Peasant Bread

This Peasant Bread recipe is an easy no-fuss homemade bread recipe made from pantry staples that anyone can master!

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Peasant Bread

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 1 20

Servings 2 loaves

4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups warm water water around 110°F, mix together 1.5c cold water and .5c boiling water
1-2 tablespoons softened butter

Mix the dough. In a large, non-metal bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Then mix the lukewarm water with a fork, ensuring all the flour is incorporated.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel, set the bowl in a warm spot, and let it rise for at least one hour until it has doubled in size. In the summer, that can be by a window but not in direct light. In the winter, I will use the bread-proof option in my oven and set the bowl there to rise. The temperature should not get above 100°F.
After it's risen, preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter the sides of your loaf pan(s). (I prefer to use two 9x5 loaf pans.) Next, punch down or deflate your bread dough. Then with a silicone spatula, gently pull away the dough from the sides of the bowl towards the center. Once you have pulled the dough from all sides of the bowl, split the dough in half with the spatula and roll one portion into your butter loaf pan. Repeat with the second half. Then let the dough rest and rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. Do not cover your dough, or use a warm oven for the second rise.
Bake the peasant bread at 425°F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 15 minutes. Make sure the sides of the bead are a deep golden brown. Immediately out of the oven, remove the loaves from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!