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.
6,402 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Could you possibly do this in the crockpot? I have seen several crockpot recipes popping up lately and wondered if this recipe could be used there as well, and if so, maybe what xhanges would I need to do? I love this recipe better than any I have tried, so I was hoping to attempt this but am not sure how to go about it.
The inside didn’t cook for me. Maybe it was because I cooked it as a single batch. I’ll have another go at it as I’m curious what it tastes like when done properly.
The crumb on my loaves turn out heavy and gummy tasting. What am I doin g wrong? I am baking like no enough.
It sounds as though you could let each rise go a little longer, and I think you may need to bake the loaves longer. Are you using ap-flour? what kind of yeast are you using? did the rises go well?
Hi Alexandra,
Just a word to let you know that I love this recipe. I started rather timidly, with a half-batch that probably waited too long on the first rise, got baked in two half-liter pyrex loaves that were, alas, greased with olive oil rather than butter. I liked it well enough, but was all set to give it another go. Which I did: another half-batch in the same mini-loaf pyrex dishes, but with butter this time. Much, much better.
And tonight, while making dinner, I decided to make another half-batch, switching out a quarter of the flour for what I can only best call light whole-wheat flour (French T80, as opposed to “real” whole-wheat flour, which is T110). In addtion to greasing the sides of my oval pyrex dish, I brushed the top with some melted butter and sprinkled over some toasted sesame seeds. Goodness, I wish I could send you a photo — it’s beautiful! But I’ll be good and not cut into it until tomorrow morning for breakfast.
Thank you ever so much — again!
Hi Carole, did you add the melted butter on top before or after baking? I applied it after the second rise, really gently, but it unfortunately caused the doughs to deflate and they won’t go back up now that they’re in the oven. Yours sounded really nice, so I thought I’d give it a try x
I tried this for New Years and everyone loved it. I have since made wheat bread, replacing the sugar with honey. It was delicious, but did not rise as much. ‘I’m still working on figuring out the amount of flour. Everyone loves it so much that I am now making it weekly and have shared the recipe with my co-workers. I no longer buy bread at the store.
Thank you so much for the great recipe! I came across your book and tried to make this bread the very same day. I used one 3l pyrex and buttered it with ample amount of Kerrygold. The texture was a little dense and had a pound cake consistensy but it was tasty! Also anyone out there who is using sea salt for this recipe, halve the amount, otherwise it would turn out too salty.
Waiting waiting waiting for 2nd rise. I think it may have been a mistake to put the Pyrex on top of the stove that is at 425. I forgot about the heat exhaust on top hitting the bowls. Next time I’ll let them rise on the counter. About to give up on waiting and pop them in the oven. I’ll try again if this first exercise is a flop.
Just noticed the additional notes about the second rise!
Great bread! Just got the book. It is beautiful and well done. I’m excited to try all variations. I added 1 cup of unfed sourdough starter to my last batch. It was wonderful.
Can sultanas be added before the second rise or will this affect the outcome?
My daughter gave me your book for my birthday (I requested it) and I have enjoyed it so much. This bread is easy to make and the taste is outstanding, I love it. The second best thing is that they are perfect for bread bowls. As usual your recipes do not disappoint me, and I have tried many.
Oh, Perla, I’m so happy to hear this. Thank you so much for writing. I’m so happy to hear you like the book. It means the world, really.
Amazing recipe!! For years I have said that I would never go through the trouble of making homemade bread when I have the option of going to the local bakery. I saved this recipe a while ago because the idea of “no-knead” definitely appealed to me. I made my first batch one week ago and am currently waiting for the second rise on my FOURTH batch! I have given away the bread to several people and they are all impressed. My first bath was with active yeast (that is what I had in the house), but since then, I purchased the bulk instant yeast and this easy recipe has become even easier! Your tips for making a warm spot for the dough to rise (oven trick) and the perfect lukewarm water are wonderful! Thank you for turning me into a homemade bread baker!
Oh Christina how this warms my heart 🙂 🙂 🙂 Truly. Thank so much for writing.
I’ve only baked bread twice before trying your recipe. My first one was a disaster-it was as hard as stone. The second one slightly better but far from what it was supposed to be. I was beginning to think making bread was something terribly difficult. Until I came across your recipe! It turned out great! It’s unbelievably simple too. I am really grateful that your recipe has given me the confidence to bake bread! I have shared your blog and recipe with my sister. And I can’t wait to make this my staple. I don’t have to buy from the shop anymore! Yeay! Thank you so much for sharing!
This is a wonderful recipe I love it. Have you tried freezing the bread for later use?
Yes! It freezes beautifully. You can slice it in freeze it in bundles: perfect for toasting. Or you can freeze in hunks: perfect for dinner bread.
Where can I get your recipe book and what is the name of it??
Read several comments and can’t wait to try the bread recipe ????
Hi Carol! It’s called Bread Toast Crumbs. You can find it wherever books are sold. Here it is on Amazon.
Thank you for your wonderful peasant bread recipe. Please thank your mother for sharing it! I am a bread baker, so it is one of many recipes I use. It is fantastic. I do change out some of the while flour and add a bit of dark rye and some whole wheat flours. I recently purchased 2 of your books as gifts, but will definitely order one for myself. I love your blog and have done recipes from there. Please tell me you are going to do another cookbook. We love Holly’s Challah. Keep up the great work!
Carol, thank you so much for all of this! This really means the world to hear. Love the flavor of rye flour. So happy you like Holly’s challah too … it’s one of our favorites here 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi, I noticed many sites using AP flour instead of bread flour, which is my preference. What is the reason?
I call for it mostly because that’s what people have on hand, and it works just as well for me in bread recipes as bread flour. Absolutely use bread flour here if that’s your preference.
Can you put 1/4 cup sugar in your basic recipe and make it more of an old fashioned sweet country bread? Or would it fall?
Definitely! The rise may take a little bit longer — sugar can slow things down when it’s included in large quantities. But otherwise, it will work beautifully!
I love making bread but it does take some time and effort. This recipe is so easy and quick and my family loves it! Thank you for sharing. This is my go-to from now on!
So happy to hear this, Eydie!!
Got the Pyrex bowels on eBay, now going to try your moms bread. Also, if I was to add sour dough, how much and do I have to change any other directions? Just wondering! Thanks
Yay! This is what I do when using a sourdough starter:
50 g starter, 430 g water, 10 g kosher salt, 512 g flour
The first rise can take many hours (like all day), so you can do this overnight, if you wish. The second rise can also take some time, so you just have to plan ahead. I bake as directed in this recipe. Let me know if you need any clarification.
I made this bread for this first time and it was easy and wonderfully delicious. I hope it allows fresh bread to become a regular feature in our house.
We really enjoy sour breads but don’t have the persistence to maintain a sourdough starter.
Have you ever made this bread with an overnight sponge? If so, would you mind sharing the instructions?
Thanks
Jonathan
I completely understand Jonathan. I have not made it with an overnight sponge, but I have made it overnight two ways: 1. I’ve let it rise at room temperature by cutting the yeast way back to 1/2 teaspoon. 2. I’ve kept the recipe the same, but let it rise in the fridge, as in this overnight, refrigerator focaccia.
For a sponge, are you thinking about mixing together just water and flour but no yeast? What I would do if I were to attempt the sponge method would be this: mix together 1 cup flour (128 g) and 1 cup water, and let it sit overnight. The following day I would simply stir in the remaining 1 cup water and 3 cups (384 g) flour mixed together with the instant yeast, salt, and sugar. Then I would proceed as usual.
If you do intend to add yeast to the sponge, let me know. I can look at some of my bread baking books that call for sponges.
Thanks! I was thinking of yeasting the sponge. I will look in my bread book, but I think I might try your overnight at room temperature method, but with half the flour, then add the rest of the flour the next day, or something like that.
I have been ‘gathering’ the ingredients for this recipe for a number of weeks. (You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find Diamond Kosher Salt in Southeastern Wisconsin and the online price is ridiculous.) I have your cookbook on my Kindle (I love it!) and have been inspired by all of the positive comments to give this bread a try. My granddaughter LOVES homemade bread, which was easy to make when I had a breadmaker. My attempts at working with yeast in the past have had mixed results.
I made the bread yesterday and was SO excited that it turned out! I used my 1 quart and 1.5 quart Pyrex bowls and divided the dough approximately 35%-65%. I put the covered bowls on a towel-covered radiator to rise. (My house is cold and drafty.) I had watched your really helpful videos a number of times, so knew which rack to bake them on. They came out perfectly!
I took them to my granddaughter’s a few hours later (with the gift of a new bread knife)and her face ‘lit up’! I can’t wait to share your recipe and teach her how to make bread.
Thanks so much to you and your Mom for sharing!
Oh, Kathy … it was so nice reading ALL of this. Thank you thank you for taking the time. How sweet to hear how your granddaughter lit up. I wish you many happy baking experiences together!!
Kathy K, try purchasing the kosher salt directly through Diamond. Also, you could always travel down to Chicagoland to stock up.
Alexsandra, my husband is a bread addict. He was just saying how in hard economic times people survive often on bread alone. It will always be the food of choice. So glad I can start to learn with your recipe!!!
Anna, Thanks so much for your suggestions! I actually found the salt at a reasonable price at the Penzey’s Spices in Cedarburg, WI. I had a list of spices to purchase in order to make more of Ali’s amazing recipes. Win/Win!
Hi I made your gluten free recipe first with one bowl and it turned out great. I tried the original recipe second the first rise work the second didn’t and when baked it didn’t rise right. Any ideas.
Absolutely amazing recipe. Made mine in a 2.5 ltr Pyrex. It’s all I had. It came out beautifully. And it’s incredibly delicious my 3 kids love it. As well as my in-laws which win me some major points!!! ???? Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to take your recommendation on the yeast…
So happy to hear this, Alyssa!!
This bread is so easy and quick that it has become my go to bread. My family loves homemade bread. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So happy to hear this, Eydie!
This bread makes the best grilled cheese in the world! Make lots of different versions from the original recipe and have had success with all of them. I can’t say enough about this bread! My family loves it, my co-workers request it and when I give it as gifts for Christmas everyone is thrilled! Have to say going antiquing to find the bowls was half the fun! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear this, Sandy!!
Great recipe! I had to improvise a little with the pyrex bowls as I only had 1 x 1 liter and 1 x 2.5 liter bowls available. The bread turned out exactly as described in the blog. I did not deviate from the recipe at all. I will most definitely be making this again. Thanks for posting this!
So happy to hear this, Andy!
Hi,
This looks very good, will give it a try. First though I would like to ask about the unbleached flour. Which brand do you use? I usually have King Arthur in the panty . The reason I ask is different flours have different protein numbers which make a difference in rise and texture.
Thanks
Kathleen
King Arthur Flour is my favorite!
My dough was too wet and after 50 minutes (baked full batch in a 2.5qt Pyrex) was still undercooked. Cooked for an additional 10 and then bread seemed overcooked; hard crust and dried out. Everyone has such success with this, I’m hoping my second go-around yields a better loaf.
Hi Anna,
Do you use a scale to measure the flour? Did the dough look similar to the photos at the various phases? Is your oven generally reliable?
If I use the pyrex 1.5 #441 bowl to bake the peasant bread in… Do I use the follow the master recipe,
(4 c flour, 2 tsp salt and sugar)????? Or do reduce the ingredients due to size of the 750ml 1.5pint bowl?
Thanks so much, Renee
So sorry for the delay here! No need to adjust the recipe for the Pyrex #441. Love that bowl/shape!
Die brood is heerlik en so maklik om te bak.. Sal dit verseker weer bak. Lovely recipe and so easy to bake.
I love this recipe! I’ve tweaked it a little according to our family’s preferences. I use half whole wheat flour, and I use a tablespoon of honey instead of the sugar. Sometimes I throw in a quarter cup of steel cut oats for texture. I bakenit in a Pyrex deep dish pie pan, and it comes out perfect every time!
So happy to hear this Amy!
Amy, thanks for commenting. I came to the comment section to ask both how to use honey instead of sugar and if My Pyrex pie pans will work.