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.
6,405 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
First time making bread, and your recipe was perfect! Thank you. It”s delicious.
Yay 🙂 🙂 🙂 Makes me happy Anne 😍😍😍
Everywhere around me is totally sold out of flour! I was able to snag the last two bags of white wheat. Could I make this recipe with only white wheat flour?
Hi Jessie, what brand is it? I have made the peasant bread and English Muffins with KAF’s white wheat flour. See this post: English Muffins
It is the KAF white wheat. I don’t have any regular flour to do half and half. Would it work out okay with all white wheat for the peasant bread?
I think it’s worth a shot. Be prepared for it to be a little bit denser than the photos you see. There is not much you can do about this. Let me know how it goes!
Hi! I really want to make this bread but the only Pyrex I have are pie dishes. Is there any way I could adjust recipe to make the bread in two pie dishes? Thanks in advance!
Hi Chloe, I think you can definitely use 2 pie plates. Are you open to making more of a focaccia style bread? Check you this post in which I use two pie plates to bake the focaccia rounds. The dough is essentially the same as this one but without the sugar: Overnight Refrigerator Focaccia.
I was attempting to make bread for the first time and I’ve messed up already! I accidentally let my oven get to 350 degrees and put my bowl of dough in. I just realized this after 30 minutes. Should I toss out the dough and start over?
Ugh, Aisha, I’m sorry 😩 Yes, I don’t think there’s any saving it. I’m sorry.
Hi Ali, I’ve cooked a lot of bread in my lifetime and nothing has worked, most come out so dense and heavy. I came across your recipe and said ok one last time!! Not only was it the easiest most simplest recipe to follow but boy did it turn out amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe I’ll be using it all the time now. Happy baker right here!
Oh yay! Betty 🙂 🙂 🙂 I am so, so happy to hear this. 😍😍😍😍
This bread is incredible! I’m making my second batch of it. After the first rise do you think I could put one of the bowls in the fridge for the 2nd rise and bake on a different day? Or what would be the best way to bake the loaves on separate days?
So happy to hear this, Alie! You can definitely store one half of the dough in the fridge, but I would put it in a larger air tight container as opposed to the bowl, which it might spill out of in the fridge. Use a container (or bowl) that’s at least double the size of the dough … you’d be surprised by how much the dough grows in the fridge. I would coat the dough with a thin layer of oil, too, to prevent it from drying out. When you are ready to bake, transfer the dough to the buttered bowl and let it rise at room temperature. It might take an hour (or more or less) for the dough to rise because it will be cold.
How many days can I leave the (oil-coated, unbaked) second half in the refrigerator before I simply have to bake it? It takes me about a week to go through one loaf of bread. Can it wait that long?
Hi Barbara, The dough can stay in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking.
If you store in the fridge is the fridge rise the first rise? or do you do the first rise, do the fridge rise, & 3rd rise in the bowl?
You can do it various ways:
1. You can mix the dough as written, and immediately stick the bowl in the fridge. The dough will rise in the fridge overnight (or for as long as 2 days), so this will be the first rise. Then, transfer the dough to the buttered bowls, and let it rise at room temperature — this will be the second rise.
2. You can let the dough rise at room temperature or in a warm spot, deflate it and transfer to the fridge. If you want to keep it in the fridge for a day or two, be sure to coat the bread in oil and, if possible, store in an airtight vessel to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out. Also be sure your vessel is large enough to allow for doubling. The dough will rise again in the fridge, but when you remove it, you’ll deflate it again, then transfer it to the buttered bowls. This last rise (in essence a third rise) will take place at room temp.
Hope this makes sense! Let me know if you need clarification!
Help! I have been baking this bread nearly weekly for years and love the book as well. For the first time ever the dough is weird. It isn’t dry but mealy. It sort of falls apart and isn’t sticky. The batch is 1.5 so I don’t want to lose it, especially since I can’t just run out an buy more flour right now. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Andi … so bizarre! Any other changes? The type of flour? What did you end up doing?
I was very excited to try this, but I was not really happy with the results. My husband liked it but it came out smelling and tasty very yeasty. I must have done something wrong. I did have to add some extra water as my dough looked very shaggy…not at all like yours. The first rise seemed to go well. I use the forks to separate the dough into the buttered bowls, but the bread took a long time to rise. I eventually put it in the oven after an hour.
They came out much flatter than yours, but otherwise looked good…just the yeasty taste was off-putting. Will try again, but would like to figure out what went wrong. Help and thanks.
Hi Dyan,
A few questions: are you using a scale to measure the flour? How long was the first rise? What kind of yeast are you using, and is it fresh?
I did not use a scale. I let it rise for an hour and it looked good. I used the the SAF yeast which I purchased in February and have kept in the frig. The second rise took a good hour and was not very impressive. The bread came out very yeasty smelling and tasting.🙁
OK, a scale will make all the difference in ensuring the proportions are accurate, but that aside, I would set a timer and let the first rise go 2 hours. Split the dough transfer to the bowls, and let the second rise go for as long as necessary … be patient and wait for the dough to crown the rim of the bowls or to at least approach the rim of the bowls. Question: What size bowls are you using? And for the first rise, are you letting it rise in a warm-ish spot?
All went well until second rise – no action. I gave up, baked, ended up with overly dense loaves. I will give it one more shot. Then it’s back to making my trusty kneaded loaves using my Kitchen Aid.
Strange! How did the first rise go? Did you do the warm oven trick? And if so, the oven wasn’t too warm, was it?
Make this constantly my family loves it!
Can this recipe be cut in half to make only one loaf? Will it still work or will times need to be adjusted?
Yes, it can! No modifications are necessary.
Can I use a metal mixing bowl for this? I don’t have any glass bowls that’s oven-safe.
Great first experience. Have not made bread for 50 years as I do not have a very good working relationship with yeast, but this was fun. How do you suggest we store this bread as it is very greasy due to butter and I do not want it to get soggy? Thank you
Hi Nancy! So happy to hear this 🙂
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 reusable/environmentally friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would stick the ziplock bag in the freezer, and pull out slices or hunks as you wish. 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
Yes, just be sure to butter them very very well 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi! If I want to make this adding fresh rosemary on the inside of the loaf of bread, would I add it while mixing water or after rise? Thank you
You can add it when you mix the dry ingredients together. Yum!
I made this bread several times a few years ago & we LOVED it! With everyone being home now, I thought about it and then started looking for it… Its been WEEKS searching and I cannot tell you how HAPPY finding it makes me! I am teaching my grandkids how to make it 🙂
Oh yay 🙂 🙂 🙂 So happy to hear all of this, Viki.
My first try at this bread and I couldn’t have been any happier, especially because the Covid 19 has me needing to make bread, since I can’t go out to the store. I am in the above, way above, the 70 category. It was as easy as pie, well actually easier, and so worth making again and again. Thank your mom for sharing this recipe!
So happy to hear this, Marijke! It’s totally easier than pie 😍😍😍 Thanks for writing.
I used your recipe a couple of years ago with great success!! I can’t bake to save my life, but your recipe turned out amazing and scrumptious bread. Now with us home I would like to come back to it. How can i add feta cheese and/or olives to get feta cheese and/or olive bread? Thank you!
Hi Perry! You can add the feta and olives into the dry ingredients. Keep in mind, the add-ins may cause the dough to rise a little more slowly, so just be patient … 2 hours at least for the first rise.
I wanted to add a picture! I love baking bread but I’m now living in a travel trailer. Of course I looked for easy recipes and this one is. I’m quite impressed. First I made a half recipe because it’s just me. And wow, the dough is wet! But it’s it turned out beautifully ! I’m looking forward to eating it.
I’m so happy to hear this, Annie!
I just read the comment I wrote. It showed 2 stars. I didn’t realize I was leaving a rate. I would have given it 5 stars. Love this bread!
Thanks so much, Hope! I’ll delete the 2-star comment. And I’ll add notes to the recipe about storing the bread. So glad you liked this one!
I don’t know when I first discovered this recipe, but I come back to it year after year after year. Recently some folks were moving and offered a heap of Pyrex bowls for free, in several sizes! I scooped them up for bread making. I made three loaves last night, including one mini loaf. They’re all fantastic. I can’t wait for the virus to be eliminated so I can share with people.
I’m so happy to hear this, Donelle!
I’ve tried several no knead recipes that weren’t bad, but not great either. Can’t wait to try this. I hate my mixing bowl set, sides are too straight, so when I was on amazon ordering the yeast, I found a set of 6 x 1-quart oven safe bowls for $25!! That’s less than the Pyrex set of 2 ($28) & way less per bowl than the Pyrex individual bowl ($17). Appear to be very close in shape, but no lip like the Pyrex. It’ll be a few days before I can bake, but I am excited to try. Since I am working from home, this is something I can start on my break, & finish off later to have fresh bread for dinner.
Lara, this is amazing!! Can you share the link? I’m so curious.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJDH9TI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They are $30 now, but still a good price for 6 bowls, select the 6 3/4 inch size.
Awesome, thank you, Lara!
I read everything I could on the Amazon listing, to make sure these bowls could withstand a 375-425° oven. THEY CANNOT! I got suspicious when the description said microwave-safe but not “oven-safe.” I found the answer in the Question section. Someone asked, and the reply was they could go up to 300°, so go ahead and try, but I’d be cautious.
Thank you for the information and the warning Barbara!
Not bad for a first try and tastes DELICIOUS, but it was less than smooth on top? How do I get a smooth outer layer??
So happy to hear this, Clare! You can wet your hands and smooth the dough before you put it in the oven, but I always serve the bread with that exposed side down … so the side touching the bowl becomes the side that is presented. Hope that makes sense.
I will try that, thanks so much! Excited to explore your page more and see what else you’ve been making! Thank you for sharing with so many!
This is my go to recipe anytime I want to make home made bread. Thank you so much for sharing, it comes out wonderful each and every time!!
So happy to hear this, Danielle!
My dough was very dry, so I immediately added a little water. It was still nothing like it was supposed to look (as on your video), but this is my first time making it so I was afraid to keep adding water. I grabbed it with my hands and mixed it that way. It’s sort of a stiff ball, and I’ve proceeded with it; it’s rising now. I think it’s going to be a disaster but I’ll follow through anyway and post again. And no, I did not weigh the flour. I think that’s the linchpin.
Me again. My bread was a failure all right. After letting it rise 2 hours it had only increased perhaps 10-15 percent in volume. I tried the 2-finger poke test (“if the dough stays poked down, it’s done rising. If it springs back, keep letting it rise) and the dough stayed poked down. So I folded it over into itself as shown in your video and then let it do its second rise, which again gained only 10-15 percent more volume. Into the oven, etc., and after cooling I cut it into slices. The bread is very dense and tastes fermenty. It’s got to be thrown away. I shall try again tomorrow. As far as I can tell, the only thing I did wrong was to not weigh the flour.
Hmmm, very strange Barbara. A scale makes a big difference. Was your dough on the wet side? Did it look like the texture in the video? What kind of yeast are you using?
I can’t seem to get it golden brown on top. Would you say I should bake it a couple more minutes at 425 or a couple more minutes at the 375? Thanks.
I would try longer at 425F: Try 20-25 minutes at 425F or until you see some browning happening; then lower the heat to 375ºF.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
I have a question. I just so happened to have the right Pyrex nesting bowl to bake the whole batch. I followed your recipe exactly. Left it in for the first full 17 minutes after turning the oven down to 375 degrees. The loaf was gorgeously brown but o car cooled for ten minutes, it was a bit doughy. I was wondering about the cooking times. Wouldn’t it be adjusted depending on what SIZE loaf you were baking? How do I avoid the doughy bits?
xo
Hi Robin! When baking the entire batch of one dough in one larger bowl, I suggest extending the baking time by about minutes. So, I would suggest: 15 minutes at 425ºF and about 30-35 minutes at 375ºF. I’m sorry about the doughy bits! I think a longer bake (and maybe a longer cooling period, too) will take care of those issues.
Hi,
Halp! The ONLY yeast I could find was a individual packet (not a pack of 3) red star instant sourdough yeast. You mention in the recipe to use the whole packet but this bad boy is 0.63 oz (18 grams.) can I still use it? Use it all? Like that Eminem song: you only get one shot! There’s no more flour or yeast after this first and only attempt. Thanks!
Hi! NOT 18 grams!! I hope I’m catching you in time. I’m referring to the smaller packets — it should be about 2.25 teaspoons or about 7 grams.
I have never heard of red star instant sourdough yeast, so I am totally intrigued. Go for it! And please report back. I’m curious if the sourdough yeast is meant to impart a sour/tangy flavor in the dough?
I love making this bread! I make it about every 3-4 days. I have a question though, if I wanted to make mini loaves in small glass bowls, would there be a difference in cooking time or temperature?
Hi Trina! Wonderful to hear this. You will likely have to decrease the cooking time just a bit. I would do: 15 minutes at 425F. Lower the temp to 375F and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes … they might need more time, but start checking after 5-10 minutes.
Hi Alexandra,
I have been baking this bread since way back in 2013. Love it.
My question: could this be made into a cinnamon raisin loaf?
Hubby loves cinnamon bread. He also requested that I make these in loaf pans. So I will try 1.5 of the recipe. But I like the Pyrex bowls better.🙂
So nice to hear this Pam! I have a cinnamon swirl variation of the recipe in my book, Bread Toast Crumbs! It can easily be adapted to add raisins. The recipe is also online over at Food52.
I’ve made this recipe two nights in a row because my boys nearly ate nearly the whole first loaf today. I used the entire dough in one 2.5 quart Pyrex bowl with same times and it came out beautifully. I tried the Everything Bagel Seasoning addition today and loved it. Any tips for knowing when the dough is done proofing the first time?
So great to hear this, Carrie! You are looking for the dough to double in volume. There should be a good amount of little bubbles on the surface of the dough, and if you are using a glass bowl and you can see the sides of the dough, there should be bubbles throughout. These days, I do my oven trick to get my oven just slightly warm, and I set the timer for 2 hours. It’s usually ready by an hour and a half, but 2 hours is what I go for now. Hope that helps!
I’m wondering if one can use a Dutch oven or any other baking vessels (loaf pans etc) With all the virus stuff happening I’m trying to not head to the store. I can’t wait to hopefully try it!
Hi Tori! Yes, you can! Please see the FAQs below the recipe 🙂
The first time I made I put way too much yeast. Also I used 1glass loaf pan and a glass round casserole dish. It turned out ok, the second rise was slow and did t get as big as your loaf in pictures. I’m trying again today and want to add other ingredients. When and can I add other ingredients? I want to add chopped olives and curry powder. Thank you this is so exciting
Hi Payton! You can add the chopped olives and curry powder into the flour mixture. Regarding the rises, they might not look quite as high as mine because you are using different size vessels that might be larger than 1 qt. Just be patient with the rises … give them time. The second rise shouldn’t take much more than 30 minutes unless your kitchen is very cold.