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.
6,377 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Weighing your ingredients as opposed to measuring makes a far superior loaf. I also sprinkle a small amount of “everything bagel” topping in bottom of of buttered clay crock. For the top I drizzle a small amount of EVOO, small amount of bagel topping and some shredded Asiago cheese… very delicious! What doesn’t get eaten makes great toast!
A scale makes ALL the difference in the world. Thanks for writing. I love the addition of everything bagel seasoning, too. Asiago cheese sounds amazing!
This bread is amazing! (Wish I could think of a better word than amazing, but having brain fog…) I always loved baking, cakes mostly, but have gotten very interested in bread lately, especially sourdough. I have had 3 failed sourdough attempts in the last few weeks, so the success of this bread was much needed! 🙂 I used some discard of my starter that I am still nurturing diligently as I hate throwing away food. We used what was left of this bread for sandwiches last night, I used the everything bagel spice suggestion, and we ran out…my son wanted seconds…I told him there was some regular (store bought) bread and rolls in the pantry. He said, “Nah, I don’t want that bread.” Well, from him, if you couldn’t tell, he was actually complimenting me and any compliment or praise I can get from my kids (my son is 11 and my daughter 14) I WILL TAKE! 🙂 It made me so happy that he enjoyed my bread. However, I believe now I have spoiled him…no more store bought bread for that kid! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your and your mother’s wisdom! Love the bread and love your site! It is very easy to follow, inspiring and encouraging. Kudos to you! 🙂
Oh Tracey 🙂 🙂 🙂 This warmed my heart to read. Thanks so much for writing, and thank you for the kind words. I am so, so happy to hear all of this. And I can totally relate re spoiling my kids … they turn their nose at so many of my store-bought bread purchases… alas. Love the everything bagel variation as well.
This bread is amazing. My kids call it “Bowl Bread” and the ask me to make it at least twice a week. I even did a cup of whole wheat flour and it was still incredible. My family’s favorite bread recipe yet!
Yay 🙂 🙂 🙂 So nice to hear this, Meg. Thanks so much for writing.
I have been wanting to make bread for the longest time but kept putting it off due the work involved. This is super easy! I was slightly sloppy with measuring out ingredients, and found that I needed to add approximately a half cup extra of warm water to get the prescribed consistency. Also, I buttered the crust in the second stage of cooking and I ended up with a super nice crust. The whole family loved this bread! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Wonderful to hear this, Tammy! Easy and forgiving … this is why I love this bread so much. Thanks for writing.
This is a great recipe. The taste is wonderful. I have made it three times but it does not rise above the bowl like your pictures show. I am using a 1 qt pyrex bowl and when I put the bread in the oven it does not rise more than the original 1/4 inch. What could I be doing wrong?
Thank you.
Hi Sharon! Questions for you: is the first rise going OK? Second, is the second rise going OK? Are you waiting till the dough crowns the rim before placing it in the oven?
Finally, what type of flour and yeast are you using?
First rise doubled in size,,. Second rise the dough crowns the rim. I used Heckers AP flour and SAF instant yeast which I only opened a week ago.
OK, great, it sounds as though you are doing everything right. Heckers, from what I can tell, is a high-protein flour, which is great. When people have trouble with oven spring, I often suggest picking up a bag of bread flour, which often will do the trick — KAF bread flour is slightly higher in protein than Heckers, which might make a difference. Once you make it through your bag of Heckers, consider trying KAF (or other brand) bread flour … it might make a difference.
I’m really a little stumped here. Two more questions: Does your oven run cool? If so, you could set it to 450ºF so that when you stick the loaves in they get a real blast of hot air, which might help them spring more. Are you using a scale to measure?
A husband request: is there a rye bread version of this? Any tips on rye flour to all purpose ratio? Would it change the baking times? Thank you so much for all your posts. I’m a huge fan of your minimalist and super clear videos. I talk about your recipes so much, my husband says I’m “fan-girling” 🙄
Hi Caroline! There is a rye variation in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs! But essentially, these are the proportions: 1 cup (128 g) rye flour, 3 cups (384 g) ap or bread flour, 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, 2 teaspoons (10 g) salt, 1 tablespoon honey or molasses, and 4 cups (455 g) water. Thank you for the kind words! Means a lot.
Love this the bread was excellent!Thank You
Wonderful to hear this, Lynn! Thanks for writing.
Delicious! So easy! Twice a week treat for my family!
Wonderful to hear this, Anne Marie! Thanks for writing.
Wow-wow-wow. I tried it from a half of the ingredients…. It’s absolutely perfect. My kids love it I love it and there is no leftover for my later coming husband…. Thank you so much for this recipe. Definitely the best one!!!
Yay! So nice to hear this, Olli. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is the most incredible bread recipe ever!!!! It brings back so many memories. The variations are amazing. Bread has always been my drug of choice so now I am totally hooked up.
So nice to hear this JP! Bread is my drug of choice as well 🙂 🙂 🙂
AMAZING. So easy. So tasty.
Zander!!! So nice to see your name here 🙂 🙂 🙂 Hope you are well Cousin. xoxoxoxo
Love it to death! Thank you
Great to hear Carolyn!
Omg this bread was easy and absolutely delicious!!! Thank you so very much!!!
I do have a question I didn’t see in the comments. Can I make the dough the day before and cook it the next night?
Again, thank you so much for sharing!!!
So nice to hear this, Darby! And yes, you can. Mix the dough, cover the bowl, and immediately stick it in the fridge. The following day, proceed with the recipe. Keep in mind because the dough will be cold, the second rise may take quite a bit longer, so just be patient.
I have been making this recipe for years, but recently have stopped eating wheat flour. I switched to spelt flour, which tends to make a drier loaf. I searched for a spelt bread recipe on your site, but no luck. I decided to try your peasant bread recipe using 100% light spelt flour. It works beautifully! It doesn’t rise into the classic domed sandwich bread loaf, but it did rise above the lip of the loaf pan, so I consider that a victory. The moistness of the loaf is absolutely perfect. Thank you (and your mother) for making bread easy!
Kathy! So wonderful to hear this. I can’t wait to give this a try. I will pass along your comment to my mother as well … it will make her happy. Thanks so much for writing!
The bread was amazingly delicious!! I didn’t have the correct size of bowls, but will purchase.
Husband and I could not stop eating it. I didn’t think it would be as easy as your wonderful video, but incredibly it was! I don’t know why I am so amazed, because after trying about 4 bagel recipes, yours is the one I use consistently- works every time!
Oh, Sara, yay! So nice to hear this. And yay for bagels, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve been searching this recipe regularly over the years. I love this bread and I always come back for it. A couple of days ago I bumped into what seems your stolen recipe here https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread while searching. While I saw a comment deep down mentioning you, the article itself lacked any mentions at all. Peace!
Have you tested out this recipe with a non-butter alternative? If so, how did it work out?
Yes! Vegan buttery sticks work great. You can also use coconut oil (not melted, but in solid form).
Like you said, best ever bread recipe! I love impressing my dinner guests. Thank you!
So nice to hear this, Joan!
Hi.
Im a big fan of your recipes! Especially this Peasant bread. I’ve made it MANY times for my family. Has become my goto weekly bread recipe.
I want to try making ciabatta now. But as I researched several ciabatta recipes online, I think it is VERY similar to this peasant bread, is it not?
The only main difference is that your Peasant Bread is baked in a bowl instead of spread out flat like Ciabatta.
If so, then, can I just use this same recipe for Ciabatta?
btw Ive been experimenting this Peasant bread with different ratios of WholeWheat and Rye. Still on going…. tasty and fun.
Hi Errick! So nice to hear all of this!
I, too, want to make ciabatta and it is high on my list of recipes to try to perfect. I imagine the dough is very similar to the peasant bread, but I imagine you’ll have to cut back the water a little bit, because you’ll need to shape dough into free-form loaves. You may also need a little cornmeal to sprinkle on the sheet pan for baking.
If I make any ciabatta discoveries soon, I’ll be sure to check back.
I have made this bread so many times and it’s been life changing! Seriously. I put a bowl on the scale, and zero it out between ingredient additions. Today I was distracted and just dumped in ‘around’ 2 cups of water instead of the specific gram amount, and got concerned –was it more, was it less? I had no idea. So I got a different bowl, zeroed out the scale and measured the dough into it. Did some math, it seemed like I needed about 30 grams more water. So I added it and the dough looks wetter than usual. Oh well! I guess I’ll be surprised in a couple of hours. I have a feeling it’s going to be ok 🙂
So nice to hear this, Lisa! I love how quick and forgiving this recipe is too! Hope the bread turned out OK!
I made your loaf today and I am so glad I did! Tender and a bit sweetish. I bought your book so now I want to make lots of variations with addins that are in your recipes and changing pans. I have adored your sourdough focaccia bread as well, my favorite. I was disappointed at first that your book did not have sourdough recipes but yeast bread is so different yet wonderful. More fun to be had right?!
Ty Alexandra
So nice to hear all of this Wiske! And yes, yeast bread is different than sourdough, but delicious in its own way … and so much less fussy. I love knowing that I can whisk up this dough and have it on the table three hours later. Happy Baking!
Thank you so much for this recipe (my gateway to making bread) and your wonderful book. Thanks to you, I am no longer afraid of working with yeast dough and am now confidently baking all kinds of bread, pizza and brioche buns every week! You are my culinary hero.
Awww Olga, this means the world. Thank you so much for writing. I am so, so happy to hear all of this 💕💕💕💕💕💕
Can I use a 2.5 Pyrex for the entire loaf?
Hi Sara! Yes. I’m assuming that 2.5 quarts or liters, right? Just be sure to bake it longer … I’d give it at least 10 extra minutes.
I have a question about this recipe: why is the baking temperature relatively low? (At least, compared to other bread recipes I’ve seen.) I’ve made this recipe a couple of times with some success, tho the center of the loaf sometimes comes out a little bit damp, and I was wondering if the temperature had anything to do with it. I also don’t have the little pyrex bowls and I bake the dough in a bigger container, maybe that’s why? (I measure the flour with a scale, so I don’t think I’m messing up the flour/water ratio)
Hi Josephine,
How long are you baking the entire batch of dough for? And are you happy with the color of the exterior of the dough? Every oven is different, so you may have better luck with baking either at a higher temperature initially or keeping it at 425ºF for more than 15 minutes.
I made this yesterday in regular loaf pan with 1.5 pounds of dough (I’m using it for the Thanksgiving dressing recipe) and the rest in a mini pan. It came out great! I don’t have any oven safe glass bowls, so next time I will bake it in my Dutch Oven. Also wondered what you thought about using souffle dishes – I have two that never get used.
Thank you – I really enjoy receiving your emails.
Great to hear this, Judith! Apologies for the delay here. And yes re souffle dishes! They work great. I also love the flat-bottomed loaf that emerges from those dishes. Happy Baking!
I am obsessed with this bread! I’ve made it several times, and it is absolutely delicious!
Wonderful to hear this Amber! Thanks for writing!
I have been making your recipe for many years and it’s my all time favorite to make for my family as well as gifting this delicious bread to my friends and neighbors. Thank you for sharing your treasure with the world!!
I have one quick question, have you ever baked four bowls at the same time? Are the times the same? I have eight kids, plus a really big male kid😉, and two loaves disappear as soon as they come out of the oven.
Have a wonderful day!
Oh my goodness, Deena you are a saint! What fun your household must be. Yes, I have cooked as many as 12 at one time … there is a photo on this post.
You may find you need to bake them longer or rearrange them to ensure they cook properly, but since you’ve made the recipe now a few times, you know what to look for. Happy holidays and happy baking!
Delicious! Our Thanksgiving dressing was outstanding because I used this recipe for the main ingredient. I made 3/4 of the recipe (scale needed) baked in a glass Pyrex 9×5 loaf pan @ 375 F for 45 minutes as you instructed. In the past, the warm oven technique hasn’t worked reliably for me. I bought a Brod&Taylor proofing box which creates the perfect warm moist environment for the autolyze and proofing steps. I used all purpose flour and will try bread flour next time to see if there’s a difference in the crumb. Thank you.
So nice to hear this, Jane! Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I’ve heard great things about that proofing box!
Hi. Thanks so much for a greatly detailed recipe. When I look at my KA Bread Flour, it says that there is 30 g in 1/4 cup, so the weight measurement in grams is a little less than yours. Do you know why this might be and which measurement I should go off? Thank you!
Hi Dani! Yes, everyone has a different standard for what 1 cup of flour weighs. I go by: 128 g = 1 cup flour, so use the weights in the recipe I provide here. When you use a KAF recipe, use their weights.
Hi! Thanks for the reply. So just to confirm, if I am using KA flour, I should use the flour measurements you have listed in this recipe? Thanks again.
Yes, exactly, use my measurements 🙂
Making bread today. Want to do one in Dutch oven and then two in 1 qt bowls. Can I cook at same time ? And what temp and how long
Hi Maura! So sorry for the delay here. The answer is yes! You just have to keep an eye on the bread when you load up the oven. Keep the times and the temperature the same; you may need to rearrange the bowls/DO to ensure each is cooking evenly. You also may need to leave the DO in longer to ensure the loaf cooks through. Finally, you may not need to lower the temperature from 425ºF to 375ºF due to the packed oven, but again, just keep an eye on it.
What did you end up doing??