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”
Just tried my first two loaves. No trouble rising, measured flour, nice golden crust. Comments from family were it seemed “doughy”….any ideas on what I did wrong? used 1qt pyrex round…general all purpose flour and the instant yeast mentioned above. thank you, Judy
any thoughts? now that I look back at the picture, my loaf did not bake up as high as yours….I did use a scale. I just used gold medal flour…perhaps a better flour? Thank you! Loved the process and idea of baking fresh bread…very hygge!
Hi Judy! Sorry for the delay here. I typically use King Arthur Flour, though many brands of flour should produce fine results. Gold Medal isn’t bleached is it? If you are up for using another brand of flour, I would try KAF. Great to hear you are using a scale — that is key. I think you could try letting the rises go a little bit longer. Go for 1.5 to 2 hours on the first rise; for the second rise, just let it go long enough so that it creeps about the rim of the bowl. It usually takes about 20 minutes, but it can take longer especially when kitchens are cold. You could also try baking the bread for a little bit longer — until it’s golden brown all around — and also letting it cool for at least 15 minutes or more before cutting. Hope that helps! And yes, bread baking = total hygee 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love it. Good luck!
Thank you! I will give it another try!
Can you use metal loaf tin pans instead of glass bowls?
Yes! Make 1.5 times the recipe if so.
I made this for the first time yesterday and the loaves turned out perfectly! My bread life has improved for the better for sure!!!
Yay! So happy to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh my!! This is amazing bread! And so much easier than a lot of recipes. Soft, tender inside with a crispy crust. Add a little butter, and it doesn’t get much better than that. I used one of the pyrex bowls and a bread loaf pan. Both turned out perfect. My kids loved the bread too. I followed recipe exactly and will definitely make it again and again!! Thank you!
Yay!! So happy to hear this!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
This bread is the BEST!!! This will be my go-to bread recipe from now on! Makes me think of ciabatta bread just a little….chewy crust and wonderful soft texture inside. So quick and easy-I made it after work tonight! Thank you for this awesome recipe!!!
So happy to hear this!
I just mixed up my second batch of this dough. Both times that I’ve done it the dough seemed different than what is described- less sticky and shaggy and more dry and cohesive. I added a little extra water to it. The first time it came out delicious regardless, and I am sure today’s loaf will be good as well, but could I be measuring wrong or something? I am using King Arthur Four- do textures differ, and could KAF require more moisture? or does it even really matter? I am using a Le Crueset with a lid to bake it as one loaf, btw, which worked great the first time.
Hi Stardust, are you using a scale to measure/weigh the flour? I can’t recommend one enough: I have this one. It costs $13 and is worth every penny.
KAF is what I use most often. Yes, using different flours make a difference, but I think if you start using a scale to weigh the flour, you’ll see a difference in your results immediately. If you are not up for buying a scale, I would use a lighter hand when you measure the flour.
Great to know re Le Creuset vessel!
I have this many times. It will also do well in an enameled cast iron pan for one large loaf or two, one pound loaf pans. I like to brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds over it. I think everything season in would be great too.
I wish I was lying when I said I have tried to make this recipe 6 times. All failures. I have an issue right from the very outset where there doesnt seem to be enough water to “absorb” the flour. The consistency of my dough once the flour and yeast mix have been combined looks nothing like the photo above (its not sticky at all- its flakey and with lots of excess flour. I am measuring very scant cups of flour. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is possibly going wrong?
Hi Melanie,
It sounds as though you need to use even scanter cups. 10 times out of 10, the troubles people have in regard to getting the dough the right consistency, disappear when they start using a scale. If you have any interest in baking bread regularly, I can’t recommend investing in a scale enough. This one costs $13. Otherwise, I would see start with 3 cups of flour and see how the consistency looks there, then add more flour slowly until it looks like the photos.
I make this often. I use only half the recipe. It is just the right size for the two of us. Hot bread with soup and enough for toast the next day.
Does anything about the baking method, time, or temperature change if you use half whole wheat/half white flour?
Nope, should be the same.
thanks for this recipe. I made it this weekend, substituting whey for the water. It was so easy, and so moist. We’ll be making it again!
So happy to hear this, Colette! I love using whey for the water.
Just made this in rural Australia with a local-ish organic stone-milled spelt flour. Turned out absolutely fantastically. I am so impressed. Made dinner rolls in teacups for my kids and then a bigger loaf with the other half of the mix. This will be our go-to camping recipe – I listened to the Living Homegrown podcast you did about taking pre-made bags of ingredients and adding water when you get there. Such a good idea. I’ve also ordered a sample of your book on the Kindle to see what other goodies are inside.
Thanks for the recipe!
This has become my family’s go-to bread recipe. I don’t even buy store bread anymore. Perfect recipe!
I am 70 + 1 and have been making bread since I was a teen and this is one of the best artisan breads ever and has become the favorite with family and friends! It was fun to make and super easy. I did rub the top and bottom with butter when still warm which made the crust nice and chewey. Thanks so much for passing this recipe along!
Today is sunny, the birds are singing and my 6 types of arthritis are manageable SO what better day to try a new recipe? I followed instructions to the letter and used a digital thermometer to check temp for 205*F then removed from oven. EXCELLENT RESULTS!! Thank you so much! Someone posted your site on Facebook and this is the result. I paid close attention to the multiple use of the word “sticky” and adapted a few techniques:
1. I put 2tsp of oil in the mixing bowl AFTER the dough/sponge was mixed. (This is a trick my mom used.) I then applied a silicone spatula around the edges to let oil go under the dough. Then, hold onto the bowl and “swirl” the fowl around until coated with oil. This will stop dough from sticking to bowl, is easier to roll into baking dish and easier to clean.
2. I wore a clear plastic glove (dollar store, 50 in a bag) to lift/turn/flip/punch the dough.
3. I placed a strip of parchment in the baking dish under to dough for the second rise. Easier to lift out of the oiled baking dish.
4. I used a 1.6 litre Corningwear rectangular casserole dish and two Corningwear handled soup bowls. Next time I’ll use two bread loaf pans.
Thank so very much. Hubby is THRILLED! Any suggestions on using this dough for CINNAMON BUNS?
Suzanne in Kelowna, BC, Canada
OOPS!! Should read BOWL not FOWL????
I loved this recipe
<3
We always rent a house at the beach on the Jersey shore every summer. I adore our combination of eating out on the town as well as planning and cooking simple summer meals with local in season produce. Now that our kids are older they pick things for me to cook and they all want this bread! Hubby too! It looks like a winner!
Easiest and best bread I have made. Sharing this recipe with everyone I know. Many thanks
has anyone tried baking this in a loaf pan? if so, how did it go?
Any suggestion for high altitude baking?
This bread recipe became my favorite to make. It always comes out great and lasts a while. I use Le Creuset pans or polish pottery for baking.
This made a lovely loaf. I used a 2 quart bowl to make one large loaf and added sesame seeds on top for the 2nd rise. My husband tasted it and said, Oh my god, it’s like candy!”, and no I didn’t add extra sugar. Next time, I’ll try Suzanne’s plastic glove and parchment paper tips.
Hey there Kelly G! I’m baking two loaves tomorrow in Corningware white casserole dishes. One will be with sesame seeds (great idea! Thanks!) and the other will be raisins and loads of cinnamon.
So happy to hear this, Kelly!
I have made this recipe a number of times and it always turns out perfectly. I use 1.5 times the recipe to make 2 loaves in loaf pans (my husband likes to have the bread in loaf pans because all the slices are the same size that way). Today I am going to make it and use half whole wheat flour and we’ll see how it turns out. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, it has become my favorite bread recipe.
My family loves this bread. I usually make it in a2 qt. Casserole bowl, it it works in the enameled cast iron or 2 one lbs. Loaf pans. I just give them an egg wash and sprinkle the poppy or sesame seeds and bake.
Made this bread yesterday. It came out fabulous! Made one large loaf in 2qt pirex. My boyfriend at 5 pieces! Will be making again for sure. So easy. Highly recommend????
Yay!! So happy to hear this, Mags 🙂
How long do you cook for when using a 2l?
I meant 2Q!
I would bake it for 15 minutes at 425, then 25 minutes at 375F. It’s very forgiving and best to err on overbaking.
Finally!!! An amazing bread recipe that I don’t have to start 18 hours before I want to eat it!!! I’ve made this recipe daily for 3 days and am in LOVE. I can’t get over how easy & delicious it is. Thank you so much 🙂
I can’t wait to order your cookbook and try all sorts of new spins on this recipe.
Lesley, I am so happy to hear this!! And thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hello
I’ve made this bread many times – always a hit!! I never know if it is done or not (i just use the times given) but I would like to know – what would the temperature be to test for doneness for this peasant bread?
Thanks
Hi Nancy! I invested in a Thermapen about a year ago, and I can’t say enough good things about it … it sounds as though you have one or something similar? The temperature should be about 207-210ºF.
Can u add fiber to it by putting In quinoa??
Yes! I like to add 1/2 to 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa. I particularly like red for its color.
Do you omit that amount of flour?
No! See this recipe for quinoa-flax toasting bread: https://alexandracooks.com/2018/02/23/quinoa-flax-toasting-bread/
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I cannot tell you how hopeless at bread i’ve always been, too dense, too doughy, too flat, too sweet or salty etc etc. to the point I sort of gave up on bread making. it’s so disappointing putting in so much effort & time only to get a dud result
Well all change now!! this is the only recipe I’ll be using in the future, it came out perfectly!!!! i’m floating on air right now! The recipe was so easy to follow and easier that you described how the dough should be – i would have thought i’d done something wrong finding the dough so sloppy if you hadn’t said. It rose beautifully. I added rosemary leaves to one bowl for a bit of flavour. I’m just so happy i’ve finally managed to make bread!!! i’m forever grateful 🙂
I’m so happy to hear this, Laura!! Rosemary sounds lovely 🙂 🙂 🙂
Giving it a try, just for fun! Am 54 years old, and literally just learned to bake bread over the last four years… Most of the years before I was too impatient,always had ten bajillion things going on at once, and tended to guess under the idea of “Well, if a teaspoon of yeast will make it rise in X long, then two TABLESPOONS will work exponentially that much faster…” – Never really worked for me. 😀 In 2011 though, I had a Hemorrhagic Stroke, followed by a goodly length coma, and a six month hospitalization while they all waited for me to die. I didn’t. Fell into the tiny little 7% or so who lived through it, with only some leftovers, or long term effects. Am slower today, physically and mentally, and find that baking bread works REALLY well! This loaf has been on it’s first raise, on the countertop on a somewhat chillier day, for half only of it’s first rise time, and has done so a goodly amount. Impressed, as always, by cooperative bread dough! Looking forward to the end result… Am assuming that cast iron cooking will work as well as glass bowls, right? Let me know! Cheers!
Hi Kim! So sorry for the delay here … wow, thank you for sharing your story. You’re amazing. I’m so happy bread has been therapeutic for you in your recovery. And yes, cast iron will work well, but you’ll need to butter the vessels really really well. Hope they turned out well! Happy baking.