My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
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This is the no-knead bread recipe my mother has been baking for 45 years. Start to finish, it can be ready in three hours. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — no need to preheat a baking vessel for this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp with a soft, tender crumb. 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
When I tell you that, if forced, I had to pick one and only one recipe to share with you that this — my mother’s peasant bread — would be it, I am serious. I would almost in fact be OK ending the blog after this very post, retiring altogether from the wonderful world of food blogging, resting assured that you all had this knowledge at hand. This bread might just change your life.
The reason I say this is simple. I whole-heartedly believe that if you know how to make bread you can throw one hell of a dinner party. And the reason for this is because people go insane over homemade bread. Not once have I served this bread to company without being asked, “Did you really make this?” And questioned: “You mean with a bread machine?” But always praised: “Is there anything more special than homemade bread?”
And upon tasting homemade bread, people act as if you’re some sort of culinary magician. I would even go so far as to say that with homemade bread on the table along with a few nice cheeses and a really good salad, the main course almost becomes superfluous. If you nail it, fantastic. If you don’t, you have more than enough treats to keep people happy all night long.
The Magic of the Peasant Bread
So what, you probably are wondering, makes this bread so special when there are so many wonderful homemade bread recipes out there? Again, the answer is simple. For one, it’s a no-knead bread. I know, I know. There are two wildly popular no-knead bread recipes out there.
But unlike the others, this is a no-knead bread that can be started at 4:00 pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00 pm. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — there is no pre-heating of the baking vessels in this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp without any steam pans or water spritzes. This is not artisan bread, nor is it trying to be. It is peasant bread, spongy and moist with a most delectable buttery crust.
Genuinely, I would be proud to serve this bread at a dinner party attended by Jim Lahey, Mark Bittman, Peter Reinhart, Chad Robertson, Jeff Hertzberg, and Zoe Francois. It is a bread I hope you will all give a go, too, and then proudly serve at your next dinner party to guests who might ask where you’ve stashed away your bread machine. And when this happens, I hope you will all just smile and say, “Don’t be silly. This is just a simple peasant bread. Easy as pie. I’ll show you how to make it some day.”
Peasant Bread Variations
Once you master the peasant bread, you can make any bread your heart desires — this simple no-knead bread recipe is the foundation of many of the other bread recipes on this site, namely this hugely popular overnight refrigerator focaccia and this simple homemade pizza dough. It’s even the inspiration behind this simple pita bread recipe and these no-knead dinner rolls.
The below post is organized as follows:
- How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
- The Best Way to Store Bread
- Peasant Bread Dinner Rolls
- Peasant Bread Sandwich Bread
- How to Add Seeds and Nuts to Bread Dough
- How to Make Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
- How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
- How to use Whole Wheat Flour
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
Many more variations on the peasant bread can be found in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs:
Bread Toast Crumbs
Love the peasant bread? There’s now a book filled with 40 simple bread recipes plus 70 recipes to use up every crumb of every loaf you bake.
How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
First: You need yeast.
This is the yeast I buy exclusively: SAF Instant Yeast. Instant yeast can be whisked into the flour directly without any blooming or proofing. If you want to stick to active-dry yeast, there are instructions in the recipe notes on how to do so. Red Star yeast is great.
Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add lukewarm water.
Mix until you have a sticky dough ball. Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours…
… or until it looks like this:
Punch down the dough using two forks.
Then split the dough down the middle again using the two forks.
Because this is a very wet dough, it must be baked in an oven-proof bowl. I am partial to the Pyrex 1L 322 size, but any similarly sized oven-proof bowl will work.
Butter the bowls well; then transfer half of the dough to each prepared bow.
Let the dough rise again until it crowns the rim of the bowl, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the bowls to the oven to bake:
This bread is irresistible when it’s freshly baked, but it also makes wonderful toast on subsequent mornings as well as the best grilled cheese and sandwiches of all kinds.
The Best Way to Store Bread
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other eco-friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag. You can re-use the bags again and again.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would freeze it. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
To use the peasant bread dough to make rolls, simply divide the dough into smaller portions and place in a buttered muffin tin as in these No-Knead Thyme Dinner Rolls (pictured below). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread recipe.
No-Knead Sandwich Bread
To make sandwich bread, multiply the recipe below by 1.5 and bake the bread in two buttered 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pans. Made with half all-purpose flour and half King Arthur Sprouted Wheat Flour (no longer available unfortunately), these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured below) have a soft and light crumb.
How to Add Nuts and Seeds to Bread Dough
To add seeds and nuts (or dried fruit and cheese), simply stir them into the dry ingredients. This recipe for Quinoa-and-Flax Toasting Bread will offer guidance on how much to add.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
Making gluten-free peasant bread (pictured below) isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for wheat flour. But the process is still relatively simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread recipe to be even simpler than the original. Find the recipe here: Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
To coat the peasant bread in seeds, as pictured below, simply coat the bowls with everything bagel seasoning or with dukkah or sesame seeds or whatever seed mix you wish. The seed-coated loaves look so beautiful, and it’s amazing how much the flavor of the coating permeates the loaves. Find the recipe here: Everything Bagel Seasoning Peasant Bread
How to Use Whole Wheat Flour
To use whole wheat flour in the peasant bread, simply replace as much as 50% of the all-purpose flour with your favorite whole wheat flour: I’ve been loving the Cairnsprings Mill Trailblazer stone-milled flour. With the Trailblazer, I can use up to 75% of it in the peasant bread, and it yields a beautiful, chewy texture as well as a lovely flavor and aroma.
When using whole wheat flour, you may have to use more or less water — there is no rule as to how much more or less, and it will take some trial and error to get right because all flours absorb water differently. When I use the Trailblazer flour, for example, I reduce the water by at least 50 grams.
If you’d like to learn more about whole wheat flour and stone-milled flours, read this: Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
If you’re looking for more of a crackling crusted boule (characteristic of a loaf of sourdough bread) as opposed to the buttery crispness of the peasant bread, you can bake the peasant bread dough in a preheated Dutch oven. I love my Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven which I’ve been using for years! The Lodge is a great value at around $49, but if you like the idea of making an oblong-shaped peasant loaf, I can’t recommend the Challenger Bread Pan enough, which costs $299. The placement of the handles makes for easy removal and closure of the lid, and it creates beautiful, crusty loaves every time.
There are detailed instructions below the recipe in the notes section, but one thing to keep in mind before you begin is dough hydration. The peasant bread is a very high-hydration dough, meaning there is a lot of water relative to flour. Because baking the peasant bread in a Dutch oven will require some handling of the dough — to shape it into a round and to create some tension — you may want to reduce the water from the start. Consider holding back 20-30 grams of water to make the process more manageable for you.
My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Notes:
The bread:
This is a sticky, no-knead dough, so, some sort of baking vessel, such as pyrex bowls (you need two 1-qt bowls) or ramekins for mini loaves is required to bake this bread. See notes below the recipe for sources. You can use a bowl that is about 2 qt or 2 L in size to bake off the whole batch of dough (versus splitting the dough in half) but do not use this size for baking half of the dough — it is too big.
Peasant Bread Fans! There is a book: Bread Toast Crumbs, a loaf-to-crumb bread-baking book, filled with tips and tricks and answers to the many questions that have been asked over the years. In the book you will find 40 variations of the master peasant bread recipe + 70 recipes for using up the many loaves you will bake. Learn more about the book here or buy it here.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, I love SAF Instant Yeast, see notes below
- room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Mixing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast (I love SAF Instant Yeast). Add the water. Mix until the flour is absorbed. (If you are using active dry yeast, see notes below.)
- Let it rise. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (In the winter or if you are letting the bread rise in a cool place, it might take as long as two hours to rise.) This is how to create a slightly warm spot for your bread to rise in: Turn the oven on at any temperature (350ºF or so) for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two 1-qt or 1.5-qt oven-safe bowls (see notes below) with about a tablespoon of butter each. Using two forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl, which it will be clinging to. As you scrape it down try to pull the dough toward the center (see video below for guidance). You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down. Then, take your two forks and divide the dough into two equal portions — eye the center of the mass of dough, and starting from the center and working out, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Then scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier — my small salad forks work best; my dinner forks make it harder. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Some people like to use flexible, plastic dough scrapers for this step.
- Let the dough rise again for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or near a warm spot) or until it has risen to just below or above (depending on what size bowl you are using) the top of the bowls. (Note: Do not do the warm-oven trick for the second rise, and do not cover your bowls for the second rise. Simply set your bowls on top of your oven, so that they are in a warm spot. Twenty minutes in this spot usually is enough for my loaves.)
- Bake it. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. If you’ve greased the bowls well, the loaves should fall right out onto the cooling racks. If the loaves look a little pale and soft when you’ve turned them out onto your cooling racks, place the loaves into the oven (outside of their bowls) and let them bake for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- The bowls: The cheapest, most widely available 1-qt bowl is the Pyrex 322. Update: These bowls are becoming harder to find and more expensive. As a result, I’m suggesting this cheaper option: the Pyrex 3-piece set. You can split the dough in half as always (see recipe) and bake half in the 1-quart bowl and half in the 1.5 quart bowl. The loaves will not be the same shape, but they will be delicious nonetheless.
- Yeast: I buy SAF Instant Yeast in bulk from Amazon I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. If you are using the packets of yeast (the kind that come in the 3-fold packets), just go ahead and use a whole packet — It’s 2.25 teaspoons. I have made the bread with active dry, rapid rise, and instant yeast, and all varieties work. The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to “proof” it — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.
- If you have active-dry yeast on hand and want to use it, here’s how: In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit — this step will ensure that the yeast is active. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast-water-sugar mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
- Troubleshooting: You can find step-by-step video instruction here.
- Several commenters have had trouble with the second rise, and this seems to be caused by the shape of the bowl they are letting the dough rise in the second time around. Two hours for the second rise is too long. If you don’t have a 1-qt bowl, bake 3/4 of the dough in a loaf pan and bake the rest off in muffin tins or a popover pan. The second rise should take no more than 30 minutes.
- Also, you can use as many as 3 cups of whole wheat flour, but the texture changes considerably. I suggest trying with all all-purpose or bread flour to start and once you get the hang of it, start trying various combinations of whole wheat flour and/or other flours.
- The single most important step you can take to make this bread truly foolproof is to invest in a digital scale. This onecosts under $10. If you are not measuring by weight, do this: scoop flour into the measuring cup using a separate spoon or measuring cup; level off with a knife. The flour should be below the rim of the measuring cup.
- Here’s a printable version of this recipes that’s less wordy: Peasant Bread Recipe, Simplified
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven: Preheat a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF. Dust a clean work surface with flour. After the first rise, turn the dough out onto the floured surface and shape it into a ball: I like to fold it envelope style from top to bottom, then side to side; then I flip it over and use the pinkie edges of my hands to pinch the dough underneath and create some tension. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Let rest for 20 minutes. If you feel your dough is spreading too much you can lift up the sheet of parchment paper, dough and all, and place it in a bowl of a similar size. After the 20 minutes, transfer the dough, parchment paper and all to the Dutch oven. Carefully cover it. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 minutes more.
- To bake the peasant bread in a loaf pan: If you are using an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can bake 3/4 of the dough in it; bake off the rest of the dough in ramekins or other small vessels … the mini loaves are so cute. You can also make 1.5x the recipe, and bake the bread in 2 loaf pans. If you have a large loaf pan, such as a 10×6-inch loaf pan, you can bake off the entire batch of dough in it. For loaf pans, bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.
- How to Bake at Hight Altitude:
- First try the original recipe as written (preferably with a scale). You may not need to make any adjustments. One commenter, who lives at 9200 ft finds the original recipe to work just fine as is.
- If the original recipe doesn’t work, try adding a little bit more water because it rises fast and it is so dry: about a quarter cup for every 512 g of flour.
- Try decreasing the yeast to 1.5 teaspoons.
- If your dough is especially gooey, try decreasing the water by 1/4 cup. But, if you aren’t using a scale, my first suggestion would be to buy a scale and weigh the flour, and make the bread once as directed with the 2 cups water and 512 grams flour, etc.
- Punch the dough down twice before transferring it to the buttered Pyrex bowls. In other words, let it rise for 1-1.5 hours, punch it down, let it rise again for about an hour, punch it down, then transfer it to the buttered bowls.
- Variations:
- #1. Cornmeal. Substitute 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup of cornmeal. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- #2. Faux focaccia. Instead of spreading butter in two Pyrex bowls in preparation for baking, butter one 9×9-inch glass baking dish and one Pyrex bowl or just butter one large 9×13-inch Pyrex baking dish. If using two vessels, divide the dough in half and place each half in prepared baking pan. If using only one large baking dish, place all of the dough in the dish. Drizzle dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (if using the small square pan) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if using the large one). Using your fingers, gently spread the dough out so that it fits the shape of the pan. Use your fingers to create dimples in the surface of the dough. Sprinkle surface with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF and 17 minutes (or longer) at 375ºF. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack.
- #3. Thyme Dinner Rolls
- #4 Gluten-free
- #5. Everything Bagel Seasoning Bread. Simply coat the buttered bowls with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
6,655 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Delicious recipe! Now I want to try the Dutch oven method, but is that correct to preheat the oven to 450 for 45 minutes?
Yes! It’s correct.
I LOVE making bread and this is my favorite recipe!!! I have always used loaf pans but recently I scored a set of Pyrex bowls for $1 each. So excited to use them for this!
Yay 🙂 🙂 🙂
Still making incredible loaves, but now I’m using the spreadable butter for the bowls – it goes on a lot easier and I don’t miss any spots, and still get that buttery crust. I make this bread almost every week now!
Great tip, Nancy! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Alexandra you have literally saved my bread baking woes! I have spent the last 10 years trying to find a recipe that really works, and today I found yours. I was not willing to give up on this bread baking mission! All of them failed and I’ve been cooking forever but bread….it just doesn’t like me, until today. Thank you so much. This recipe is a no fail one and the bread is amazing. I used the 2.5 qt pyrex that I have and added an extra 10 minutes which was the perfect timing. I’m literally jumping with joy that I’ve finally found a recipe that works. I sprinkled some Everything Bagel seasoning on top of the buttered pyrex dish which was delish. The sound of the crispy crust is amazing and the soft bread inside. I need to stop writing as I could go on and on. Thank you so much!
YAY! Helen, it’s so wonderful to read all of this. So glad you didn’t give up. Happy baking 🙂
I’ll try to make this short:-) I’ve been wanting to try my hand at bread making for years. Specifically, I’ve been wanting to make Italian or French bread. Somehow, I happened upon your website and signed up for the bread making email thing. And the very first bread I tried was the Peasants Bread. And…I kinda never looked back:-) Oh, I tried Focacia (sp?) and another of your recipes but it’s the Peasants bread that gets the rave reviews. I think that everyone who has tried it is now addicted. And they are addicted to toasting it and then smothering it in butter and/or whatever they like…but they rave about the crust, as do I.
So I DID change some things, not in the recipe but in how I handle the dough. Instead of using the salad forks, I simply use this very old hard plastic spatula that, I think, my mom owned. She’s been gone for over 15 years now, so…it’s old. Works perfectly. Also, I bake them in loaf pans, usually. One is Pyrex and the other double walled aluminum. Makes no difference. What makes the difference is coating whatever you use with butter:-) I also, sometimes, give the tops of the loaves a butter and then egg wash and sprinkle on either sesame seeds (my fave) or Everything Bagel mix. Amazing!
So thanks for the recipe. I now have to make 2 loaves about every ten days. Sometimes more often if I give some away.
It’s so nice to read all of this, Skip. My experience is similar… I will spend days making sourdough, ciabatta, etc., but nothing gets as many rave reviews as my mother’s simple peasant bread. Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of your notes and experiences. Happy baking!
Tried the 1.5 quantity quinoa-flax recipe adding some black sesame seeds and chopped walnuts that i had in my pantry.. My 2 loaves and 6 individual buns turned out amazing! The crusts were crispy and the insides soft and airy. So healthy and far superior to store-bought bread.. Many thanks for sharing!
Great to hear, Lana! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
The only difficulty I’ve had making this bread (besides wanting to eat the whole loaf myself!) is mixing the flour in properly. Once I add the water and try to mix, it seems I have dry flour left in the bottom of the mixing bowl. I had mixed with a flat spoon. My daughter suggested I use my Kitchenaid mixer with the bread paddle attachment. Bread turns out yummy, but there was some non-mixed flour bits on top.
Thanks!
You can definitely use your mixer if you’re having trouble working in the flour with a spatula. Question: are you using a scale to measure?
I’m so excited to try this recipe. I tried the focaccia recipe and it was so easy. I’m not able to sift through all the comments but I’m wondering if there is a way to do the first rise overnight so I can bake the bread fresh for breakfast in the morning?
Hi and yes! I would use cold water and cut the yeast back to 1/2 teaspoon.
Hello Alexandra
I am loving the Peasant Bread with seed additions…am now wondering about adding some chopped dates and chopped walnuts with the seeds.
Would these additions “work” and if so, what would be the measurements of dates and walnuts.
Thanks again for your super website and endless inspirations. Cari
Hi! Great to hear 🙂
I would do 1.5 cups toasted walnuts. And I would do 4 to 6 chopped Medjool dates — maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup once diced. Hope that helps!
I hate you for sharing this recipe! I have gained 5 pounds devouring this bread! It’s to die for easy and delish!!! My hubby is loving it too. Toast is the best with this bread. I sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and poppy seeds in the bowl on top of the butter and get a lovely new flavor addition and crunch to the bread. IT’S TO DIE FOR GOOD!
I no longer purchase any type of sandwich bread, this is all we eat now.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
So nice to read all of this! Thanks for writing!!
Just made this but didn’t get the awesome oven spring you did. What did I do wrong?
(5 stars anyway, it was delicious & so easy)
Hi Diana!
Are you using a scale to measure? Is your yeast fresh (as in not expired)? What type of flour?
I’m excited about trying this recipe and I will post another comment after I’ve cooked and tried the bread, I really liked your blog I think it’s very informative and you make it easy to understand and to want to get in the kitchen and bake bread, thank you.
I’ve never been a have-a-piece-of-toast-for-a-snack person but this makes the best toast and I have it for snacks. And then I added mashed up avocado. OMG! My taste buds think they have died and gone to heaven.
Yay! Great to hear, Karen 🙂 🙂 🙂
Excellent! I followed exactly as started and thought it might not work because my yeast is soooo old but it worked. My kitchen smells great! I think I will try the focaccia next. The loaves are beautiful and I can wait for a taste!
Great to hear, Cynthia 🙂 🙂 🙂
Is that preheat oven at 450 for 45 minutes?
Or …preheat oven to 450 and then *bake bread for 45 minutes?…
I’m a bit confused now.
Are you referring to this paragraph:
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.
I’ve just recently entered the world of bread-baking, and have had a lot of success and fun! This recipe is my very favorite so far! It is so easy and so delicious! I ordered my bowls from Amazon, and will be sharing this with everyone I know! It deserves far more than 5 stars!
Yay! Great to hear, Kim. Thanks for writing 🙂
Turned out excellent! Very simple tasty bread and so good toasted!
Easy to make and very good. What should I change if I want to make cinnamon raisin bread. I guess I could just add a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon and a cup of raisins soaked in water so that I don’t change the hydration level? Started baking bread in my eighties and find it to be a lot of fun.
Wow!
Ali, thank you! So very much! I Haven’t made bread for so many years. And what a fantastic recipe you shared. I have been following you for about 8 months now and you have my full attention with your cook book and many other recipes. You have inspired me to get back to my love of cooking everything and anything.
I cooked two loaves of this simple recipe this evening to go with a grilled Tri-Tip roast and one of them disappeared before it could even cook off enough to handle it. I am wondering if this recipe would be strong enough as a bread bowl to hold a chowder.
Has anyone given it a try? Thank you again for sharing your love and efforts of making food so enjoyable.
So nice to read this, Teri! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Yes, you can definitely use the bread to make bread bowls. Find instructions here: https://alexandracooks.com/2021/02/05/spinach-artichoke-dip/
Making this for my second time. I really want to make the focaccia but I can’t bring myself to not have the bread on hand. lol
It’s so simple and so good!
Yours Truly,
Low Carb Cheater 😬
Great to hear, Jennifer 🙂 🙂 🙂 (Low carb is not in my vocabulary, so I get it 🙂 🙂 :))
I made this recipe to the letter with active dry yeast.
After the first rise, I dumped the dough into a Pullman Loaf pan. I had buttered that pan with an obscene amount of butter. 😆
The second rise was perfect and within 25 minutes. I used the bake temps and times in your original recipe and it came out perfect.
I lightly buttered the whole loaf when it came out.
We waited 20 minutes before slicing.
The crust was golden and perfect. The inside was as you described soft with a fine crumb.
I left the rest of the of the loaf on the cooling rack until it was fully cooled.
I’m tellin ya, I’ve made a lot of bread, this is the only recipe where you can easily slice it as thin as store bought bread!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with the world. You are now my bread idol 😁
So nice to read all of this Heather! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. When you say Pullman Loaf Pan, does that mean one with a lid? I’m excited to try!
Love this bread. Finally got the bowls, instead of making loafs. Pyrex has these bowls on sale now for back to school sale. Got 2 bowls for $16.43 and that includes shipping.
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing this, Tessie 🙂
My bread is in the oven and I have 2 questions…what is the easiest way to clean dough out of bowl? It is sticking in my microfiber cloth and brush!
Second question…I love your idea of taking this bread as a hostess gift but was wondering how to wrap it for a beautiful presentation?
I found I have Anchor Hocking bowls so am using the 1 quart and 1 1/2 qt. B😉bowls. They are safe to 425 degrees.😊
Hi Sandy! Questions answered below
what is the easiest way to clean dough out of bowl? It is sticking in my microfiber cloth and brush!
I have flexible dough scrapers that work well, but otherwise, I would suggest using the spray nozzle of your faucet (if you have one) or simply hot water and your hands to remove as much dough as possible before going at it with a sponge or cloth. Letting the bowl soak in hot soapy water helps, too.
Second question…I love your idea of taking this bread as a hostess gift but was wondering how to wrap it for a beautiful presentation?
I always look for reasonably priced tea towels (from IKEA or Marshall’s) and keep a stash on hand. You can wrap the bread in the towel and tie it with string or ribbon. Old baskets, too, lined with tea towels look nice. I, too, wish there were an affordable paper bag type thing that might work for bread gifting. I’ll keep an eye out.
Hi Ali, Can I get the exact measurements for a single loaf of the peasant bread. 2 loafs is too much for me as a single person. Thank you in advance
Hi Kimberly! Follow this recipe: https://cupofjo.com/2022/02/02/found-easy-same-day-peasant-bread-recipe/
Hi, Ali,
Love all your recipes I’ve made — my friends and family do too!!
My sister just made your Anadama bread from your fabulous book Bread Toast Crumbs
which I also have.
Can I make this recipe in 9 x 4 or13 x 4 Pullman pan? or a 9 x 5 loaf pan?
So excited to make this recipe soon!!!
Happy End of Summer Days!
Hi Sally! It’s so nice to read all of this. Thank you 🙂
Yes, you definitely can use a loaf pan. I find that you can bake the entire batch of the two-bowl recipes in a 10×5-inch loaf pan. If you want to do a single loaf pan, you’ll need to make some adjustments to the quantities. I don’t have my book in front of me right now, but I’ve added two recipes to the blog that are adaptations from recipes in my book: bowls to loaf pan. They might offer you some guidance:
No-Knead Three-Seed Bread
How to Make Homemade Rye Bread
I make this bread literally every week. I’ve done the loaf form (best for sandwiches), the round loaf is good for snacking, the Dutch oven gives the best rustic loaf I love having that one with soup or pasta.
It’s so nice to read all of this, Adrianna! Great to hear ALL the various peasant bread forms have worked out for you. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
So what kind of Kosher salt do you recommend? There is Diamond, Morton, fine grain, etc. Does it matter?
Thanks!
I prefer Diamond Crystal. If you are measuring by weight, it’s the same amount regardless of the type of salt you are using: 10 grams. If you are using measuring spoons, you’ll want to use half as much Morton or fine sea salt.
I have impressed everyone in my family and circle with this amazing recipe and share it far and wide! Thank you and your mother for this recipe that’s become a tradition for us now too. It’s my sons birthday and I’ve just mixed up for an overnight rise, last week he told me he dreamt of the bread, so I’m trying for an early morning wake up and smell fresh bread Bday surprise to literally make his dreams come true lol.
I usually swirl in and top with cheese and oregano, but we’ve tried diced ham & cheddar; garlic parmesan; thyme, sage & parsley. When I make it super herb-y, will use one loaf to make savoury parmesan & worcester sauce French toast and the bread holds the flavour so well that it tastes like you’re eating a sausage. Thanks for making me a bread making mum!
So nice to read all of this, but especially this: “last week he told me he dreamt of the bread” … so sweet. Happy Birthday to your son!
Love this bread. It’s my go to bread recipe. Thanks for sharing it. I also purchased your book. 😀
Thank you, Maria 🙂 🙂 🙂
I think this person stole your recipe. It sure looks like this post! I saw it on their Facebook page (a friend shared the page with me) and went to their website and they are selling “their” recipes. I wonder how many other content creators they are ripping off?! It might pay to see if they have stolen any more of your recipes as they specialise in bread…
https://samitavi.com/blogs/healthy-food/detailed-recipe-for-my-mother-s-peasant-bread
Argh!!! Thank you for sending. This person has been doing this with so many of my recipes, and I have no idea how to stop it. Maddening!
I’ve tried this recipe twice and the bread does not rise very well 🙁 not sure what I’m doing wrong. Yeast is not expired, following directions very closely
What kind of flour? Are you using a scale to measure everything? What kind of yeast?