Peasant Bread

 An easy no knead bread recipe, this Peasant Bread only requires a few minutes of hands on time. It’s easy enough for beginners, and so delicious you’ll want to serve it at every meal!

Homemade bread is easier than you think! For more simple bread recipes, also try this Focaccia Bread Recipe or this Dinner Roll Recipe.

I know there are all kinds of things you can do to save at the grocery store – and I need to start implementing more of them – but one thing is for sure.  Making food from scratch is going to save you money.  And you know exactly what is going into your food.  And it usually just tastes better!!

This is a great – and super easy – bread recipe.  It’s basically a no-knead bread, so if you are yeast-phobic, this would be a great place to start if you want to make your own bread.  In fact, it is kind of similar to this Artisan Bread recipe, but the crumb is more tender, and the crust is nice and buttery. I don’t know how anyone can say that making bread is hard after trying this bread!

Ingredients

Water: You want warm, lukewarm water, not hot. Ideally, this is around 110ºF. You should be able to comfortably touch it.

Yeast: I like to use active dry yeast. You could use instant yeast, but just keep an eye on the dough when rising, as it will rise a little faster.

Sugar: The sugar will help to activate and feed the yeast.

Salt: I like to use kosher salt or sea salt.

Flour: This dough is a pretty sticky dough. You don’t want to add too much flour. Humidity will affect how much flour you add, so just be aware that you may not need to add all of the flour in.

Butter: This bread has a nice, buttery crust because you are brushing it with butter before and after it bakes. I prefer unsalted butter here since we are already adding salt to the bread dough.

How to Make Peasant Bread

1: Start by pouring the water into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and the sugar and let it sit until it has foamed.

2: Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt.

3: Mix just until it comes together, adding more flour if needed.

4: Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl. The dough will be sticky, so I like to use a spatula to make sure I get all of the dough from the bowl.

5: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and let it rise in a warm spot until it has doubled, about an hour.

6: Divide the dough into two round loaves.

7: Form into 2 round loaves and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

8: Cover, and let the dough rise again until doubled, about an hour.

9: Take your melted butter and brush half of it onto the risen loaves.

10: Bake until the bread is golden brown and cooked through.

11: Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter.

Tips and Tricks

• I will usually make 2 free-form loaves, but you can also make these in 2 oven-safe bowls. Instead of brushing the loaves with the butter, simply use the butter to butter the bowls.
• If you don’t have parchment paper or don’t want to use it, simply grease your baking sheet and then sprinkle with cornmeal.
• I have only ever made this peasant bread with all-purpose flour. You could also use bread flour. If you want to use whole-wheat flour, I would start by testing with one half whole wheat and one half all-purpose flour.
• Remember – this bread is not meant to be kneaded. Only mix until the ingredients are combined.
• You do not need a stand mixer to make this recipe! It’s easy enough to just use a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon for stirring.
• Only want one loaf? You can cut the recipe in half, or you can take half of the dough and refrigerate it to make another loaf the next day.

Storing and Freezing

I like to store this peasant bread in a bread bag or in a ziplock bag. You can store it in another airtight container, as well.

This bread will freeze well. Simply bake the loaves as written and allow the bread to cool completely. (You want to make sure it’s not warm at all!) Wrap the loaves or loaf tightly with foil, then place in a freezer safe ziplock bag.

You can thaw the bread at room temperature. I keep it wrapped up until I’m ready to serve, then will remove it from the ziplock bag and heat it in the oven while wrapped in the foil.

More Homemade Bread Recipes

Potato Bread
Homemade Breadsticks
French Bread Recipe
Hawaiian Bread
White Bread Recipe

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Peasant Bread

5 from 4 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 round loaves

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

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An easy no knead bread recipe, this Peasant Bread only requires a few minutes of hands on time. It’s easy enough for beginners, and so delicious you’ll want to serve it at every meal!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups warm water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

• Pour the water into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Add the yeast and the sugar and let the mixture sit for a few minutes, until the yeast has bubbled and foamed.
• Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt to the bowl all at once and stir just until combined. Do not knead. If you need to add a little more flour to make the dough come together, you can. It will still be sticky, but should come together.
• Pour the dough into a large greased bowl. Cover and let it sit until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl to a floured counter. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each into a round. Place the rounds on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Cover, and let rise for an additional hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Brush half of the butter onto the loaves.
• Transfer the bread to the oven. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat (leaving the bread in the oven) to 375ºF. Continue to bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the bread is browned and cooked through.
• Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter. Let the bread cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:

If you don’t have parchment paper, or don’t want to use it, you can sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of your baking pan.

You can also bake these in well buttered 1 quart Pyrex bowls or another oven safe bowl.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Serving size is calculated with 8 slices per loaf.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 122kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 23g (8%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Cholesterol: 4mg (1%), Sodium: 146mg (6%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%)

Keywords: French peasant bread, peasant bread, peasant bread recipe