Peasant Bread: The Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make

Last Updated: September 12, 2022
Peasant Bread: The Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
shtfpreparedness.com

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Make Peasant Bread

If you’re planning on having bread with your meals on a regular basis, this recipe is perfect for you. When access to fresh bread is expensive, this is a great way to have this wonderful addition to most meals. Once you’ve made your own loaves a few times, your bread might be better than what you’ve been buying.

Peasant Bread requires no kneading or even yeast preparation.

If you can’t get to the bakery or access to simple food supplies is disrupted, it’s a good idea to store a 25-lbs bag of premium flour. Even with a shelflife of over a year, a family could have bread with every meal for over a month with one 25-lbs bag of flour.

Taking very little time to prepare and bake, here’s the simplest bread recipe in the world.

Step 1. The core ingredient: yeast. Instant yeast can be whisked into the flour directly without any blooming or proofing of the yeast beforehand.

Here is an excellently packaged yeast  SAF Instant Yeast.

If you want to stick to active-dry yeast, there are instructions in the recipe notes on how to do so.

Step 2. Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast.

Step 3. Add lukewarm water. Most bakers try to stay within 50-60% water. As there is a wide range of factors in the perfect amount of water, add water sparingly. Your target consistency is a wet, sticky dough ball.

This bread recipe is the best and easiest way to keep fresh bread on your dining table.
Mix.

Step 4. Mix until you have your sticky dough ball. If it looks similar to the picture below, you’re on your way to the simplest peasant bread ever.

Overhead view of just-mixed dough in metal mixing bowl
Your sticky dough ball.

Step 5. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. The longer it rises, the richer the flavor.

Overhead view of dough, risen
The First Yeast Rising

Step 6. Punch down the dough using two forks to create your air pockets in the bread. This makes for easier rising and better bread.

Overhead view of dough, punched down
Creating air pockets.

Step 7. Split the dough down the middle again using the two forks. You’re always going to be making at least two loaves. If your dough balls are too big, you’ll run into issues with consistent texture throughout your bread.

Overhead view of dividing the dough in half with two forks
Split.

Note: Because this is a very wet, sticky dough, it must be baked in an oven-proof bowl.

The Pyrex 1L 322 size is preferred, but any similarly sized oven-proof bowl will work.

You can bake in Pyrex bowls. They’re heat-resistant.

Step 8. Butter the insides of the bowls well. It will make sliding the bread out after baking easier.

Four blocks showing glass bread bowls empty, with butter, and with dough
Preparation for the oven.

Step 9. Transfer half of the dough to each prepared bowl.

Step 10. Atop your oven, let the dough rise again until it crowns the rim of the bowl (about 30 minutes). After 15 minutes into the second yeast rising, preheat your oven to *350 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Recipes tend to vary in temperatures between 350-425 degrees Fahrenheit. Find the best temperature for the best bread crust and consistency you like. This is the baker’s touch.

Side view of dough in glass oven-safe baking bowls on top of oven
Rising atop the oven.

Step 11. Transfer the bowls to the oven to bake:

Two loaves of peasant bread baking in oven-safe glass bowls
In the oven.

Step 12. Remove your bread from the oven and let the loaves stand on cooling racks until warm to the touch.

Slice, break apart, add your toppings, and enjoy!

Freshly baked peasant bread turned onto cooling rack
A halved loaf of my mother's peasant bread.
Peasant Bread

Homemade Peasant Bread is the best when it’s freshly baked. It also makes for a wonderful toast the next morning. Homemade bread for your grilled cheese sandwiches is special.  It’s also our favorite bread to use for egg salad sandwiches and tuna salad.

“Always Be Ready” Max

Peasant Bread

The simplest bread recipe that requires no kneading. Used with instant self-rising yeast, preparation time is very fast.
Prep Time 1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Bread
Cuisine French
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • 1 Oven
  • 2 Ovensafe Pyrex Glass Bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cups lukewarm water made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp SAF Instant Yeast
  • 2 tbsp butter room temperature

Instructions
 

  • For steps, see above.
Keyword bread, easy, homemade, simple
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