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.
6,352 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Good information. Lucky me I found your site by chance (stumbleupon).
I’ve saved as a favorite for later!
THANK YOU so very much for this recipe! I threw it together yesterday for the first time! Posted pics on FB for friends and family. My husband practically ate the entire loaf in one sitting! It turned out so good and was so EASY!!! I usually make home made yeast bread loaves. My husband said he preferred this Peasant bread because of the texture. It is perfect for us! AMAZING and so delicious! Thank you again! I am now making it AGAIN!!!
I’m so happy it turned out well for you! and that the husband approved! It’s funny, because I try all of these recipes for artisan bread, etc, and whenever we go back to the peasant bread, we are both so happy. THere is something so simple and so good about it. Glad you think so too!
Breads in the oven rising as I type. I used a 2.5 qt bowl. Hope it turns out OK. I was wondering if you knew the right size of a loaf pan. I make sandwiches for my Hubby and thought fresh bread twice a week would be great. Thanks for sharing and the videos. Great job.
The 2.5 qt bowl should work out just fine — how did it turn out? Sometimes I have to bake it longer if I use the larger bowl, about 5 minutes or so. One commenter successfully baked the whole batch of bread in a loaf pan, but it must have been a larger size. I have standard (8.5 x 4.5 inches) loaf pans, and I can get about 3/4 of the dough in one of those. I’ve been meaning to order a larger size. One commenter doubles the recipe and bakes it in 3 loaf pans. Hope that offers some guidance!
I baked in a 2 qt Anchor oven safe glass mixing bowl, the one with the spout, and this turned out amazing. My 2 yr old has been INHALING it :). The Anchor bowl is a nice option when letting bread rise in general; the measurements help eyeball when dough has doubled. This is dinner party worthy for sure.
So happy to hear this, Maggie!
I tried this recipe tonight, and made one loaf in a larger size loaf pan. No sure what the exact measurements on the pan are. It worked great and rose up high above the pan. My two year old didn’t want anything else for dinner! I’ll be putting this bread in regular rotation.
Yay!
I have self rising flour. Not sure if it is bleached or not. Threw the bag away. What will the effects be from using self rising as opposed to all purpose and bleached vs. unbleached? Thanks.
Hi Chris, so sorry for the delay here!
Self rising might do some funny things. Because there is baking soda or baking powder or some sort of leavening already in the flour and because there is salt already in the flour, the results might be weird — it might rise differently, it might taste too salty, I can’t say for sure.
I would wait till you get your hands on some all-purpose (preferably not bleached) flour before trying this. Let me know if there is anything else!
Love this bread. I make it in ramekins for sandwiches…..tastes a lot like Schlotzky’s.
dying to try this your tutorial is fabulous …I use unsalted butter will it alter anything in any way?
I always use unsalted butter, too — you’re talking about for the greasing of the bowls, right?
I just wanted to let you know that this makes the best pizza dough ever! And I mean ever! I was in a pinch for a quick pizza crust and since I love this bread so much I thought, “What the heck, why not, I’ll give it a try.” Oh, my GOSH – beyond delicious! I got 3 medium size pizzas out of this recipe. I sure hope you’ll try this as pizza dough, it’s fab! (I never use that many exclaimation points, but it’s really that good)
Tina, thank you! I am definitely going to try this! Can’t believe I never have. So good to know, when I’m in a pinch.
I have made this recipe many times but can’t get the rise you do at the end. I had to add water to the flour mixture in the past because it was too dry – thought maybe having to add water was doing something to the temps and the yeast. Today I put more water in (from the initial measurements)and I didn’t have to add any when mixing. Still no big rise at the end. I then thought I was punching down too much before separating into the small bowls so I made sure to do it just like your video shows but still no poofy rise. What could I be doing wrong? I let the small bowls sit for 20 min and the dough gets to, or above, the bowl level, as well. Help!?
Hi!
Great recipe! If I make it in the ramekins what size ramekins should I use? Will normal dessert ones be fine?
Hi! Sorry for the delay here. Any size will work, just make sure you grease them well, and don’t fill them higher than 2/3 or so with dough. Good luck!
Sounds and looks great. One question, you mention “Also, measure scant cups of flour if you are not measuring by weight…” so I wonder, can you provide the weights? I have a scale and would love to use it rather than the measuring cups.
Thanks.
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! The weights are actually there in the recipe in parentheses next to the 4 cups flour: (510 g | 1 lb. 2 oz). Hope that helps! I always use my scale, too 🙂
Hi – stumbled upon this recipe when I googled easy bread recipe – so glad I did! This was so simple and so delicious – my family of four decided it’s going to be our Sunday supper treat… can’t imagine why in the world I’d buy bread from the store! Going to experiment with flour combos… Not a dessert person but definitely a breadie – and will forego sweets for more slices of this! THANKS for sharing your mom’s recipe!
Wonderful to hear this, Natalia!
Thank you for your recipe. I have been baking bread for over ten years and in my current location I do not have a great space to knead bread dough. The No-Knead Bread was wonderful. I actually used half rye flour and half all purpose and it worked great. I made it in the 9 x 13 pan and I can’t wait to have it with my vegetarian chili for lunch (may have to have a piece of bread before that!)
Wonderful to hear this, Liese! Rye sounds lovely.
I am very excited to have found this recipe. I was just sitting down after doing some work with soaps and candles and really needed to get back to my cooking blogs! Specifically, I was looking for a different bread recipe to try this weekend–fall does that. The Pyrex bowl speaks to me. Genius. I also use the yeast in bulk, same kind, same place:) In the freezer and it never runs out. Good stuff. I’m going to make it for my Grandmother’s 98th this Friday–thank you!
YAy! so happy to hear this, carrie! And happy birthday to your gramma…98?! Amazing.
Oh, lorry how good does that look :O
Maybe this has been addressed, but if bleached all-purpose flour is what you have on hand, can that be used?
Yes! I just find that unbleached all-purpose flour is getter in flavor and texture, but many commenter have had success with bleached flour. Good luck with it!
thanks!
This looks like a great recipe! I’m trying to make breadbowls for soup this weekend and was wondering if you have any thoughts on what size pyrex bowls or ramekins to use for a reasonable sized breadbowl? Any ideas for how many serving sizes this recipe might make for that? Thanks!
Hi Kay! Great idea. OK, the pyrex 322 and 441 I think are a little too big for one soup bowl. I think a size about half as large, so about a pint, would be about right. If you are able to find a bowl about that size, I would say this whole recipe would yield 4 soup bowls. Hope that helps! Let me know if you find a size bowl that works — I would love to do this, too!
Looks so good, but “spongy” is not a word I look for when I’m looking for good bread! Spongy means tough or something like angel food cake. Its not like that is it?
Nope, not tough at all. Soft, spongy, delicous. Try it! You’ll see 🙂
I tried this bread and my family loves it. The next batch I just made into muffins and added rosemary to some and thyme to others. They were wonderful. Thanks for sharing…..it’s going to be added the the Thanksgiving table this year
So happy to hear this Debbie! Love the sound of those herbs, love the muffin tins — I make these at Thanksgiving, too!
In case anyone wants to scale this for two 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans, I did 6 c flour, 3 tsp salt, 3 tsp sugar, 3 tsp yeast and it worked great. I may brush some melted butter on top of the loaves next time because the tops don’t get that crust from contact with the buttered pan, which is clearly the best part!
Thank you for this, Maggie! I should make a note in the recipe — I’ve been meaning to find the right proportions for two loaf pans, so thank you!!
How much water did you increase?
thanks, I am a 1st timer & never tried baking bread B4, this looks easy & yummy. ThankU for posting your video !! I am baking !!
I finally made this bread and it’s delicious! I appreciate the simplicity. I used white spelt flour with an added tbsp of vital gluten. I used my 1.5 qt bowls. Next time I’ll use my 1 qt. the crust is great due to the buttered bowls. Thanks so much!
So happy to hear this!
I coppied the recipe and a link for this page to send to my daughter. She will love making this recipe, and so will I ! ! This sounds so easy, I will be trying it today with Garlic and Dill. Thank you Alex ( my Grand Daughter’s name too )
First time making homemade bread…it turned out great! I used instant yeast and followed the instructions exactly. I only had a casserole dish that was 1.5qts so I used that and still turned out great…I only wish the top was as crunchy/buttery as the bottom but I totally forgot to put it back into the oven after I put it on the cooling rack. I used the 1.5qt casserole dish for half the dough and the other half went into 6 muffin tins for yeast rolls. Both baked up perfectly in the time described. The flavor is yeasty and spongy and delicious! I nearly made myself sick eating too much…I could have eaten an entire “bowl” of bread with butter by myself. Totally worth it and I will be making again! Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear all of this…except the part about making yourself sick…just know you’re not alone 🙂
I substituted a cup of whole wheat for white flour. Mine turned out flat and small. Smells great and tastes great, though!
I have a suggestion. Next time, use 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour. I tried that when I made bread in my bread-maker and the loaves were lighter and higher. I also used a bit more yeast because wheat flour can be heavy.
Great ideas, Ruby — thanks!
LeeAnne — what size bowls are you using?
I’ve made two loaves of this bread in two days in the hopes of having homemade grilled cheese and tomato soup. My kids however, have different plans. They’ve been eating it warm from the oven with real cream butter. (I have to admit that it’s fantastic that way.) Tomorrow, I’ll try two loaves and see if any survives past half an hour out of the oven.
FYI: I put the full amount of dough in one loaf pan and followed the directions exactly, only adding 5 additional minutes to the second baking time.
Haha, I love it … kids always have the best ideas 🙂 But I do hope you get around to grilled cheese, because this bread makes fantastic grilled cheese!
This bread looks de-lish! However, I don’t have oven-proof bowls. Can I use traditional bread pans instead? If so, would I use the same measurments?
Thank you
I have made this recipe many times but can’t get the rise you do at the end. I had to add water to the flour mixture in the past because it was too dry – thought maybe having to add water was doing something to the temps and the yeast. Today I put more water in (from the initial measurements)and I didn’t have to add any when mixing. Still no big rise at the end. I then thought I was punching down too much before separating into the small bowls so I made sure to do it just like your video shows but still no poofy rise. What could I be doing wrong? I let the small bowls sit for 20 min and the dough gets to, or above, the bowl level, as well. Help!?
So sorry to hear this, Melanie!
Ok, how are you measuring your flour — with cups or by weight? It sounds as though you are using dry measuring cups, which is fine, but I would suggest using a lighter hand with the flour: measure scant cups. This should prevent you from having to add more water. The dough should be sticky, but not too wet, if that makes sense. Watch the video of the mixing to compare the texture of the dough before it makes its first rise.
Also, how long is your first rise going? I wouldn’t go more than 1.5 hours. Is it doubling?
What kind of yeast — instant or active dry?
Finally, what size bowls are you using? It sounds as though you are doing everything right. The fact that the dough is rising to the rim or above for the second rise is a great sign. When you do the second rise, it’s next to the oven, right? Part of me is wondering if the second rise is going too long and that it’s falling in the oven versus springing.
We’ll get to the bottom of this!
I do use cups and I have been filling them to the correct level and then banging the measuring cup on the counter to pack it down, in a way.
I have been doing the first rise for 1 hour and 45 minutes and it comes out of the warm oven looking like yours does. When I take the plastic off it does deflate a bit though – is that supposed to happen? Should I decrease the time to 1.5 hours?
The second rise has been all over the place – I didn’t realize that one mattered. I have been putting the bowls in different places on the counter. That is when I set the timer on the oven. I need to have then right next to the oven – – or on top next to the burners?
It is DEF falling in the oven and not springing. 🙁
I am using one round and one square bowl – the same size and the same size as the ones you use.
I use the blue label Red Star instant yeast. It’s been in the freezer and I had not been leaving it out for a while before using it in the recipe but this time I let it get to room temp but it didn’t make the difference I was looking for.
If I may suggest, get a scale and sift flour into it. 510 grams worth, plus 474 grams water and the rest of the ingredients I just use spoon measures.
Don’t tamp the flour if you don’t use a scale, instead spoon flour into the cup measure and level off with the back of a knife.
My next suggestion is, less is more: I go an hour to an hour and fifteen for the first rise, and the second rise about 20 -25 minutes while the oven preheats.
Good luck!
I am still a little confused on where the bowls go on the second rise?
My first time baking bread was this recipe a few weeks ago. Since then I’ve made it many times and have shared it with others. It’s so delicious and easy that I’ll never buy bread again. I’ve experimented a bit and thought I’d share with you:
* Greasing the bowl/pan – I’ve used less butter and had it be fine. I’ve also used a bit of olive oil and it worked well too.
* Single loaf – Instead of dividing into two small loaves I’ve put the whole batch of dough in a standard sized bread pan and it comes out perfect!
* Cinnamon-Raisin – Today I experimented with making raisin bread and it turned out great! I added 2 tsp cinnamon and ‘a small handful’ 1/2-1/3 cup of sugar to the dry flour mix before the water/yeast is added. Once the dough is half mixed and sticky I sprinkled in 1 tsp of additional cinnamon as it leaves a nice little trail, and added 1/2 cup of dried raisins. I’ll definitely try this again.
Michelle
Wonderful to hear all of this!
Thank you for sharing all of these variations — so helpful and informative. Definitely trying the cinnamon raisin variation soon. Sounds so good!
My latest variation is to add a can of drained kalamata olives just after adding the water/yeast, before starting to stir. They blended in perfectly through the dough as it formed. My favorite variation so far 🙂