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”
Hi!
Can this bread recipe be adapted to calzone making? I know you have a couple of calzone recipe heres, but this has been so easy and fun to make.
Thanks!
Hi Hank! I think it definitely could I use the dough to make pizza (though I omit the sugar), so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for calzones. One thought would be to reduce the water by a little bit: 2-4 tablespoons or so. This will just make it a little less sticky/wet and therefore easier to handle.
YOUR mother’s recipe? We must be related then! 🙂 This is MY mom’s “French Bread in Casserole”, that I’ve been making for more than 45 years now, though not so much the past dozen years, since the bowls I bought for it when I was 20 have died one by one. My mom passed six months ago, and the other day, when my sister in law asked for the recipe, I could not find a hard copy. Fortunately, it is in my bones, and I was able to pretty-easily jot it down, but I’m SO glad to have found your beautifully-detailed rendition to corroborate my memory’s version.
This is a wonderfully forgiving bread, a fabulous learner bread for budding bakers; it virtually never fails, unless the yeast is dead, but that’s why you proof it at the beginning. It never fails to elicit praise, especially when served still warm with butter, and cut in wedges. It’s great for building confidence, and gaining familiarity with texture and sheen, to “own” the skill to create it. Anyone who misses what this offers will never get it, and should just stick with their high-falutin’ artisanal breads made by strangers.
You play with substitutions of flours, or add herbs, and it will always work. And it tastes so good fresh. Simple, airy, buttery, no frills bread.
Thank you for publishing this, with description and photos. May both our mom’s’ bread (and memories) live on and on, in kitchens and dining rooms filled with wonderful aromas and thankful souls.
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“Anyone who misses what this offers will never get it, and should just stick with their high-falutin’ artisanal breads made by strangers.”
LOL Glenn I will share your quote with my mom, “made by strangers” got me, made me laugh thanks
Katie! I’m so glad you commented because it brought my attention to Glenn’s comment … how did I miss this?? So funny and so nice.
Glenn: thank you for taking the time to write and to share all of this. So sorry to hear about your mother and so glad this recipe lives up to your mother’s bread. Can’t believe I am just seeing this.
Made this on a whim. Wanted some bread for my chicken soup. Added about an ounce of fresh grated Parmesan and it came out excellent. Thanks for a great recipe. Will definitely bake it again.
So happy to hear this, Kim! Love adding parmesan to these loaves 🙂
I’ve made this recipe several times, and it’s become a favorite at our dinner parties. The verdict is that one loaf is just not enough! So fun to pair with a variety of butters for a butter tasting. Thanks so much for this recipe ????
Super easy tp make. My first batch is in the oven for the first rise, which brings up a question….if you have the dough in the slightly warm oven, do you still cover it? I haven’t covered mine so I hope it will be ok. BTW, I ordered your cookbook. It’s beautiful! I’m super happy to have it. My only wish is that every recipe had a photo. But I wish that in all cookbooks. 🙂
Question #2….this recipe calls for 2 tsp of yeast, the video calls for 2 1/4 and the book calls for 2 1/2! Help!
I’ve always made it woth he 2 tsp called for in the typed version. I don’t think anything bad woukd happen regardless of which amount as long as you use at least 2 tsp.
Love this bread…..make 1 loaf in pyrex bowl as there is only 2 of us. GR8 bread!!!
Run Row! I forgot to do the second rise and put it in the oven after separating the dough. It was in for 3 minutes. Is it a lost cause now?
Ruh Roh! I forgot to do the second rise and put it in the oven after separating the dough. It was in for 3 minutes. Is it a lost cause now?
It came out great! Even with the small mistake
This recipe has ben a staple in our householdfor the past year and will emain so for the forseeable future. I bake two batches and put one batch each into glass loaf pans (sometimes with hidden goodies like shredded cheese or garlic). We eat one and freeze the other 🙂
How do I get the dough to rise if I have a gas oven (so the pre-heating trick doesn’t work)?
I have a gas oven and yes the preheat trick works with it. Just make sure yoh hear the oven click to start preheating, if that makes sense to you.
My family fights over this bread. It is the easiest bread recipe that always turns out fabulous. Has anyone tried adding some sourdough starter to the recipe to give it a little tang?
Enjoying making this – am using pretty exact measurements – but the dough is coming out too wet to separate. Should I put more flour or less water, or something else?
Since finding this recipe it has been my go to bread. Thanks!
Yay!
Question: can I make this in stoneware and metal loaf pans? Love the concept but want a loaf shape. THANKS for sharing!!
Hi D.P.,
I don’t have oven safe glass bowls but do have a well seasoned metal loaf pan curtesy of my Mum. The bread bakes perfectly in it and the crust looks just like you see in Alexandra’s photos.
Cheers
Rob
So happy to hear this, Rob! Thanks for writing in.
Actually, what I really need to know is if I can bake the entire recipe in a 6-cup stoneware loaf pan? THANK YOU!!
Hi Debbie, so sorry for the delay here!! When I use loaf pans (8.5×4.5 inches), I do 1.5 times the recipe and divide the dough between two loaf pans. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or so. I have a friend who has a large loaf pan—9- or 10-x5-inches—and she bakes the whole thing in 1 pan. I caution against using smaller loaf pans for the whole thing because it’s too much dough, and it will just cause problems when baking. If you only have 1 pan, you can fill it 3/4 full with dough, then bake off the remaining dough in ramekins or muffin tins.
I am making this tomorrow! I don’t have the 1qt. bowls, only 2qt, so how long should I bake it for the double batch in one loaf? Thanks!
I would bake it for at least 45 minutes total. Just add on about 15 minutes of baking time. This is a forgiving recipe and best to ere on the side of over baking.
Do I need to make any changes for high altitude baking? I live at 7700 feet above sea level. Thank you.
Hi Robin,
You should be able to find answers at the High Altitude Baking website (https://highaltitudebakes.com/high-altitude-baking).
Cheers from Australia
Rob
Hi Rob, Thanks so much for this link! I’m going to add it to the notes.
I have made this bread many,many times. I love it! And so do my friends. I can’t seem to get those nice “holes” that you have in your slice pic. Any suggestions?
Hi Nancy! So happy to hear this. You could try letting the bread rise for longer. I almost always let the first rise go for at least 2 hours or longer, mostly because I get distracted or have to run out, etc. So, see how that affects the dough structure. The second rise may take longer than 20 minutes, too, if the first rise goes longer than 2 hours or so. What kind of bowls are you using?
Thanks, will give it a try. I use the same bowls as you. I also found that Anchor Hocking has some nice, 1qt. bowls for a good price.
I made 2 versions of this recipe yesterday: the basic one with regular all purpose flour, and the gluten-free recipe. Both were exceptional. I love baking home made bread, and this recipe is by far the easiest one I’ve ever made. Shared the breads with neighbors, who also loved both versions and asked for the recipe. I baked the all purpose flour version in a single 2qt Pyrex, and it came out beautifully, with a light airy inside and a perfect crust. I baked the gluten-free dough by putting slightly more than 1/2 the dough in a 1 ½qt glass loaf pan, and split the remaing dough into 6 cup large muffin tins. The final product turned out to be a denser texture than the basic recipe, but had so much flavor. I preferred the muffin shape/rolls over the loaf as the crust was delicious. Definitely will bake again and again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
So happy to hear this, Jaklin!
Hi there!
I was wondering what kind of oven you use… It looks like an electric one on the picture. I have a gas oven and for some reason the breads and brioches I make do not rise well compared to the ones I make in mu mom’s electric oven. Any tips?
Thank you and thank you for the great recipes!
bb
Hi! I use an electric oven. I would buy an oven thermometer and see if your oven is accurately displaying the temperature. My fancy new oven is 25-50ºF below what it says on the screen. Start there! Otherwise, I don’t know how to advise because I don’t use gas.
I don’t have a 1 qt or 2 qt Pyrex bowl, but I do have a 1.5 qt, so I’m unsure how to proceed. Do you recommend splitting into two for this or do you think the whole batch will work at this size? Thanks!
I think it’s two much dough for the 1.5 quart bowl, but you could bake off 3/4 of the dough in your 1.5 qt bowl and bake off the remaining dough in buttered ramekins or in muffin tins or any other small vessel vessels.
Katie, I make this very successfully dividing the dough between two 1.5 Litre bowls. The loaves are a little less spherical than the examples here, but lovely, delicious, and (best of all) it gives me one to eat and one to share.
I was amazed to try the 2 forks method for dividing the dough and discover how how easily it works. I think next time I will try one half the dough in one of my ancient corning ware dishes.
I was just going to try to use king Arthur’s wheat flour and saw a quick note that more wheat flour may be needed. How do you know how much flour to use when using a different type of flour? I was also thinking of trying a rye flour. I guess I will wait to see if you respond here. By the way I have used the everything bagel seasoning, 1st time just on top, the 2nd time mixed through the dough. Personally liked it just on top, more concentrated flavor.
Hi! With wheat flour, I typically don’t do more than 2 cups (256 g), and with rye flour I don’t use more than 1 cup (128 g). It’s hard to know how much flour to use, unless you give it a go — it may take some trial and error. Do you use a scale? I highly recommend you do. If you keep your total flour amount to 512 g, you’ll be in good shape.
This is an awesome recipe to those of us who fear yeast. So easy…I may even teach my sister (a total non-cook) how to do it. I’m actually taking a loaf with me tonight to meet up with a friend who’s applying for a job (who also fears yeast). Nothing says ‘You can do this!’ more than homemade bread!
I don’t have oven safe Pyrex bowls but I did recently get a 5qt Dutch oven (yay company picnics and prizes!). Have you ever made it in one of those? If not do you think it would still work, or should go ahead and buy some Pyrex bowls to make this? It looks HEAVENLY and I would love to try!
I am a bread baker and I have to say that I’m pretty tired of this “no kneed” craze. But I saw your recipe and the lovely story that went with it and decided to try it. Plus I did not have to let it sit for hours and deal with hot pots and it could be ready to eat in a couple of hours like a regular loaf of kneeded bread.
It turned out very good. Nice crumb, crusty buttery crust & good flavor overall. I made a half portion using bread flour, which was the perfect size loaf for myself & husband, with some leftover for toast this morning ( when toasted it tastes like an English muffin).
I’m looking forward to making it again maybe with some white whole wheat or spelt or even a little rye. I think it will be very adaptable.
Thanks for the recipe .
PattiAnn
We have made this bread using just plain spelt flour. Although it does not rise quite as high, it is very tasty! We use it for grilled cheese sandwiches, French toast, etc. Turns out really well every time!
Having recently recovered from an accident where my elbow was broken and my arm injured, I love the no knead breads!
Can you freeze the second loaf?
Yes! Freezes beautifully, either sliced or whole.
Ive been making this every week, we love it, today im trying adding cheese for cheese bread and I’m trying a cheesey jalapeño bread with this bread recipe, prayinit turns out ok
Ive made cheadar cheese and jalapeño cheddar breads, add youe jalapeños and cheese into dry mix first i use my hands to mix in well them add your water.rise as usual
I butter the bowls then sprinkle grated cheese into bowls for jalapeño bread i do same then place some pretty round thin slices of jalapeño around also, when you turn bread out its so pretty and oh my is it ever delicious.
Can I use loaf pans.
Yes. Do 1.5 times the recipe. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.
I’ve just done this in two 1.5L loaves at 1.5×at your recommendation. But it was very wet and like a fluffy cake dough at punch down and compared to the 1× done in 1L bowls, and the loaves turned out short: did you mean that 1.5× recipe was for one loaf pan?
One loaf pan. I just made it in one pyrex 1.5 liter 9X5 inch loaf pan and reduced the ingredients by one quarter: 3 cups of flour and equivalent reductions for the other ingredients and it is in the oven baking as I type this. Both the first and second rises went perfectly and the advantage of pyrex is that I can see how the color is coming right down to the bottom of the loaf.
I followed the regular temps listed in the recipe, just took it out of the oven and it seems to have turned out just fine. Slid right out of the pan and did not stick in the slightest. Just have to wait for it to cool down so I can slice it and give it a taste. If it tastes half as good as it looks, it will be a great success!
A little tip for the first rise… turn on the light in your oven when you start preparing your ingredients. By the time everything is mixed together, your oven will be at the perfect temperature for the first rise. This way you do not have to risk it being way too warm by turning the oven on and forgetting it.
I have made this recipe several times. I make it to pair with my homemade vegetable soup. It is an amazingly simple and easy. My family loves it. Thank you!