My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
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This is the no-knead bread recipe my mother has been baking for 45 years. Start to finish, it can be ready in three hours. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — no need to preheat a baking vessel for this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp with a soft, tender crumb. 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
When I tell you that, if forced, I had to pick one and only one recipe to share with you that this — my mother’s peasant bread — would be it, I am serious. I would almost in fact be OK ending the blog after this very post, retiring altogether from the wonderful world of food blogging, resting assured that you all had this knowledge at hand. This bread might just change your life.
The reason I say this is simple. I whole-heartedly believe that if you know how to make bread you can throw one hell of a dinner party. And the reason for this is because people go insane over homemade bread. Not once have I served this bread to company without being asked, “Did you really make this?” And questioned: “You mean with a bread machine?” But always praised: “Is there anything more special than homemade bread?”
And upon tasting homemade bread, people act as if you’re some sort of culinary magician. I would even go so far as to say that with homemade bread on the table along with a few nice cheeses and a really good salad, the main course almost becomes superfluous. If you nail it, fantastic. If you don’t, you have more than enough treats to keep people happy all night long.
The Magic of the Peasant Bread
So what, you probably are wondering, makes this bread so special when there are so many wonderful bread recipes out there? Again, the answer is simple. For one, it’s a no-knead bread. I know, I know. There are two wildly popular no-knead bread recipes out there.
But unlike the others, this is a no-knead bread that can be started at 4:00pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00pm. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — there is no pre-heating of the baking vessels in this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp without any steam pans or water spritzes. This is not artisan bread, nor is it trying to be. It is peasant bread, spongy and moist with a most-delectable buttery crust.
Genuinely, I would be proud to serve this bread at a dinner party attended by Jim Lahey, Mark Bittman, Peter Reinhart, Chad Robertson, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It is a bread I hope you will all give a go, too, and then proudly serve at your next dinner party to guests who might ask where you’ve stashed away your bread machine. And when this happens, I hope you will all just smile and say, “Don’t be silly. This is just a simple peasant bread. Easy as pie. I’ll show you how to make it some day.”
Peasant Bread Variations
Once you master the peasant bread, you can make any bread your heart desires — this simple no-knead bread recipe is the foundation of many of the other bread recipes on this site, namely this hugely popular overnight refrigerator focaccia and this simple homemade pizza dough. It’s even the inspiration behind this sourdough focaccia and this sourdough sandwich bread and this simple pita bread recipe.
The below post is organized as follows:
- How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
- The Best Way to Store Bread
- Peasant Bread Dinner Rolls
- Peasant Bread Sandwich Bread
- How to Add Seeds and Nuts to Bread Dough
- How to Make Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
- How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
- How to use Whole Wheat Flour
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
Many more variations on the peasant bread can be found in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs:
Bread Toast Crumbs
Love the peasant bread? There’s now a book filled with 40 simple bread recipes plus 70 recipes to use up every crumb of every loaf you bake.
How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
First: You need yeast.
This is the yeast I buy exclusively: SAF Instant Yeast. Instant yeast can be whisked into the flour directly without any blooming or proofing. If you want to stick to active-dry yeast, there are instructions in the recipe notes on how to do so. Red Star yeast is great.
Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add lukewarm water.
Mix until you have a sticky dough ball. Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours…
… or until it looks like this:
Punch down the dough using two forks.
Then split the dough down the middle again using the two forks.
Because this is a very wet dough, it must be baked in an oven-proof bowl. I am partial to the Pyrex 1L 322 size, but any similarly sized oven-proof bowl will work.
Butter the bowls well; then transfer half of the dough to each prepared bow.
Let the dough rise again until it crowns the rim of the bowl, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the bowls to the oven to bake:
This bread is irresistible when it’s freshly baked, but it also makes wonderful toast on subsequent mornings as well as the best grilled cheese. It’s also my favorite bread to use for these egg salad sandwiches and for this no-tuna “tuna” salad.
The Best Way to Store Bread
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other eco-friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag. You can re-use the bags again and again.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would freeze it. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
To use the peasant bread dough to make rolls, simply divide the dough into smaller portions and place in a buttered muffin tin as in these No-Knead Thyme Dinner Rolls (pictured above). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread as are these brioche pull-apart rolls.
No-Knead Sandwich Bread
To make sandwich bread, multiply the recipe below by 1.5 and bake the bread in two buttered 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pans.
Made with half all-purpose flour and half King Arthur Sprouted Wheat Flour, these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured above) have a soft and light crumb. I really like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, which is made from white whole wheat berries that, when sprouted, yield a creamy, sweet, milder-tasting flour. You can use 100% all-purpose or bread flour for an even lighter loaf or your favorite whole wheat flour in place of the sprouted wheat flour.
How to Add Nuts and Seeds to Bread Dough
To add seeds and nuts (or dried fruit and cheese), simply stir them into the dry ingredients. This recipe for Quinoa-and-Flax Toasting Bread will offer guidance on how much to add.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
Making gluten-free peasant bread (pictured above) unfortunately isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for the wheat flour. But the process and recipe is still super simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread to be even simpler than the original. Find the recipe here: Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
To coat the peasant bread in seeds, as pictured above, simply coat the bowls with everything bagel seasoning or with dukkah or sesame seeds or whatever seed mix you wish. The seed-coated loaves look so beautiful, and it’s amazing how much the flavor of the coating permeates the loaves. Find the recipe here: Everything Bagel Seasoning Peasant Bread
How to Use Whole Wheat Flour
To use whole wheat flour in the peasant bread, simply replace as much as 50% of the all-purpose flour with your favorite whole wheat flour: I like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, and I’ve been loving the Cairnsprings Mill Trailblazer stone-milled flour. With the Trailblazer, I can use up to 75% of it in the peasant bread, and it yields a beautiful, chewy texture as well as a lovely flavor and aroma.
When using whole wheat flour, you may have to use more or less water — there is no rule as to how much more or less, and it will take some trial and error to get right because all flours absorb water differently. When I use KAF sprouted wheat flour, for example, I don’t change the water amount at all. When I use the Trailblazer flour, on the other hand, I reduce the water by at least 50 grams.
If you’d like to learn more about whole wheat flour and stone-milled flours, read this: Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
If you’re looking for more of a crackling crusted boule (characteristic of a loaf of sourdough bread) as opposed to the buttery crispness of the peasant bread, you can bake the peasant bread dough in a preheated Dutch oven.
There are detailed instructions below the recipe in the notes section, but one thing to keep in mind before you begin is dough hydration. The peasant bread is a very high hydration dough, meaning there is a lot of water relative to flour. Because baking the peasant bread in a Dutch oven will require some handling of the dough — to shape it into a round and to create some tension — you may want to reduce the water from the start. Consider holding back 20-30 grams of water to make the process more manageable for you.
My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Notes:
The bread:
This is a sticky, no-knead dough, so, some sort of baking vessel, such as pyrex bowls (you need two 1-qt bowls) or ramekins for mini loaves is required to bake this bread. See notes below the recipe for sources. You can use a bowl that is about 2 qt or 2 L in size to bake off the whole batch of dough (versus splitting the dough in half) but do not use this size for baking half of the dough — it is too big.
Peasant Bread Fans! There is now a book: Bread Toast Crumbs, a loaf-to-crumb bread baking book, filled with tips and tricks and answers to the many questions that have been asked over the years. In the book you will find 40 variations of the master peasant bread recipe + 70 recipes for using up the many loaves you will bake. Learn more about the book here or buy it here.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, I love SAF Instant Yeast, see notes below
- room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Mixing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast (I love SAF Instant Yeast). Add the water. Mix until the flour is absorbed. (If you are using active dry yeast, see notes below.)
- Let it rise. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (In the winter or if you are letting the bread rise in a cool place, it might take as long as two hours to rise.) This is how to create a slightly warm spot for your bread to rise in: Turn the oven on at any temperature (350ºF or so) for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two 1-qt or 1.5-qt oven-safe bowls (see notes below) with about a tablespoon of butter each. Using two forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl, which it will be clinging to. As you scrape it down try to pull the dough toward the center (see video below for guidance). You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down. Then, take your two forks and divide the dough into two equal portions — eye the center of the mass of dough, and starting from the center and working out, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Then scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier — my small salad forks work best; my dinner forks make it harder. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Some people like to use flexible, plastic dough scrapers for this step.
- Let the dough rise again for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or near a warm spot) or until it has risen to just below or above (depending on what size bowl you are using) the top of the bowls. (Note: Do not do the warm-oven trick for the second rise, and do not cover your bowls for the second rise. Simply set your bowls on top of your oven, so that they are in a warm spot. Twenty minutes in this spot usually is enough for my loaves.)
- Bake it. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. If you’ve greased the bowls well, the loaves should fall right out onto the cooling racks. If the loaves look a little pale and soft when you’ve turned them out onto your cooling racks, place the loaves into the oven (outside of their bowls) and let them bake for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- The bowls: The cheapest, most widely available 1-qt bowl is the Pyrex 322. Update: These bowls are becoming harder to find and more expensive. As a result, I’m suggesting this cheaper option: the Pyrex 3-piece set. You can split the dough in half as always (see recipe) and bake half in the 1-quart bowl and half in the 1.5 quart bowl. The loaves will not be the same shape, but they will be delicious nonetheless.
- Yeast: I buy SAF Instant Yeast in bulk from Amazon I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. If you are using the packets of yeast (the kind that come in the 3-fold packets), just go ahead and use a whole packet — It’s 2.25 teaspoons. I have made the bread with active dry, rapid rise, and instant yeast, and all varieties work. The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to “proof” it — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.
- If you have active-dry yeast on hand and want to use it, here’s how: In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit — this step will ensure that the yeast is active. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast-water-sugar mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
- Troubleshooting: You can find step-by-step video instruction here.
- Several commenters have had trouble with the second rise, and this seems to be caused by the shape of the bowl they are letting the dough rise in the second time around. Two hours for the second rise is too long. If you don’t have a 1-qt bowl, bake 3/4 of the dough in a loaf pan and bake the rest off in muffin tins or a popover pan. The second rise should take no more than 30 minutes.
- Also, you can use as many as 3 cups of whole wheat flour, but the texture changes considerably. I suggest trying with all all-purpose or bread flour to start and once you get the hang of it, start trying various combinations of whole wheat flour and/or other flours.
- The single most important step you can take to make this bread truly foolproof is to invest in a digital scale. This one costs under $10. If you are not measuring by weight, do this: scoop flour into the measuring cup using a separate spoon or measuring cup; level off with a knife. The flour should be below the rim of the measuring cup.
- Here’s a printable version of this recipes that’s less wordy: Peasant Bread Recipe, Simplified
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven: Preheat a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF. Dust a clean work surface with flour. After the first rise, turn the dough out onto the floured surface and shape it into a ball: I like to fold it envelope style from top to bottom, then side to side; then I flip it over and use the pinkie edges of my hands to pinch the dough underneath and create some tension. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Let rest for 20 minutes. If you feel your dough is spreading too much you can lift up the sheet of parchment paper, dough and all, and place it in a bowl of a similar size. After the 20 minutes, transfer the dough, parchment paper and all to the Dutch oven. Carefully cover it. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 minutes more.
- To bake the peasant bread in a loaf pan: If you are using an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can bake 3/4 of the dough in it; bake off the rest of the dough in ramekins or other small vessels … the mini loaves are so cute. You can also make 1.5x the recipe, and bake the bread in 2 loaf pans. If you have a large loaf pan, such as a 10×6-inch loaf pan, you can bake off the entire batch of dough in it. For loaf pans, bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.
- How to Bake at Hight Altitude:
- First try the original recipe as written (preferably with a scale). You may not need to make any adjustments. One commenter, who lives at 9200 ft finds the original recipe to work just fine as is.
- If the original recipe doesn’t work, try adding a little bit more water because it rises fast and it is so dry: about a quarter cup for every 512 g of flour.
- Try decreasing the yeast to 1.5 teaspoons.
- If your dough is especially gooey, try decreasing the water by 1/4 cup. But, if you aren’t using a scale, my first suggestion would be to buy a scale and weigh the flour, and make the bread once as directed with the 2 cups water and 512 grams flour, etc.
- Punch the dough down twice before transferring it to the buttered Pyrex bowls. In other words, let it rise for 1-1.5 hours, punch it down, let it rise again for about an hour, punch it down, then transfer it to the buttered bowls.
- Variations:
- #1. Cornmeal. Substitute 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup of cornmeal. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- #2. Faux focaccia. Instead of spreading butter in two Pyrex bowls in preparation for baking, butter one 9×9-inch glass baking dish and one Pyrex bowl or just butter one large 9×13-inch Pyrex baking dish. If using two vessels, divide the dough in half and place each half in prepared baking pan. If using only one large baking dish, place all of the dough in the dish. Drizzle dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (if using the small square pan) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if using the large one). Using your fingers, gently spread the dough out so that it fits the shape of the pan. Use your fingers to create dimples in the surface of the dough. Sprinkle surface with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF and 17 minutes (or longer) at 375ºF. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack.
- #3. Thyme Dinner Rolls
- #4 Gluten-free
- #5. Everything Bagel Seasoning Bread. Simply coat the buttered bowls with Everything Bagel Seasoning. Watch a how-to on Instagram Stories here.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour. I like King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour (see this post) or sprouted wheat flour (see this post).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
6,401 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
I’ve used this recipe before and it was a big hit. Decided to try something new with it. Used the recipe to make hamburger buns in a large muffin tin. It was delicious! This recipe make 12 buns in a large muffin tin and had a delicious buttery flavor when you bit into the burger. Baked completely in the first baking time listed on instructions.
So happy to hear this, Angelique!! What a fun tip.
Have you ever tried to substitute Olive Oil for the butter that coats the glass bowls?
Yes—it doesn’t work!! Don’t try it. You’ll be disappointed. Are you looking for a vegan substitute?
Do you have a vegan substitute? I’ve tried olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, vegan butter, and Crisco. I can use 1/2 T of butter and the bread jumps out of the bowl.
Vegan butter works great. That’s what my vegan friend uses.
acctually i use olive oil to line pans then rest parchment paper in the loaf pans and it comes out lovely. i make it for my daughters’ vegan boyfriend.
This is a great reciepe. I am currently making the third batch of this bread while we are camping. My family loves it.
So happy to hear this Diane!
Have made this bread a dozen times or more, always a hit! Right now in the process of making it with multigrain, whole wheat and spelt flours.
Will let you know how it turns out????
I am wondering how it would work with all spelt flour. I have a wheat allergy but can eat spelt flour.
I can’t wait to try this lovely bread recipe. If I choose to bake in the larger Pyrex bowl, how should I expect my baking time to change?
YOu’ll just have to bake it for about 10 to 15 minutes longer once you turn the oven down to 375F. What size bowl are you planning on using? If you use a 2L bowl or something similar, bake it for: 15 min @425F; then 20 to 25 minutes @ 375F.
So I noticed right away that my bread was not as moist right after mixing. After an hour of rising it did not look like yours at all, had only risen halfway and still looked a bit dry. I’m going to let it rise another hour and hope for the best. But, if it doesn’t quite work out, for next time should I add more water until it is wetter? I actually did 2 cups and 2 tbsp this time already because it looked so dry I couldn’t get it to mix in all the way. So sad over here thinking it won’t work out for me while it seems to have worked for everyone else!
That was my issue as well!
If you measured the flour by volume (cups) instead of by weight that might explain the issue. Measuring flour by volume creates a lot of variation depending on the method you use to put the flour in the cup.
I think 1 lb and 2oz is almost 8 cups. So don’t do it by weight just do it in cups.
HI Lynda and Cheryl,
Sorry for the delay here! Questions for you: are you using a scale to measure the flour? Jennifer is absolutely right: there is serious variation from person to person when flour is measured by cups. If you switch to using a scale, I can almost guarantee you will have no issues at all. But yes, adding more water till the dough looks like the photos is a good idea.
This bread is amazing. I’ve been making it for several years. It was the first bread recipe i made. It is still my favorite bread recipe. I have to be secretive when i make it because everyone, family, friends, and co-workers have all had it and love it. A loaf never lasts long wherever i take it.
So happy to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am new to baking and triedthis recipe. I knew sometging was wrong when the dough was dry and crumbly after initially mixing. I followed the directions and ingredient quantities (I triple-checked). Why might it have been so dry?
It sounds as though you are just being a bit too heavy with the flour. I can’t recommend using a scale enough when it comes to measuring flour and baking in general. Once you start baking with a scale, it’s hard to go back. This one costs about $12: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=alexandrask06-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004164SRA&linkId=c4d2c7f0e31a7bb42a2393036a7f365d
I made one bowl of the bread today and just finished a warm piece with butter and blueberry jam. Delish,Thanks
Wonderful to hear this Patti!
Is if the same amount of flour if using bread flour?
Yes!
If you are using the Pyrex 1L bowls, should the dough rise to just above or just below the tops of the bowls?
Just above before you stick the bowls in the oven. Happy Baking!
Do you have a vegan substitute? I’ve tried olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, vegan butter, and Crisco. I can use 1/2 T of butter and the bread literally leaps from the bowl.
My family is absolutely bananas over this bread! It is by far the most delicious and the easiest bread I’ve baked. I do have an electric mill and hard red wheat berries so I’m subbing 2 C hard red wheat for 2 C A/P flour. I’m baking this almost daily. If you’ve never made homemade bread or if you’ve made all kinds of breads, you HAVE to try this one. It will not disappoint! Thanks SO very much for sharing your mom’s recipe!!!!
Wow, you’re amazing!! I have yet to venture into the world of milling my own flour, but I’m eager to. Thanks for the inspiration!
What adjustments are necessary for high altitude (9,800 feet)?
Ok, I’m embarrassed to ask this question because I’m not a stranger to making bread, although the question has more to do with the buttering of the bowls in which the bread is baked. I use the small Pyrex bowls with 1T each of butter for greasing the bowls. EVERY time I make your recipe (and I make it often) I end up with the butter somehow getting on the oven floor. It’s as if the butter creeps up out of the bowls and drips onto the floor below. I carefully wipe each bowl edge down prior to adding the dough; I’ve tried not greasing the bowls to the very top but then there is the sticking problem at the top edge. If I used less than 1T of butter I’m fairly sure the bread would stick when removing it from the bowl. Have you ever had this happen? I can’t put aluminum foil down on the floor because the manufacturer says that it may cause damage. I’ve tried wrapping the bowls with a loose piece of foil and that was a disaster because the bread didn’t bake properly. I’m open to any suggestions!
HI Ann! Sorry for the delay here. And sorry for the butter spillage! What a pain. I would try cutting back to 2 tsp of butter. That will likely do the trick. If that doesn’t work, you could put a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and put the bowls on top while they bake … you may have to increase the baking time however, bc the sheet pan may provide a layer of insulation.
TY! I’ll try reducing the butter. Hope you had a wonderful vacation.
Awesome bread. Really surprised me how good it tastes
Great to hear this, Keith!
I have a quick but very important question I’ve made the bread twice now and then it’s very heavy and dense I’m not sure if this is the way it supposed be or I’m doing something wrong HELP!
1 lb and 2 Oz is almost cups. Don’t weight the flour just do the measurements in cups.
It’s almost *8 cups
HI Linda! It sounds as though you are using too much flour. Are you using a scale to measure the flour? How is the dough looking compared to the photos? I’m not sure if you are the same Linda who is having trouble above, but I cannot recommend a scale enough when bread baking. Truly, all (nearly) issues will disappear if you measure the flour by weight, grams in particular: 512 g.
How long are you letting the first rise go? and the second?
I love, love your mom’s bread recipe! Thank-you so much for sharing it with us. I have made it many times now to take to parties, and it always gets rave reviews. BTW Walmart has a nice set of Pyrex bowls on sale now (7/2518) for $19.99 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pyrex-8-Piece-Smart-Essentials-Mixing-Bowl-Set/11966170
Awesome!! Thanks for the link.
This is what I do on a weekend morning now. It is so satisfying, smells wonderful and tastes even better. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
So happy to hear this Marie!
Ann and I are still having problems with this and I really wish somebody would try to help us!
See ann’s Problem above and my question is it supposed to be a very dense heavy bread? Mine raises a little bit above the bowl but it still comes out very heavy and dry
Please help us!!
HI Linda! It sounds as though you are using too much flour. Are you using a scale to measure the flour? How is the dough looking compared to the photos? I’m not sure if you are the same Linda who is having trouble above, but I cannot recommend a scale enough when bread baking. Truly, nearly all issues will disappear if you measure the flour by weight, grams in particular: 512 g.
How long are you letting the first rise go?
and the second?
And how long are you baking the bread?
And how long are you letting it cool before you slice into it?
Making this bread now for Lammas tomorrow. The house smells amazing!! Can’t wait to try it… Thanks for sharing.
Ok I’m in the same boat with some of the other ladies…mine did not rise like yours at all…it didn’t even come out of the bowl…I followed the recipe.. don’t know what happened. My bowl was not clear but a white color could that have anything to do with it?
I’m frustrated too Stephanie. Easy recipe but don’t know what I did wrong. She was answering some of the earlier comments but not ours
Hi Stephanie,
Are you using a scale to measure the flour? I cannot recommend a scale enough when bread baking and actually, now, with all baking. There is too much variation when people measure by volume, and most people tend to go too heavy on the flour. Truly, nearly all issues will disappear if you measure the flour by weight, grams in particular: 512 g. Baking by weight will change your life. This scale costs $12: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=alexandrask06-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004164SRA&linkId=c4d2c7f0e31a7bb42a2393036a7f365d
Questions:
How long are you letting the first rise go?
and the second?
And how long are you baking the bread?
And how long are you letting it cool before you slice into it?
I’ve had loaves turn out dense & not rise properly when my yeast got old. It isn’t usually necessary to proof instant yeast, but it doesn’t hurt to do so, regardless of what kind of yeast you are using. That will let you know if your yeast is still good. Alexandra tells how to proof yeast at the beginning of the recipe. I tested my yeast once after I had a loaf that was not as tall as usual & on that occasion, the yeast made very few bubbles. I tossed the yeast, bought fresh, & the next batch of bread was perfect. I always throw out my yeast now if it is past the expiration date.
Great recipe! Has me baking every day – Thanks! Any chance of a pumpernickel recipe? Pumpernickel bagels, mmm…
The only oven I have is the toaster oven that will hold things about 13 wide and I think it would be too low to let the bread rise. Any ideas?
Thanks!
The Pyrex set of four bowls WITH lids is on sale at Pyrexware.com for $19.99 plus shipping. Good deal!
Hello – first time here, making the bread as I type. Where did you get the cool linen bowl cover that has the elasticized edges? Thanks!
Dot and Army: https://www.dotandarmy.com/collections/wraps-covers/products/extra-large-bowl-cover-perfect-for-breadmaking
Love them so much!
You mentioned that you could do a whole batch in pyrex 443. How do you adjust the baking time?
Bake it for 10 minutes longer than suggested, then start checking. It may need 15 minutes. It’s very forgiving.
Thank you! It worked perfectly even without the adjustment. I loved the crumb in this one! It so reminded me of the bread my late grandmother baked when I was a child. Now I’m really curious about your book 🙂
So happy to hear this, Ivana!
Just made this with my 17-year-old daughter. I’ve tried so many other no-knead bread recipes before, but none of them were this good. Where have you been all this time?! The bread is soft and airy and delicious–and super easy! Ordering your cookbook now 😀
Yay!! So happy to hear this Lexi! And thank you re cookbook … means the world 🙂
This is a good example of “you get what you put into it” minimal work results in a bland monotone flavored too soft crumb minimally crusty bread that is a small step above some supermarket breads. I can buy “artisanal” bread at TJ’s which is much better and takes even less effort. Maybe some kneading to develop gluten, bake in dutch oven, water spray or humidity?????
Please don’t yuck other people’s yum, Scott. It’s a matter of taste. If you don’t like the bread, feel free to move on — it’s just not your thing. No need to put the recipe down or mansplain bread making techniques. One can like both the complex, long process sourdoughs as well as quick no knead recipes or Wonderbread for that matter. Move on.
Thank You Ivana! Nothing ruder than someone complaining about something that means a lot to someone else. My young daughter and I tried this recipe and we both loved it! In fact, I’m ordering the cookbook this evening. 🙂
Thank you Lisa 🙂 🙂 🙂 This means the world.
Maybe it’s possible you didn’t follow the recipe or instructions exactly. I’ve made this recipe many times and it has a lovely crust and awesome texture. It actually reminds me of my grandmother’s traditional knead recipe in flavor with less than half the work. Maybe you can give it another try before condemning it.
I just made this. The dough came out slightly more dry than I was expecting, but followed the instructions as best I could in spite of that. It was definitely more dry than yours after the first rise, but I troopered on. It probably wouldn’t be my worst bread regardless.
It turned out lovely. The texture is fluffy while maintaining a bit of chewiness, and the crust had just the right crispiness. The flavor is fairly mild and unassuming, but leaves an enormous amount of room for variation of flavors.
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I am not a baker. I can hardly make cookies from scratch. This recipe really worked for me. Thank you, and thanks to your Mom, too!
No…..of course we didn’t eat it all in one day………ok…..we did. Ha ha ha. I have NEVER been able to make bread. My family deemed my attempts as “only worthy to be shot out of a cannon” , seriously. I made this bread yesterday, after hearing it on a podcast, and everyone ate it! Even my picky eater!!! I’ve got a batch going right now because my picky eater asked “mom, can I help you make that delicious bread for dinner tonight? Ppplllleeeaaassseeee!” Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Oh Elesha… yay!!! makes me so happy 🙂 🙂 🙂