btw do yourself a favor and get the Pyrex bowls. It makes the crust.
Wonderful to hear this, Michaele!
How do I get a copy for this to add to my cook book at home to have always. I seem to loose these posts before I get a chance to make them, and I so want to try this recipe.. thanks for sharing. looks yummy!
Hi Karen! There is a print icon to the right of the recipe title. Let me know if you can’t find it.
I live in an apt that has a small oven & am unable to put 2 bowls in at the same time … can I bake the batches separately w/o ruining them
yes, what will be tricky is that the unbaked portion of the dough will need to be punched down once or twice while the first half bakes. This is no big deal, but I would suggest leaving the unbaked portion of the dough in the mixing bowl versus the baking bowl, because if you punch it down in the baking bowl it will absorb some of the butter, and then you might have trouble with sticking. Then, transfer the dough to the baking bowl when the first loaf is about 5 minutes away from being done. The oven will need to get back up to 425 before you put the second loaf in, so, you’re second loaf can rise during this time.
I know this may be a silly question but can you bake in the patterned Cinderella bowls?
YEs! I do all the time.
I just tried this recipe. My first rise was quite successful but my second rise didn’t happen. I decided to give it a shot and bake the bread anyway….it’s in the oven so we’ll see what happens.
Anyone else ever have this issue with the second rise?
nope, always been a foolproof recipe, unless your yeast is partially dead or most likely overproofed the first rise.
how long did you let it go for (the first rise?)
Thanks for chiming in here, Matt.
Also, what size bowls are you using, Marybeth? Sometimes the bowl size (if it’s too big) makes the second rise seem nonexistent, but really, the bread is ready to go in the oven after 20 minutes or so.
Yes, I’ve made two batches in two days now and my second rise doesn’t happen. My finished loaves come out of the oven looking like big fat buns, still good though.
Debbie, so sorry to hear this. What size bowls are you using? Is the first rise going OK? And how long are you letting the first rise go? And are you letting it rise in a place that is too warm?
This has been my go to busy weekend bread recipe since I discovered it on your site about 7 months ago!
I make it in regular bread tins and use it for sandwiches for the kids!
Thank you so much for sharing (my kids thank you too)!
Wonderful to hear this, Jennifer! Makes me so happy. My kids love this, too.
I had issues with my second rise, too. But it’s my fault. I let my first rise go for much longer, only because we had an impromptu family gathering and we left the house for the afternoon. So it sat on my counter till I got back. It still tastes delicious, and I’ll be making it again.
I used your recipe to make bread today and want to thank you for the recipe! The bread is wonderful!
Wonderful to hear this!
Just made this! As with all your recipes, it turned out wonderfully! I made the double loaf in 1 big (2.5 qt) pyrex as it’s the smallest size I have. The loaf is good, though I think I might bake it a five or so minutes more next go-around. Also, I’m curious to try it in a loaf pan….Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Tori! Isn’t the big loaf fun? And yes, it often needs a bit more time in the oven. Did yours sink a little?
My loaves never raise as much the 2nd time (as yours show in the picture). The loaves are only 1/2 the size of yours)(however, the bread is fantastic and we’ll liked!). I’m using the same size bowls you do. Suggestions?
So strange Karen! What kind of yeast are you using? How long is the first rise going? And are you having a successful first rise?
I have to say that am the worse cook when it comes to bake things as breads, but in the first try i made THE MUST WONDERFULL loaf of bread, am so proud of myself, that am thinking about starting to sell loaf of breads in our building. i know i got a market for this bread, next time i want to try to add dry tomatoes and some fresh basil to see how it comes out…and i want to say thanks once again for the recipe, I can make an extra income for my home.
So happy to hear this, Carolina! Let me know how the bread-selling goes…sounds like fun!
your mom’s peasant bread is so addicting and I’ve made it twice now! my question is, can i use quinoa flour instead? if yes, should i use the same measurements? thanks again for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi Karen — so happy to hear this! I think the results will be dramatically different if you use quinoa flour because it’s gluten free, right? If you are interested in making g-f peasant bread, I did do a variation. I think you will have better luck substituting the quinoa flour in that recipe, but if you are feeling adventurous and want to stick to the regular peasant bread recipe, go for it! And then report back. Here is the g-f peasant bread: https://alexandracooks.com/2014/03/21/gluten-free-peasant-bread/
Trying this on a “home alone” Saturday which I really look forward to. My question is, how do you recommend storing the bread? Ziploc bag, aluminum foil, large bowl with lid? Also, fridge or countertop? I can’t find the print icon, and I would love to print this out for future use (I’m kinda old school) 😉
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Keira,
Because we eat this bread so quickly as a family, I just tuck it in a ziplock bag and store it at room temperature on the countertop. But do know that you can freeze it, sliced or whole, but that once it is frozen it definitely benefits from being toasted or warmed in the oven. It makes great toast. The print icon is to the right of the recipe title. Let me know if you still can’t find it!
insane good. just crazy delicious.
wonderful to hear this!
this is AMAZING! step by step perfection. would love to see a pumpernickel variation 🙂
Can I use regular loaf pans? I dont have any glass bowls. Thanks for your reply.
Yes, absolutely. Don’t bake all of the dough in one loaf pan, however. I suggest baking 3/4 of the dough in one loaf pan, and baking off the remainder in muffin tins. Good luck!
Best. No knead. Ever. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this!
I was curious what the adjustments were for us Coloradians. I am at 6800 ft, and the elevation is always something I have to consider cooking almost anything…
Any advice would be great!
~Melody
I made the bread yesterday. It is so easy. My only problem is it seemed too dense. What would cause this?
Thanks
Hi Charlotte, what size bowls are you using? And is your second rise going OK?
I have made this twice now, still my dough does not rise the second time nearly as high as the first. Both times, waiting very long the second. I ended up baking after an hour. Very short stocky bread. My yeast froths when blooming and rises the the first rise. Any suggestions?
I recently reduced the first rise to 90 minutes, from 2 hours and the dough rose more the second rise and baked higher.
Try reducing your first rise…
Thanks for helping here, Matt. I think that is a great idea. I rarely let the first rise go over 90 minutes. My mother always does the first rise for 60 minutes. Hope that helps!
Also, what size bowls are you using? And are you letting the first rise happen in a warm spot? It’s not too warm, right?
I am worried about the bowls shattering at high temps///has anyone had this problem My bowls are very very old….Husband said to worry also
What type of bowls are you using? There definitely have been pyrex-shattering issues, but I personally never have had an issue. THe vintage bowls are great because they are strong, but if you give me the make and model number of the bowl, I can look into it for you.
my dough wasn’t just wet after the first rise (and i let it rise for 2 full hours on the breadproof temp of my oven), i was able to pour it into the buttered pyrex bowl (i used just 1 2qt. 2nd rise (30 mins) was still thin and well below top of buttered pyrex bowl. i am baking as instructed. after full baking looks pale and dense. maybe it’ll taste good anyway…
Ok, disregard my other comment — didn’t see this one first.
It sounds as though there either wasn’t enough flour or too much water? Is it possible that the meeasuring got messed up somehow? With this recipe, you really can get away with a 1-hr rise, but the dough should not be pourable. Did you measure by weight or volume? Sorry for the trouble!
ok, after looking at photos, mine never looked liked “after just mixed” but looked more like “after 1st rise,” but without the rise.
Hmmm, I’m not sure how to advise. So, you mixed the dough, and was it super wet and loose? or sticky but held together in a ball?
Thank you very much . I tried the recipe and it was great . I made two bread bowle . one was stuffed with black olive slices and one with olive and cheese cubes. Both I sprinkled with dry thyme and different seeds(sunflower,pumkin , black and white sesame seeds). they were delicious . thanks alot.
Yum! Those combinations/toppings sound fantastic. I must try the black olive version soon!
Hi Alexandra, I was totally blown away upon just biting into the very first slice of this bread. I made it with rye flour and other time with dry rosemary. I love both versions so much, I am working on my own blog post with the recipe. Thank you very much for sharing your mother’s recipe with all of us and adding those very helpful videos. This is an awesome blog.
Thank you so much! You are too kind. I am dying to make a loaf with rye flour. You are inspiring me. Thanks!
All I have in bleached flour. Is there a reason it won’t work?
Hi Nikki,
You definitely can still use it, I just prefer unbleached. I find the texture and flavor is affected by bleached flour, but many commenters have used bleached flour with success. Good luck!
I tired this recipe out and tired to make the bread.I normally do baked goods so its the first time I actually made bread. However, my first rise went okay but my second rise didn’t really do anything. I left it on a warm spot and did everything the recipe said and the yeast was new. My bread came out flat like a pancake and dense—also tasted kinda salty.
What did I do wrong?
Hi Leeta,
Sorry to hear this. How warm was your warm spot? Is it possible that it was too hot and that you cooked the dough? If not, what size bowls are you using to bake the dough? And what kind of yeast are you using?
I was using a bowl that was about the same as listed and made the warm spot as well. I was using Red Star quick rise yeast. However, it was raining pretty good, maybe the weather effected it? Im not sure if thats possible though. Maybe, I didn’t punch the dough enough?
That is possible, but this recipe is forgiving, so I’m surprised it came out so flat and dense. I wish you could come take my no-knead bread making class 🙂 The first rise can be done in as quickly as an hour, and the second rise in 20 to 25 minutes. When the first rise goes too long, the dough kind of “poops out” for lack of a better phrase, and the second rise doesn’ work as well. Also, a subtle difference in bowl size will make a difference in the shape of the finished loaf. The smaller the bowl, the higher the finished loaf will be. The wider the bowl, the flatter and denser the loaf will be.