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”
I want desperately to make this recipe, but I have glad pyrex bread pans and only regular salt. Will this work and how would I adjust it?
Hi Phee! regular salt is fine — maybe cut back a little bit. I would make 1.5 times the recipe keeping the yeast at 2 teaspoons. And maybe do 2.25 teaspoons of the regular salt. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
I made this to go with my Mississippi roast last night. It just soaked up the juices, it was so good! Later I splurged and had a piece with butter and honey. Throw in a cup of coffee and there is nothing better in life! It was very easy to make and will make again.
Hi! Thanks so much for this recipe, its amazing. I baked this in a dutch oven bc I don’t have pyrex bowls, but unfortunately it stuck to the bottom 🙁 (was still amazing to pick off though lol) do you have any recs on how to avoid this next time?
I think that you have probably moved on but I think if you really butter the bottom and sides it will fall out!
Just wanted to let you know that this recipe did change our lives! I’m going to teach my 10 year old granddaughter who loves to bake how to bake it, I found 4 of the recommended size bowls for $20.00 on Amazon, the bread disappears so quickly that I just double the batch. I appreciate the tip about spooning a 1 cup measuring cup with the flour and then using a knife to level it off. I’m looking forward to trying the focaccia bread soon. I think the bowls and the recipe would make great gifts! Thank you Alexandra!
Thank you soooo much for this fantastic bread recipe. I love the slightly dense chewy texture. Exactly the kind of bread I love! I didn’t want an airy light bread and this recipe fit the bill. Your video tutorial helped a great deal. I followed it exactly and even copied your method of turning the dough with two forks and it worked like a charm. I only had the 1.5L bowls but it still came out perfectly with no recipe adjustments. It even shocked me that it looked like your bread in the picture : ) Thank you for this keeper recipe and for making me feel like an expert bread baker, even though I am far from it!
Thanks so much for writing in, Jan. So happy to hear all of this. You are too sweet, too modest 🙂 xo
Amazing bread! Bar none, the best bread I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So happy to hear this, Gladys!
If I dont have 2 bowls, can I use 2 bread pans instead?
Yes, but I think it’s best to use 1.5 times the recipe, otherwise the loaves will be really short. Good luck!
I used a 9″ loaf pan with 2/3rds of the dough, and made rolls with the rest. ?? Yumm !!
Nice work! I love the loaf pan shape.
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I love the bread, but my favorite part of this is your children in the video. Your little guy, “I wanna see; I wanna help!” Beautiful!
Thank you, Gina! I haven’t watched that video in so long, but it does kind of break my hear to hear his little voice. They can sometimes be sweet 🙂
Oh my GOODNESS! Where did you get your salt fish? I LOVE it!
Cabo!! My husband went on a high school trip. As soon as I saw it in his childhood room, I grabbed it. It always makes me smile 🙂
Oh my GOODNESS! Where did you get your salt fish? I LOVE it!
I made this bread today, substituting one of the four cups of flour for whole wheat because I was scraping the bottom of the bag, It turned out perfect, and I didn’t have to scrape flour off my counter top after kneading!
I’ve been baking traditional bread for twenty years, but I have to say, I do believe I heard the hallelujah chorus when I took it out of the oven!
Anastasia, I love it!! Thanks so much for writing in. So happy to hear this. I got the salt cellar from my husband, who got it over 20 years ago now on a high school trip to Cabo. It’s my most treasured kitchen item. Love it.
Scrolling through Pinterest, I came upon your recipe in those bowls, which are what caught my eye. I have the SAME ONES! I actually have the 3-piece set. I never pin recipes without looking them over to be sure they won’t turn out like an epic Pinterest fail that everyone posts on Facebook & laughs about. I want to create perfect. In a single try. After reviewing your recipe & having the perfect baking bowl on hand, I am convinced this will be an epic success! We have family coming from Denmark in just a week & I am so excited I found this recipe just in time for their arrival! The flight takes 24 hours & we will pick them up from the airport at 9am. I am sure they will ready for a nice, hot meal, or at least something quick they can eat before settling in for a nap. Thank you for sharing this “humble” Peasant bread. I am very much looking forward to using those bowls for all they were designed for!
So happy to read all of this, Amber!! What a treat for your family traveling from Denmark?! Let me know if I can assist in any way? Happy baking!
First, let me thank you for sharing your Mama’s WONDERFUL bread recipe!
Can you tell me the best way to store the bread? Mine got moldy before I could eat it all!
I’m making second time right now and thought you might have some ideas on storing.
Thanks again.
Ruth, you’re welcome! I just store it in a ziplock bag at room temperature on the counter or in my bread box, unwrapped, which I love. If you aren’t going through it quickly enough, I would slice it, wrap it in plastic wrap in 5- to 6-slice bundles, tuck it in a ziplock, and freeze it. You can toast the slices for breakfast, or use as you wish. Hope that helps!
I use all organic flours so with no preservatives I had the same problem. Using 1/2 cup soy flour helps; it has natural preservative properties. I also cut the loaves in half as soon as they cool and freeze three of them (unless I’m making for company). As each half loaf comes out of the freezer I slice it when it’s only about 1/2 thawed…it’s easier to make neat slices that way?
Very interesting re soy flour! Thanks for chiming in here! And great tip re slicing partially thawed bread — genius. Smart to freeze the bread right away (as in soon after it is cool), too.
We love your peasant bread recipe and have made it several times. I’m in the middle of making it again and we are turning it into soup bowls for dinner tonight. Dessert will be your aquafaba chocolate mousse recipe which is chilling in the fridge. I have to say that watching the liquid turn into billowy peaks was nothing short of amazing!
I’m also tempted to turn one of the bread loaves and use it for spinach dip inn a bread bowl. Such fun!
This all makes me so happy! I know, I am still in awe of the billowy, chickpea water peaks — so amazing! I hope the mousse is well received.
So fun that you’ve turned the peasant bread into soup bowls! I did that, too, a little while ago using empty steel cut out tins — here’s a pic: https://www.instagram.com/p/BANhaa_Ak0A/?taken-by=alexandracooks Love the idea of using it for spinach dip. Thanks so much for writing in!
I made this fabulous bread following your directions every step of the way & it was OMG beyond wonderful, especially eating it warm! Your videos were perfect to help imprint the entire recipe to memory. Surely this will be THE star recipe in your long-awaited/highly anticipated first cookbook this Fall. So grateful.
Thank you Kathleen, as always, for your kind, kind words. Means so much. xoxo
Best bread ever! My family requests it often. Thank you for sharing!
So happy to hear this, Lesley!
I want to try your Peasant Bread but I am afraid to use Pyrex bowls. Can you please suggest alternative bowls for me? Many thanks?
Pyres mixing bowls are oven safe — just like their regular baking dishes (bread pans, 8×8, 9×13 and so on). If you’re still afraid to use them, maybe stainless steel bowls would work.
Thanks, Sally for chiming in here! As Sally noted, Pyrex bowls are oven-safe. But if you are still afraid, you could try something else — there are other brands that make oven-safe glass bowls such as Anchor Hocking. Other people have had success using stainless steel, but i’ve never tried. Be sure to grease the bowls, whatever you are using, very well. You can also make 1.5 times the recipe and bake it off in two loaf pans. Hope that helps!
I made this recipe last night and it was very easy, and I appreciated the videos. Question about baking time for smaller loaves – I don’t have the bowls, but I do have mini loaf pans and I split the recipe into 4 of them. They were definitely done baking after the first 15 minutes at 425. Should I have done like 8 minutes at 425 and 7 at 375? They came out fine, but I wonder if they might have been different if I baked at the two temperatures. The flavor is delicious. My son said it tasted like “church” bread, which is a compliment. We have a lady at church who makes really good bread.
Thanks!
Hi Aja! So sorry for the delay here. If they tasted fine, then the method is probably fine! If the crust was too dark, you could try splitting the baking time at two different temperatures, but with such a short cooking period, it probably won’t make a difference. So happy you and your son like the bread!
What is the best way to store the bread? In plastic or cloth or something else?
Thanks!
I’m baking this on Friday!
So sorry for the delay here Vera! Store the bread in a bread box, a paper bag or a ziplock bag if you plan on eating it within a few days. Otherwise, I would slice it or quarter it, place it in ziplock bags, and stick it in the freezer.
I was very pleased to uncover this site. I wanted to thank
you for ones time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every part of it and i also have you bookmarked to look at new things on your blog.
Momma brain had me reading two cups of sugar. Very sweet but still yummy. My kids said the house smelled delish! They haven’t tasted the bread yet. I’ll be sure to make it again with the correct amount of sugar.
Oh wow! I’m so curious as to how it turned out? Did it taste like cake?
Oh. My. Word. This is AMAZING. It tastes much like I have always imagined Irish soda bread would taste. (I read a lot.) I didn’t have the bowls, so I used two loaf pans, about 9x6x2. This was too short for sandwiches, which was my intent, so next time I’ll just use one pan. I love that I was able to make it with six ingredients that I already had at home. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this!
So happy to hear this, Sharell! Two thoughts for you: make 1.5 times the recipe keeping the yeast about the same or using 2.5 teaspoons and bake it in two loaf pans. Or, if you just want to use one loaf pan, don’t try to bake off the whole amount of dough — just fill it 3/4 full, then bake off the remaining dough in ramekins or some other small vessel.
So I bought two larger ceramic loaf pans on clearance. I double the recipe, putting one recipe in each. I have now lost track of how many loaves I have made but I think I am approaching a dozen. 🙂 I keep giving them to people and they are a BIG hit!
Hi,
I was wondering, did you edit some notes out of this post? I thought you said at one point that your mother uses 3 tbsp of sugar and you only use 2 with no difference in taste, and that sometimes you use less flour – something like 480 gm? And that your mother uses up to 1/3 or something of graham flour? I relied on these notes and I’m sad I can’t find them. I’m fairly certain it was your recipe/blog I’m thinking of. Can you put those notes back on here?
Hi Susanne! So sorry about this. I emailed you, too, but I think I can remember all of the notes:
• In the fall/winter sometimes I do cut back the amount of flour from 512 g to 484 or 482 g — I forget the exact amount. I haven’t done this in so long because last year I was writing a book all about the peasant bread, and I wanted to keep the master recipe the same. If you are noticing that your dough is a little stiffer than usual due to changes in the weather/humidity, try cutting back the flour a little bit.
• There was a period, too, when my mom always used these proportions: 1 cup graham flour + 3 cups all-purpose — she loved the texture/flavor offered by a little bit of whole wheat graham flour in the mix. Sometimes we add 1/3 cup cornmeal (in addition to the 4 cups flour), just for color/texture/flavor. It’s a subtle difference, but nice.
• And I think I saw on your comment online a question about sugar? My mother for years used 1 tablespoon. I cut it back to 2 teaspoons mostly just to keep the proportions so easy to remember: 2 teaspoons each salt, sugar, yeast. But, you can use a tablespoon with similar results. You can also use 1 teaspoon with similar results.
If I use the 2nd largest bowl of the set of 4, what is the baking time?
We eat fresh bread every night and I finally have a recipe that meets our standards and is so easy!!!! We are really happy. Thank you SO MUCH! Best. Bread. Ever!
Can I substitute oIL for the butter? I can’t have any dairy or soy. Thanks 🙂
You can grease the bowls/pans with oil or cooking spray instead of butter–just need a solid enough coating of something greasy to prevent the dough from sticking. I’d recommend either olive oil, or a lighter-tasting oil that’s okay for baking. 🙂
Thanks so much for chiming in here, Heather!
Yes! or coconut oil in solid/room temp (not melted) form. Be generous with whatever you use. Vegan spreads like Earth Balance work well, too.
I just mixed this bread and it looks a little runny. I added two more tablespoons of flour but it still looks a little runny. I have it proofing now for the first time to see how it will look after that. This is my first time making bread. Is there anything I can do? Should I add more flour? I wasn’t sure how long to mix it I kept reading back over the instructions and didn’t find where to mix it a certain length of time. I bought instant dry yeast 7g in a package I used two teaspoons out of it and there was a little left in the package wasn’t sure if I should have went ahead and added the rest of it or not? Thanks for your help
It’s going to be a bit runny–it’s a very wet dough. 🙂 I was concerned the first time I made it too, but just let it rise, divide it up into bowls/pans, let it rise again and then bake it. 🙂
The packets of yeast usually come as 2 1/4 tsp, which is annoying when I need only 1 1/2 or 2 tsp for a recipe…I also just added the rest in. It’s worked fine in the past–the extra yeast just means it might rise a little faster, so keep an eye on it.
Heather, you’re a pro 🙂 Thanks!
You can definitely just use the whole pack of yeast. This is the beauty of buying yeast in bulk, however — you use the amount you need and aren’t bound to packets.
Next time, use the whole packet — it won’t hurt it.
Dough will appear different for everyone. If you are thinking about getting into bread making, I highly recommend investing in a digital scale — it will cost under $15 and will simplify your life in the kitchen. You’ll never wonder if you’ve added the right amount of flour.
Hi, there! I just made this and it is amazing, but I’m wondering if you have used 1 larger bowl? Instead if dividing into 2 halves and using the 1 qt bowls, I’d like to use a 2 qt bowl for the entire recipe. Have you ever tried this?? Thanks in advance!
Yes! It works! Add an extra 10 minutes to the baking time, so 15 minutes at 425, 25-27 min at 375. Good luck!
This recipe is so amazing! I first made it last year when I was at college, because I have wrist issues and kneading isn’t good for them, and this recipe is sooo good! I love it fresh from the oven with butter, and toasted with butter or jam, or as grilled cheese, or basically with any other bread-related food. Currently waiting for a batch to finish its first rise right now–going to make grilled cheese tomorrow with tomato soup!
You’re awesome, Heather. I so appreciate your thoughts on the other comments/questions. Thank you for answering.
So happy to hear you like this recipe and have found delicious purpose for the day-old bread, too. Makes me so happy. xo
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have always wanted to bake bread but was intimidated by the whole dough thing, Saw this today and went out and bought pyrex glass bowls, ha ha. I bought the 7 cup and maybe they are too big because it didnt rise all the way to the top, iI will add a bit extra next time. But it came out good and was so easy to make.
Thank you.
Hi Cindy! I think you might be able to get away with baking the entire loaf (or 3/4 of it) in the 7-cup bowl? Try using 3/4 of the dough, then baking the rest of the dough in muffin cups or custard cups and see how it turns out. That will give you a sense if you can bake off the whole amount of dough in one 7-cup bowl. So happy to hear the recipe is working out overall.
Hi Alexandra
I am baking my third batch, I increased your recipe by a half to- 6 cups flour ( I used half whole wheat ) and 3 tsp on the salt and sugar, 3 cups water, left the yeast the same since I was using a packet. I put half in a 7 cup pyrex and half in a loaf pan and they were beautiful. And I liked the half wheat even better. Best wheat bread I ever had. Right now for my third time I have two loaf pans in the oven, I am taking one to a party for the host. I want to try the all whole wheat , will that come out as good I wonder also if I can sprinkle the tops with oats or something, or if that wouldn’t work? This is so fun to make something that tastes so good that I never thought I would make. Thank you for sharing.
Cindy
So happy to hear all of this, Cindy, and so sorry for the delay! You can try 100% whole wheat, though I haven’t had great success with that. I like a 50% mix as well. And yes, definitely sprinkle the top with oats — you may need to brush the top with water before sprinkling with oats, but yes, definitely try that. Thanks for writing in!
I’ve been looking for the “perfect” bread recipe for years, I have finally found it. Thank you for sharing!!! Last night in bed, my ten year old daughter said ” Will you never buy store bought bread again”. This recipe is thumbs up!