Peasant Bread Recipe

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Rising time: 90 mins

Total: 2 hrs 10 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 2 loaves

Peasant bread is typically an easy to assemble, no-knead recipe that is an everyday staple. Instead of being formed into ornate shapes or designs, this rustic style bread is baked in rounds that can be sliced into wedges and served with any meal.

Ingredients

• 2 cups lukewarm water

• 1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 4 cups bread flour

• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

• Melted butter

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir until incorporated and dissolved.

   

3. Stir in bread flour. 

   

4. Grease a large bowl with a bit of oil. Place dough in bowl and then turn it over to also oil the top. This ensures dough won’t dry out while rising. Cover bowl loosely with a thin towel or cloth. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free location for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

   

5. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and sprinkle each with cornmeal. This will ensure bread releases easily from pans as well as offering a nice texture to the bottom of bread.

   

6. Once dough has risen, lightly coat hands with flour and divide dough into 2 parts, gently shaping each into a round loaf—but do not knead.

   Place each loaf in one of the prepared baking pans. At this point, dough will not completely fill pans.

   

7. Allow loaves to rise another 45 minutes until almost doubled. During this time, preheat oven to 425 F.

   

8. Before placing loaves in oven, brush tops with melted butter. Bake at 10 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake 20 minutes more.

9. Remove loaves from pans and place on a wire rack. While loaves are still hot, brush with additional butter.

   

Recipe Tips

• Note this recipe uses bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. It contains more protein which helps with gluten development and results in a perfectly chewy texture and elastic crumb.
• Always check the expiration date and be sure that the yeast you are using is still active. There’s nothing worse than attempting to make homemade bread and discovering your yeast is no longer good. Packets of yeast can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four months or in the freezer for years.