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 homemade 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 4:00 pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00 pm. 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 simple pita bread recipe and these no-knead dinner rolls.
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 and sandwiches of all kinds.
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 below). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread recipe.
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 (no longer available unfortunately), these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured below) have a soft and light crumb.
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 below) isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for wheat flour. But the process is still relatively simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread recipe 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 below, 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’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 the Trailblazer flour, for example, 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. I love my Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven which I’ve been using for years! The Lodge is a great value at around $49, but if you like the idea of making an oblong-shaped peasant loaf, I can’t recommend the Challenger Bread Pan enough, which costs $299. The placement of the handles makes for easy removal and closure of the lid, and it creates beautiful, crusty loaves every time.
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 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 onecosts 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.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour.
- 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.
6,758 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Made this today, turned out absolutely amazing. Everyone loved it!
Violet — Fantastic!
I usually suck at making bread! But its Christmas so I like to make everything from scratch on the holidays. The bread turned out so yummy! Reminds me of Italian bread nice crust and chewy inside. Thank you so much for sharing a recipe even I cam get right!
Joanna — So happy to hear this! There is nothing like homemade bread. Happy New Year!
I’ve made all of the no knead breads out there and they’re all delish, but this looks too easy! I’ll tell you heating and handling that 500 degree dutch oven is tricky lol! I can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe is terrific. I followed it to the letter and used the baking tips ( thanks for that) and the bread turned out as promised. I went so far as to buy 2 Pyrex bowls on Amazon to ensure everything turned out well.
Diane — wonderful to hear this! Do you happen to have the links to the bowls you purchased? I think others would find this helpful, and I could add it to the post. No worries if you don’t get this. Have a Happy New Year!
Found you on pinterest. The bread turned out really good! Mine is very light and fluffy. I used one pyrex bowl and one pyrex loaf pan. Worked great. Thanks!
Heather — So happy to hear this!
How fun!!! Was super easy to put together! During the second rise I sprinkled some crushed rosemary on the top of one and left the other as the recipe says. Smell so good in the oven right now!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Cris — So happy to hear this! I love the idea of crushed rosemary. One of my favorite loaves is the rosemary semolina bread recipe from Macrinas Bakery: https://alexandracooks.com/2012/02/10/rosemary-semolina-bread-with-sea-salt-from-seattles-macrina-bakery/
I am in love with this bread and have two in the oven as we speak! I do have a quick question though…could you all take a moment and comment on various bowls/pans and baking times? I have been having difficulty finding translucent Pyrex bowls in 1 or 1.5 L. Will the time vary, or baking suffer if I use a different bowl/pan? I was hesitant to buy the opaque Pyrex I have been finding. Any info you can share would be most appreciated. Best wishes. -V
Oh! And anyone have any success freezing it? 🙂
Victoria V — The Pyrex bowls are tricky to find without buying a set of three. I’ve purchased the kind I like (the pyrex 322 1L (1qt)) on ebay — kind of ridiculous, I know — and this looks like the right size too: https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Prepware-1-Quart-Rimmed-Mixing/dp/B0008155D8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356705282&sr=8-1&keywords=1+quart+pyrex+bowl but it seems kind of expensive for one bowl. As for times, if you use a metal loaf pan (which holds about 3/4 of the whole dough recipe), the total time should be about the same: 32 to 35 minutes. If you bake the loaf in smaller pans (ramekins or muffin tins), it will take less time — at least 20 minutes, but probably not much longer.
For freezing: If you want the bread on hand for toast and sandwiches, I would let the loaves cool, then slice them into appropriate slices, then wrap about 6 slices together in plastic wrap, then tuck these wrapped bundles into a ziplock bag. If you want to freeze bread for dinner, I would just cut the bread in half or in quarters, wrap them up in plastic wrap, and again stick them in ziplock bags. Hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else!
Made this bread last night. Loved it! My son is home on leave from Marines. Heading to Virginia in a couple of days for more training. Loved that connection as well.
Oh Lee Ann — wonderful to hear this! We are in VA, too, and my husband is stationed at Quantico. If your son needs anything (not sure at what stage he is in his training), please don’t hesitate to email me. We are close to base. Happy New Year. Enjoy your son!
1st try didnt work made yesterday better but today cut bread is moldy ???? Today mixed up oatmeal bread so dry had to add more water checked recipe over & over 3cups of water 6 cups of flour + oatmeal is it meant to be so dry ???? Thanks hope it still works
I love making bread. When I saw this recipe I couldn’t believe how easy it sounded. I made it today. I followed your directions to a tee. It turned out great. You gave really good instructions and the warnings about it being wet were needed. I would have thought something was wrong without the warning. Love this. Thanks for sharing
I tried making it last night and had issues with the second rise. The dough still hadn’t risen even after sitting out overnight. I think the water may not have been quite the right temp and may have killed the yeast.
Made this today. Amazing. Took just under 3 hours, start to finish, using all the tips and tricks in the recipe. I’m hoping my son and I have enough will-power to save some for my husband to try when he’s home in a few hours. If not, I’ll have to make more.
I halved the recipe–used the 3-piece Pyrex set: the largest bowl for mixing, the middle bowl for the first rise (using the oven method), and the smallest bowl to actually butter and bake in. Turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
RDS — so happy to hear that you gave the recipe a second chance! And that it turned out well second time around! It’s so good when it turns out well. Happy 2013!
One hint, bread dough will NOT stick to an all cotton towel! Use all cotton and your bread will simply roll off the towel. Have been baking bread for 40+ years, never heard of this particular recipe! Thank you!
Made this today. EZ, delicious, everyone loved it and you’re directions are right on.
Sandra D — So happy to hear this!
Made this last week, following the recipe exactly and it was perfect!! Even used some for a breakfast casserole on Christmas morning! Tried another batch tonight and decided to be a little more outgoing and used a combo of rye, AP and bread flour. Also used salted butter for the bowls instead of unsalted. Didn’t have such stellar results 🙁 (Basically it wasn’t well baked all the way through and it stuck to the bowls pretty tightly despite the butter). Not sure if it’s the rye flour or the salted butter, though I’d suspect the flour. Oh well, it’s baked enough to be edible 😉 Thanks for the recipe!! I’ll be a little less adventurous next time!
Jessica — bummer about the experiment, but I’m glad the original recipe worked out for you. I love the idea of adding rye flour here — my mother made us some delicious rye bread when we were home for the holidays. Maybe try using one cup rye and 3 cups bread or all-purpose?
Love, love, love this recipe! Found it about a month ago and make it at least once a week now. I bake the bread in my metal pots as I don’t have oven proof bowls and it turns out fantastic!
Easy cooking!
Michelle — wonderful to hear this!
I made this today and it was very good! I was a little disappointed that it didn’t rise quite like your photo, but think the next batch will be better!
Served with my first batch of homemade butter and it made a HUGE difference!!
Cindy — out of curiosity, what size bowl are you using to bake the loaves in? That might be the culprit as far as rising trouble goes.
I tried making this last night, and the bread just wouldn’t rise enough. it got about 1″ from the top of the pan and stopped, so i stuck it in the oven and it came out even flatter than before. We did use white wheat instead of bleached, but I don’t have any bleached flour. Any suggestions? I wasn’t sure why it did that! Let me know if you have any tips! Thanks. P.S. it was really dense too!
Stephanie– what size Pyrex bowl were you using? And what type of flour and yeast? Did you follow the recipe or make some changes? Let me know, and I’ll try to get to the bottom of it.
Just took this out of the oven, looks and smells wonderful. If it tastes as good as it looks it will be a favourite for sure. Very eas;y to make
Fabulous, absolutely fabulous. This will be a staple recipe.
KAra and Debbie — so happy to hear this! Nothing makes me happier than reading that this recipe worked out for people. It’s such a good one.
FYI, I buy the same Red Star yeast, same size package at Costco for $3 and change.
Ellen — great tip, thanks! My mother has been telling me to join Costco for years.
Thank you for this recipe. My loaves just came out of the over a little bit ago — they’re fantastic!
Trying this on New Year’s Day 🙂 both loaves in the oven right now. Used the oven trick for 1st rise & it was great, doubled in size in 1.5hrs. Got worried on the 2nd rise bc it wasn’t going up much after 20mins so used the oven trick again & left it in for 15mins. Looks ok as its baking. Used 1 Pyrex bowl & a loaf tin. i have only 1pyrex bowl but was greedy so didn’t half the recipe 😛 hope both loaves comes out good. Thanks so much for sharing!
Chrissy — I hope the loaves turned out well! Out of curiosity, what size was your pyrex? I have a feeling that is what is giving people trouble on the second rise. Happy New Year!
The title of this recipe is spot on except you forgot delicious! I made this a week or so ago. I should have known better than to slice it up just before dinner- we wound up eating both loaves for dinner with lots of Kerrygold butter. No complaints from anyone! LOL It is so easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Amanda — so great to hear this! Thanks for the note on the instant yeast, too — I should add a note to the recipe about that. And i don’t think it gets much better than homemade bread and kerrygold butter. Yum!
I forgot to mention that I substituted instant yeast from my freezer for the instant dry yeast. Didn’t need to proof it- just threw it all together. So easy!!! 🙂
I love this baking method! I haven’t tried the bread recipe itself since I have a favorite no-knead recipe but using that bread with this baking turns out spectacular!!!
I’m a huge fan of no knead breads. I’ve been making them for years and couldn’t wait to try yours. It is on it’s second rise now and looks fantastic. Just a note, when scooping the dough out of the bowl after the first rise get your hands really wet and forget about utensils. The dough won’t stick to really wet hands. I’ll let you know how it comes out. Thanks for the recipe!
The bread came out perfectly. Bravo!
Jill — thank you for the wet-hands tip and I am so happy to hear the bread turned out well!
I’ve been reading the comments for the last few days now and have seen where people have been having truoble. I made this last night after sitting on the recipe for a few weeks and wanted to share my fantastic results. I’ve always wanted to attempt homemade bread but it scares me. I decided to finally give it a go and did every step exactly as instructed. The warm oven trick for letting it rise worked great! My bread turned out wonderful and my family couldn’t get enough of it. I let it rise in a 4 qt pyrex then baked in two 1 qt pyrex bowls. I slathered my rising bowl with olive oil and the forks I used to beat it and break it apart and didn’t have any trouble with the dough being sticky or too wet to manage. I used gold metal unbleached AP, mccormick kosher salt and red star yeast- didn’t have any problems. I also did your lukewarm water method. This was so easy, we had fresh bread in a matter of hours!! Thank you for sharing this amazing bread! And thank you for all your helpful tips.
Wendy — you are so welcome! I am so happy to read all of this. Thank you. Happy 2013!
Just made this. Easy and fabulous!!!! I’ve made loads of bread in my time, but this? Awesome!!!
Rebecca — wonderful to hear this!