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.
6,395 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
This is truly an amazing recipe. The texture of the bread is moist and stretchy and the crust is so light and crunchy. I can’t believe the quality for the small amount of effort that goes into this bread. I honestly don’t know why anyone would bother with any of the other involved recipes. People think I did something really special every time I make it.
So great to hear this, Diane! I know, people think you are some sort of magician when you present this bread to them.
My grandson and I made
This Today as part of his homeschool lesson on volume and measurements; as well as reading.
He read the recipe and completed
His reading
Homework synopsis!
He is reluctant to read “books”,
But often suggests we bake and he offers to read the recipe. A win-win!
Thank you for this!
Oh Yay! I love this, Trudy! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. My kids love helping me make this bread 🙂
I love this recipe and have used it so many times. I have a kind of random question, what do you use to clean the bowl and utensils used when washing up? The dough is so gooey that everytime I clean up I spend an additional 15 minutes trying to get the bits off the sponge and out of the drain sieve. Any ideas?
Such a good question Erin! OK, if you have a faucet with a spray nozzle, I always try to remove as much dough as possible with that first; then I use my hands (as opposed to a sponge) to remove the rest of the gunk. If you have space in your dishwasher, you can also simply place the entire mixing bowl right into the dishwasher. I do this often.
Thank you! I will try that next time. 🙂
I learned long ago that anything with flour in it is easier to clean if you start with cold water.
Great tip, Nancy!
Love this! Truly super easy. I use the Everything Bagel seasoning. I am going to try focacia today.
Wonderful to hear this, Sue!
This bread was so easy, and turned out great on first try. I didn’t have the exact size of bowls but it worked just the same. Will certainly make this again.Your videos are great, easy to focus on what to do to have a successful bake.
Great to hear this, Beth! Thanks so much for writing.
Wow! I am not a baker by any means. But I made this last night and it came out perfect.
Wonderful to hear this, Anne!
I halved this recipe as I bake for just me. The dough is not in the least sticky. It is quieter stuff. Waiting to see if it will rise. Is there something I missed?
Hi Ess! Sorry for the delay here! Did you use a scale to measure?
Made this today to have with supper. It turned out perfect. Luckily I have two of the right kind of bowls in the same size and was able to make two matching breads. This was airy and light with a slightly chewy crust. An awesome small loaf of peasant bread. The dough is quite wet and you need to be careful getting it into the bowls for the second rise but I followed the directions and manhandled that goop right into the bowl. It rose well and cooking time was spot on for my oven. Mother in law got the other loaf and was thrilled. Might make another couple next week since it was pretty easy.
So great to hear this, J! And how nice to gift a loaf to your mother-in-law. The gift of homemade bread is the best gift of all 🙂 🙂 🙂
I have been making this bread every day for the past 3 months! It is fabulous and my husband and son eat the bread with every meal. I have now expanded to baking the peasant bread for my neighbors and friends. Because of health reasons and the COVID pandemic, my friends and neighbors come to my house whenever I tell them I made a fresh loaf of peasant bread and they pick it up on the front porch. I don’t even see them. They send text messages raving how great this bread is. This bread has helped me keep in touch with my friends. Thank you so much.
I just received a holiday gift of asiago cheese. How would I incorporate this into your recipe? How much cheese would you use. Look forward to hearing from you.
So wonderful to hear this, Sharon! I would use as much as 2 cups of cheese. There is a cheddar-parmesan variation of the peasant bread in my cookbook, and I use 2 cups of cheese total in that variation.
I make this bread all the time. We love it, so simple and easy…
Great to hear, Joan 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is my go to bread recipe. Love it and have made it many, many times. I could almost start a store just making this bread, so many people ask me to make it for them after I have gifted it to them. I always make the 2 loaves (& gift one) but would like to try to make just 1 loaf. My bowl choices are 1.5L & 2.5L – is it better to go with the smaller or the bigger? I don’t have one that is exactly 2L. (Anchor Hocking bowls)
So great to hear this, Peggy! I would use the 2.5 L bowl. I worry the 1.5 L won’t be quite big enough. Happy happy baking! Thanks for writing 🙂
I used the 2.5L and it turned out perfect!! I meant to take a picture but forgot, I’ll take one next time to post. Love this bread so much, having it with Italian Cupboard Soup tonight. Yum!
So great to hear this, Peggy! Nothing better than Soup + Bread this time of year.
I’ve been baking this bread for a while but I realize I am doing it wrong. I haven’t been dividing the dough into two portions, instead I put all of it into a round Le Creuset pot, with the sides and bottom well-buttered. Then bake as you recommend. It turns out fabulous every time, but I wonder if it could be better if I followed the recipe as written. I would be grateful to know your thoughts.
Hi Claire! I would just keep doing what you’re doing! The two bowls will give you two smaller loaves, but the flavor will be nearly identical, so if you are getting good results with the Le Creuset pot, just stick with it 🙂
Dear Ali, I have tried your recipe multiple times now (high attitude version) and the results have been amazing, thank you very much!!
I have a question: could I add nuts /dried fruits to this recipe? And if so, when would you recommend to do so?
All the best,
MdA
Hi! Wonderful to hear this is working at high altitude for you! Yes, you can add nuts, dried fruits, cheese, etc. Add them to the bowl with the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast, and toss to coat. You can use 1 to 1.5 cups. I have a number of variations with seeds, nuts, and cheese in my book. One of my favorites is the cranberry-walnut dinner rolls … baked in a muffin tin like these! Happy Happy Holidays to you!
Hi Ali, I love this recipe ! SO easy
I made the everything bagel and I softened half a bulb of garlic in the microwave for the other. I made these for our family get together ( before covid ). Everyone loved it. We have an old girls pj party after Christmas and I’ll be bringing it. I’d like to try bacon or olive, also is there a sweet version ? I’m afraid sugar or honey may change the balance.
Hi Rose! So nice to hear this! I love the everything bagel version so much. Regarding a sweet versions, this brioche recipe is a sweet variation as is this panettone. And you can find lots of others in my book! Happy Baking!
This bread is delicious and so easy to make. The cookbook Toast, Bread and Crumbs has many variations of this simple bread with great recipes matching the bread to salads, soups and all sorts of yummy things. Also, grilled cheese with bacon jam will knock you over.
So nice to hear this, Christine 🙂 🙂 🙂 THanks so much for writing.
Seeing this recipe makes two bowls is it possible to freeze one, maybe after the first rise? Then thaw and allow to rise and bake? There is just two of us and while I’m sure we could easily eat both, we are supposed to be losing weight. Carbs are our downfall.
Yes, absolutely! Once you place the dough in the greased bowl, transfer it to the freezer — I would stick it in a ziplock or other airtight bag.
Great simple and yummy receipt. We have made it several times. Even my husband likes to make it. Will try some variants someday. Thanks for sharing.
So nice to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi,
I’m really excited to try this recipe. Since it is just my husband and I, I am curious about baking just one loaf at a time. I have read many of the comments and have seen that the dough can be frozen but I wonder if it could also be kept in the refrigerator for several days rather than freezing. I have made the bread dough from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois which I could store in the fridge for several days before baking. Could I do that with your recipe? Thank you!
Hi Lisa,
I have kept the dough in the fridge for about 48 hours with success. You can also make half a recipe if you are looking to make just one loaf.
Love this recipe
Great to hear, Jude!
Oh my lord……I made this bread yesterday, I was so excited to try this new recipe, baking in pyrex bowls? {I had never heard of that,} they looked so beautiful after their second rise……. my oven quit just as I was getting ready to put it in, luckily my dear friend was here visiting, so we wrapped the two babies in huge warmed towels, called her husband to preheat the oven, and we ever so carefully drove them to her house about two miles down the road, and ever so carefully unwrapped them and put them in the oven. Well, I must tell you, I am a bread lover, I grew up on homemade bread, my Mom baked bread about every other day for six kids and a hungry hard-working Norwegian husband. Well Ali……..that was some of the most scrumptious bread I have eaten, It was so simple and so pretty. we had one of the loaves fresh from the oven with her special Christmas stew and I brought the second home, I have eaten most of it. YUM. Thank you for the easy to follow directions. My Mom and your Mom would be proud of you. Thank you again. Judy Herrewig
Oh my goodness, Judy! This is the most amazing story 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to write and share it. I have heard lots of peasant bread stories over the years, including traveling with unbaked dough to parties so that fresh bread can be baked on premises, but this one trumps all of them 🙂
Hi, Ali, I’ve been talking about you lately, as in, “I learned this technique from Ali,” or, “This is another of Ali’s recipes.” Apparently it’s been enough that my husband walked into the kitchen earlier and said, “So, what are you and Ali cooking up?” And, as a matter of fact, it was yet another batch of your peerless peasant bread. Everyone loves it.
Quick question: I was thinking of trying 50% whole wheat next time I make this. I believe I read somewhere (can’t remember where?) that replacing a tablespoon of the whole wheat flour with vital wheat gluten can be helpful to the rise. Do you ever use gluten, and why or why not? Thanks so much, Ali, for your fantastic blog, which is helping me be in My Happy Place, as you put it, when I’m in the kitchen. Wishing you and yours a happy new year.
Oh my goodness, Launa, I love this so much 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing and sharing this… means a lot.
OK, regarding your question, I have successfully used 50% whole wheat flour (KAF white whole wheat flour) in this loaf (photo at the bottom of this post), and I did not use nor have I ever used vital wheat gluten. BUT! That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. I think I’ve never found a reason to use vital wheat gluten and I’ve been happy with my heartier loaves without using VWG, so I just never tried it.
My thoughts are: why not try making a loaf without it and see how you like it? Then, if you are unhappy, experiment with the vital wheat gluten.
Happy New Year to you as well!
I love all your recipes! Your Mother’s Peasant Bread is my favorite and the focaccia variation is made on repeat in my house.
Do you have a recipe for same day sandwich rolls? The type of thing where we could put a burger on it or made a sandwich..
Thanks and so appreciate your hard work and talent.
Regina
Hi Regina! So nice to hear this! This is my go-to recipe for hamburger buns: The Best, Easiest No-Knead Brioche Buns. Those can be made overnight or same day. You also can simply use the peasant bread dough to make sandwich rolls: you have to use a lot of flour on a work surface bc the dough is so sticky, but it works. If you watch the video in the brioche recipe, you can use the same shaping process with this dough. Hope that helps!
Wow, you are correct! This is easy and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly this time, except for using two regular bread pans for half of the dough each. So, while they are only 2 to 3 inches tall each, the two loaves are scrumptious. Next time, I will try with part whole wheat flour, and possibly bake 3/4 of the dough in one pan and the rest as rolls, as you suggested.. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful to hear this Catherine! Thanks so much for writing. You can also make 1.5X the recipe and use your two loaf pans for taller loaves.
I have always been a complete FAIL when it comes to yeast bread. . . until now! I tried my best to screw this up, first I forgot to add the sugar. After it had already been proofing for 30 minutes, I stirred in the sugar, BUT I put in 2 TABLESPOONS instead of 2 TEASPOONS. . . . I let it rise another 30 minutes then followed the instructions to put into two 1 qt bowls and let rise another 30 minutes and baked according the recipe. It came perfect! So delicious and not too sweet. YEAH!! I DID IT! 🙂
So wonderful to hear this, Sally! It is a very forgiving recipe indeed 🙂 So glad it worked out.
I’m curious. . . I pinned this from Pinterest, but am not able to see any of the comments on the pin. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/182958803600643459/ I think that is a setting you could change and I would love to be able to read all the other comments. I was prompted by Pinterest if I made it and it let me leave a comment and I could see all the other comments until I finished mine. Now, I can’t even see my own comment on the pin. Kind of weird. LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipe!
Hi Sally! Wonderful to hear this. I just clicked on the link and tried to play around with changing settings, but there’s nothing really I can do … I’m sorry! I don’t really know how Pinterest works apart from the pinning part of it.
Delicious easy bread, great for sandwiches, and toasted with cinnamon/sugar. Made in 2 1qt. Pyrex, and also a 4qt. Staub Dutch oven(full recipe-one pot). Both vessels turned out great!
Wonderful to hear, Cindy! Thanks so much for writing.
My dough is never wet. Two cups of water! Have tried it 3 times . First time was great. Second and third didn’t do well. Not sure what I’m doing differently.
Hi Vicki! Are you using a scale to measure?
Love this recipe! It was super easy and everyone in the family loved it.
Great to hear, Jennifer!
Hi Alexandra: love your book and this peasant bread. I wanted to ask if there’s a recipe of this bread using only wholewheat flour. I’ve only had success making this bread using equal amounts of AP flour (2 cups or 256 g) and wholewheat flour (2 cups; 256g). Thanks.
Hi Christina! So nice to hear this. Thank you 🙂 I have made the bread with 100% white whole wheat flour (KAF), but I do find it to be a bit dense. If you are OK with the texture changing significantly, you can use 100% whole wheat flour. Many people have commented here over the years saying they do use 100% whole wheat flour and that they don’t mind the dense texture, so I think it’s all about managing expectations about the texture of the finished loaf. Hope that helps!
Hi, I made this bread today. It is the easiest and best tasting bread ever. When I was young my mom used to bake bread in a coffee can and this has the same taste, texture and crust. This is my forever bread to make and change it up with your other suggestions. I am sending this recipe to my great grandson to make with his mom. 5 stars for easy to make, taste and texture.
So nice to hear this, Linda! Thanks so much for writing. I love coffee can bread!
“Preheat a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF.”
If I use the dutch oven variation with the entire recipe, do I reduce the temperature to 375 to bake or leave the heat at 450?
I can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
Hi Andrea! We emailed, but I’m responding here too for the benefit of others:
OK: bake covered at 450ºF for 30 minutes; then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. If it looks as though it is browning too much when you uncover the pot, you can lower the temp to 400ºF for those last 15 minutes.
So, to answer your question, no you do not lower to 375ºF.
OMG, it is amazing!
Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉