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.
6,401 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Just found this recipe today, had the day off, so I made this. You are correct. It is easy and delicious. Can’t wait to make cinnamon toast with it in the morning. Thank you for this great bread recipe.
Yay!
OMG! This bread is amazing! I am never making bread in the bread maker again. I have always been a bit nervous making bread because the water for the yeast has to be just right so I never tried, But I finally gave into my hesitations and I am so glad I did, My husband now wants to stop buying store bought bread and honestly so do I, Thank you a million times for such a great recipe 🙂
wonderful!
I’m so glad I found your recipe- I am a new bread maker and am trying to find an easy, yet tasty recipe I can make often. This recipe was super easy and very delicious, my family and I ate half a loaf after I took it out of the oven. However- I did have some issues and was wondering if you could help: I used the Pyrex 1.5 bowl and a loaf pan for my first batch. I used a measuring cup style scoop for the flour and measured 4 level cups, followed all other directions- although my water for my yeast mix was only slightly warm- my dough was more dry when I mixed it with bits of flour and dough in the bottom, not near as wet as yours, but I mixed it as good as I could. It didn’t rise very much after 1 hour, so I put it in the warm oven for another hour. When I divided it, it was slightly sticky, but not even close to as slippery as yours. After the second rise of 30-45 min, it was no where near the top of my bowl, I baked anyway. It was crisp and buttery, but didn’t rise to the top of the bowl at all. I then tried a second batch and weighed my flour (bread flour) and then used a plastic measuring cup to check- 4 cups exactly, I measured my water carefully this time and made sure it was warmer, sprinkled my yeast pk on top and then the sugar like your video, the yeast and sugar sank, but it seemed to activate. I covered with plastic wrap and put it on the warm stovetop and let it stay for 1 1/2 hr, it did rise a tad more, when I divided, it was wet and sticky like yours, I plopped them into a Pyrex 1.5 bowl and a Pyrex 1.75 bowl for rise 2- on stove top again, didn’t rise well at all, no where near the top, more flat than first batch, maybe the house was too cold. I baked 25 min, ended up putting back in out of the bowl for 5 min- we ate today, very good, but I feel I didn’t do something right. 1)Do you think the yeast pks aren’t as good as the bulk bags? 2)Should I use the Pyrex 1 qt bowl? 3)Do you cover it on the second rise? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I would like to master this recipe and it be a go to recipe.
I do have a pic of the second batch if that would help determine anything.
Hi Robyn,
To check the yeast, sprinkle it over the bowl of slightly warm water (do 1.5 cups cold water, and .5 cups boiling water for foolproof lukewarm water). Adding the sugar (two teaspoons here) will also help determine if the yeast is active — after 15 minutes, the bowl should be foamy. You will know that the yeast is alive.
I do not cover the bowl for the second rise.
I do suggest using a 1 qt bowl otherwise the dough will never rise as high and the final loaf will seem squat and dense. Or, try baking more than half of the dough in the 1.5 qt pyrex — fill the bowl with dough till it’s just below the rim — then fill a muffin tin (greased) with the remaining amount of dough and make dinner rolls. You should see a better rise when the bowl is filled higher.
Hope that helps. Rising definitely takes longer in the winter when kitchens are cold. I’m glad you have a scale, too, because often I think people overmeasure the flour. You could also try adding 490-500 g of flour instead of 510 g of flour. This will sound odd, but flour acts differently (absorbs water differently) at different times of year, so using even less flour might help you get a wetter dough and a better rise.
Thank you so much for replying, I will definitely use your advice on my next batch of bread. 🙂
I’ve been baking bread for 40 years and this is by far the easiest recipe I’ve ever followed. Better yet, it produces a spectacular loaf, one that is moist, dense, and chewy. My sister tried a slice today and we agreed that it reminds us of the bread served at our favorite restaurant. We’ve been trying to replicate that bread for years and have never come close, until now. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
I work one-on-one with young adults with Asperger’s, teaching them how to plan and prepare meals. This recipe would be perfect for teaching a novice baker how to make home-made bread. Producing a tasty loaf of bread is such a soul satisfying experience and the small cost of the ingredients would be a real boon to those who live on a budget. Would it be okay with you if I use your recipe with my clients? I would, of course, provide a link to your page and credit you with the recipe.
Thanks again for sharing this fabulous recipe!
Oh, how nice, yes of course! Please share the recipe. It would make me so happy. Wonderful to hear you like this bread, too!
I had made bread a few days ago, a quick crusty bread type that was good. I made your recipe today and I’m hooked! Really good and easy. I split it into 2 Pyrex #442 bowls as I didn’t want a “tall” loaf. They turned out perfect sized and yummy! I may try making it in loaf pans too. Thanks!
Wonderful to hear this!
Alexandra, thank you first all of all for sharing this amazing recipe with us!
I have been obsessing with the thought of making homemade bread since last September. My sister inherited our mom’s bread machine when our mom moved to Canada, so she has been making bread in it. I was jealous and had a hard time finding a bread machine here in the Philippines, so I searched for bread recipes online and came across yours. Now I am NOT a good cook and have only baked boxed cake mix till now, so I was very nervous to even attempt this! I have been watching your videos every night since Christmas, trying to gain confidence. My husband said I was being ridiculous and urged me to finally just make it. So today I did!
It turned out buttery, crusty, soft and melt-in-your-mouth-y. It was a little on the dense side, but I realize in hindsight that I must have put too much flour (I forgot about your instructions to level off the flour, making sure it is UNDER the line of the measuring cup). So next time I will make sure to do that. I don’t have round Pyrex bowls so I used my 2.5L Anchor Hocking loaf pan and it turned out wonderfully.
I know this is a long comment, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU for sharing and for inspiring confidence in my baking! I will be making this for my family from now on. Cheers from the Philippines!
Yay! Wonderful to hear this! Making bread from scratch feels like a triumph, right?
I forgot to say that since I most likely added too much flour, my dough was not wet at all before I covered it for the first rise. I “remedied” by adding more water to the dough until it looked as close to yours as possible.
I have another question. To make the lukewarm water, you advise mixing 1 and 1/2 cups cold water with 1/2 cup boiling water. I did just that and my water came out cooler than what I thought lukewarm should be. I used cold water from my fridge. Here in the Philippines, we do not have hot and cold coming out of the tap, just regular tap water which is neither hot or cold, I guess. So I am just wondering how cold the cold water should be…
Thanks in advance for answering! My husband loves the bread and so do I. It is easy and hearty. 🙂
I would use 1.5 cups of your tap water, and .5 cups boiling water and see if that makes the water a little bit more lukewarm. And yes, overmeasuring the flour can really hinder the rising process and affect the flavor, so err on the side of undermeasuring. Good luck!
I love this recipe! So does my family 🙂 I have made it plain as described. I’ve also added garlic and rosemary or both, by sprinkling the seasoning into the butter in the dish before putting the dough in for the second rise…. SO WONDERFUL 🙂
I made this to go with homemade chicken noodle soup for last night’s dinner. This bowl, that bowl, one bowl, two bowls? As I have the nesting Pyrex bowls with the middle 322, that’s what I used. With just the one set, I didn’t have a second bowl the same size. What to do? Well, I decided to use the smallest bowl along with the middle. I divided the dough/batter accordingly (each bowl half full). It’s really not difficult to divide the dough–it’s wet enough to pour out, using a fork to sort of tear the first part from the second at the edge of the mixing bowl. Baked it all as suggested and it was lovely! Perfectly crisp buttery crust. The family devoured most of it last night. Toast this morning was delicious. Thanks!
Wonderful to hear this! Glad you found a vessel that worked 🙂
I think I’m going to love this recipe, but I want to put them into 24 oz. bowls and make six of them at a time. Can this recipe be tripled? Also does this bread freeze well? I tried looking at the remarks but there are so many of them I couldn’t find an answer. THX for posting the recipe!!
Recipe can be tripled, but you might want to do it in two batches unless you have a really big mixing bowl in which the bread can rise. I know one commenter doubles the recipe every week and bakes the dough in three standard loaf pans.
Bread freezes well. I typially slice it before I freeze it, so that I can have toast easily, but you can freeze it in halves or quarters, too, if you’re looking to have dinner bread on hand. Let me know if there is anything else!
This is the best bread I have ever made! Im wondering why you call for Kosher salt. Does regular salt (which contains iodine) impair the rise by chance?
Thank you!
Mike, have no idea actually. I am sure you could use regular salt. I know I have at some point. I think I just use koshe salt for everything these days, so it’s what I always list when I write recipes. Definitely use regular salt — it will be fine. So glad you like the bread!
I’ve been wanting to make this for so long and tonight was the night! I found some Marcrest pottery bowls that I used to bake them. LOVE this recipe!! My only issue (and this happens with a lot of bread I try) is the second rising. The first rising does great but the second one just doesn’t rise very much. Do you know why?
Thanks so much!!
Very cool — I had never heard of the marcrest — it looks beautiful! What size are the bowls you are using? I’m thinking the bowls might be bigger than the ones I am using, which might make the second rise look as though it’s not going very high, when in actually probably is doing more than it appears.
They’re about 7″ at the bottom and graduates to 9″ at the top.
I’ve had the rising problem with regular loaf pans before though – on the second rising I usually put them on top of the oven while it’s preheating for baking, and cover them with a tea towel. I don’t think the top of the stove gets too hot as you can rest your hand comfortably – it’s just warm enough. But I have the problem a lot!
I wonder if when I make this again if I just make one loaf, and adjust the baking time a little, if that would work better? I will definitely be making it again!
OK, this is what I suggest: next batch, butter one of those dishes really well. Then, after the dough has made its first rise, punch it down, and fill that bowl almost to the rim with dough — it might be over half the batch. Let it rise on the stovetop or nearby uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes tops. Bake as directed. With the remaining dough, bake it off in a buttered muffin tin or in ramekins or in any small vessel you can find. Let me know how it turns out!
I’ll try it and let you know!
Just tried this for the first time tonight, and it turned out great! I used two 1.5 qt Pyrex loaf pans, and I just sort of shaped the dough to fit the pan when I transferred it over and had no problem with the second rise. It’s supposed to be for a lunch potluck at work, but I couldn’t resist slicing off a piece for myself while it was still hot – delicious :).
Wonderful to hear this!
My family loves this. Tonight makes the 4th time ive made it in 3 weeks. This time after buttering i sprinkled garlic powder, kosher salt, and fresh ground red pepper flakes onto the dish before placing the dough in it. It turned out wonderful. Thanks again for the recipe 🙂
Wonderful to hear this, John! You’re giving me ideas for monkey bread — garlic and pepper flakes sound so good!
Wow, fixed this bread for dinner this evening, all I can say is it is awesomely delicious! The absolute easiest bread I have ever made, and the taste, well……..it is wonderful. As a matter of fact, my hubby and I just sliced several pieces( 10:00 p.m.) as a snack. Put it in the toaster and put butter on it and it was even better, if that is possible, than it was earlier. We can’t wait till breakfast tomorrow to have it with some apple butter. Thank you Alexandria, for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will put this recipe in my “keeper” file. Can’t wait to make it again. I used a pyrex bowl and a loaf pan. Carolyn in WV
Yay! Wonderful to hear this, Carolyn! I love apple butter. Also, I’m a salt freak, so this bread toasted and topped with butter and salt is irresistible.
Just had to tell you what a delicious bread this produced! I’ve made bread through the years, and now have arthritis in both thumbs so pretty much had to quit. I don’t like the bread from the machines either. You’ve saved the day! I didn’t have the two small bowls like you used, so I used my 2 1/2 qt. pyrex bowl. It was a beautiful loaf, and perfect outside as well as inside. I didn’t put the bowl inside the oven to rise either time. I did turn my oven on to warm the top of the stove, and then set the bowl there. The only thing I did wrong was place the plastic wrap over the bowl without first spraying it with a cooking oil. It stuck to the plastic wrap and I had to scrape it off. I like the size of the large loaf because when I slice it, one slice is enough for a sandwich for me. Also I usually toast just half in the morning. Next time I’m going to experiment with maybe 1 cup of whole wheat, and the rest all purpose flour. Or one cup of spelt flour etc. Anyway, it came out of the oven looking so yummy that I only waited half an hour and decided cutting the end off wouldn’t hurt a thing…and that’s what my husband and I did….lol…buttered it and enjoyed! So grateful you have shared this wonderful recipe and that I found it!
So happy to hear this, Trudy! I cup of spelt or whole wheat flour will give it a nice healthy taste and texture without making it too heavy or dense. Good luck with it!
Sorry, forgot to mention that I weighed the flour instead of measuring with cups….It was the perfect amount that way and looked exactly like your pictures….
Just made another loaf this morning. I used 1 cup organic whole wheat flour and the rest organic all-purpose flour. As before I weighed the flour to your 1 lb. 2oz. measure (which for me equaled 3 and 3/4 cups)…Wish I could share the picture but I don’t know how to post pics on here….thanks again!
Great!!!!!
I just make three loaves of this soft, buttery, melt in your mouth delicious bread!!! My family kept coming into the kitchen asking when I could cut into it!!!!! Winner in this house for sure!!!
I made one loaf in a 2 qt Pyrex bowl, and two smaller ones *by cutting the dough in half* All three came out perfect and I baked all three at the same time!!! One batch I used bread flour and the other regular flour.
Oops, I forgot the sugar – they rose beautifully…I cant thank you enough for sharing. You can be sure the next time I need to fix a meal for someone – this bread will be going along with it!!!
I have to stop cutting pieces or I will probably eat the entire loaf myself!!! Easy, no fuss with simple ingredients.
Wonderful bread.. I was looking for a simple recipe, that is delicious. I made it tonight and this did not disappoint.. How do YOU store the leftovers to keep this golden crust?
Hi Matt, Well, the crust will stay golden, but a day after being baked, the crust does lose its crispness. I store our leftover peasant bread on the counter in a ziplock bag. It makes great toast and grilled cheese, but it also can be heated in the oven at 350 or so for 10 minutes for dinner bread. It also freezes well — I slice it before I freeze it, and wrap in plastic wrap, then tuck into ziplock bags.
We love love love this recipe. I have made it a bunch and shared the bread and the recipe with many others. I started making it in 2 pyrex bowls as in the recipe. Now, I do it in a loaf pan (easier for toasting in a toaster) and in a pyrex bowl. The bread is wonderful. In the beginning, I made no changes, but lately, I have had to add a little more water to make it sticky. But, it is always really good. Thank you so much for this recipe!! It is definitely a keeper and a good go to recipe. My husband absolutely loves it – his favorite – mine, too. Thanks again.
So happy to hear this! And glad you’ve adapted the recipe to your liking in both the baking method and water content. Recently, I’ve been cutting back the flour — using closer to 485 g flour — because I found the dough to be too stiff. I really think the time of year affects the flour or how the flour absorbs water, so I think it’s important to be able to improvise based on how dough is appearing. Anyway, thanks for writing in and sharing your experience!
I FINALLY made this bread today, and it turned out very well, although my dough was much wetter than yours. I probably should have added a bit more flour, but by the time I thought of it, it was already rising
I’m writing to say that I have the same set of Pyrex bowls as you (clear with white flowers), one batch turned out perfectly splitting it between the 322 and 323 bowls, which in the set of four are the two smallest bowls. It baked just slightly less round on the top, which actually turns out to be the bottom when you dump it out of the bowl, so that’s just about perfect in my estimation! haha
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Loved the recipe and the tutorials were so useful. I pinned it and copy and pasted this recipe to my files. Don’t want to lose this gem. 😉 I think the buttery and crunchy crust was my favorite part of the bread. The only thing i will do differently is add 1 t instead of 2 on the salt. Thank you!!
I don’t remember how I stumbled on this bread recipe but I am so glad I did. It is wonderful, and so easy to make. I have been learning on my own how to make different breads, but this puts the fun back into it. I’ve made it several times in the bowls, but this time I put the whole recipe in a Corning Ware loaf pan, 9x5x3 and it worked great. This will be my go to recipe from now on, and you can bet I will be taking with me when visiting friends and family. Thanks again.
I only have 2L pyrex bowls, how will this vary the cooking time?
It shouldn’t affect the cooking time too much — you might just need to give it 5 more minutes. I suggest turning the loaf out after the initial cooking time, as in after 32 minutes or so, then place the loaf directly on your oven rack and bake it for 5 more minutes or so. Good luck!
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Thank you so much for sharing this. I am new to bread-making but recently have gone into bread-making mode! Your bread video looks so fun and exciting, I have to admit that I’m itching here…to give it a try soonest! Thanks to your mom and you for the great recipe 🙂
I found this recipe in my Pinterest newsfeed last week. I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed and intimidated by the size of the website instructions until I saw the recipe ingredients. Then after watching the YouTube snips it was clear that you were just ensuring we knew exactly how simple it was and that we can all succeed! I made the bread for the first time today and it was so unbelievably easy. I had a bread maker at one time but didn’t like the way the bread turned out and not a huge fan of kneading dough (I have issues touching slimy foods). This recipe uses forks. Forks?!?! To make bread?! Right on! The only recipe change I did was using 3 cups of bread flour and 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour. When the oven timer beeped I ran and leaped into the kitchen giggling my little heart out feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. I couldn’t stop smelling it and when I finally took a bite it melted in my mouth — the center as soft as angel food cake. The crust has just the right crunch to it – not too thick, not at all chewy. Perfect! I was just reading other comments and love the seasoning idea! The small jar of Fleishman’s Active Yeast is to be refrigerated for 6 months after opening… I don’t think it will last that long. 🙂 Thank you, thank you! This is a recipe I can add to my collection to pass along to my daughters. Peace and Love
So happy to hear this! And I know, I have received a comment (maybe a few) about the recipe being too long and wordy, but I find with bread that people really need clear instruction because it is so foreign to so many. Glad you discovered it was an easy process and that you liked it to boot! Thank you for writing in.
Hi Alex, have you ever used wheat, brown rice or oat flour in this recipe?
I have used wheat but not brown rice or oat flour. The texture definitely changes with a higher percentage of wheat flour. I would suggest starting with one cup wheat flour (or oat or rice flour) then adjusting quantities based on how it turns out. Are you looking for a gluten-free variation? There is a link at the end of the post to a g-f version.
WOW! I love this recipe! Thank you for posting it. I had never made bread before I tried this recipe and it turned out perfect!! Thanks so much!