Peasant Bread
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| Peasant Bread - Photo by JayDi Photography |
I love this recipe because it's simple and doesn't require kneading. You
can choose any shape cooking vessel that you have in pyrex or mini loaf
pans or even muffin tins. I don't recommend anything over 2 qt or 2 L
for this type of though because of the way it rises and bakes. You'd end
up with an underdone bread that's heavy and that's not good eats at
all. While it's baking, your house has that lovely bakery smell that no
one can resist. It comes out of the oven with a nicely golden crust.
You'll just want to devour it right away. Good thing it makes 2 loaves!
Peasant Bread
Ingredients:
4 cups (1 lb. 2 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour and the salt. Set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no reason 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 is just to ensure that the yeast is active. Now, gently stir it up, and add to the flour bowl. Stir this mixture up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Mixture will be wet.
3. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (If you have the time to let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours, do so — this will help the second rise go more quickly.)
4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two oven-safe bowls (such as the pyrex bowls I mentioned in the note above) with about a tablespoon of butter each. This is where you can get creative. Sprinkle herbs and/or cheese on the inside of the bowl. This yummy goodness will get baked on the outside crust. 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 turn the dough up onto itself. You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl. 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. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.
5. Bake for 10 minutes @ 475 ºF. Reduce the heat to 375º and make 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.
2. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no reason 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 is just to ensure that the yeast is active. Now, gently stir it up, and add to the flour bowl. Stir this mixture up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Mixture will be wet.
3. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (If you have the time to let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours, do so — this will help the second rise go more quickly.)
4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two oven-safe bowls (such as the pyrex bowls I mentioned in the note above) with about a tablespoon of butter each. This is where you can get creative. Sprinkle herbs and/or cheese on the inside of the bowl. This yummy goodness will get baked on the outside crust. 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 turn the dough up onto itself. You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl. 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. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.
5. Bake for 10 minutes @ 475 ºF. Reduce the heat to 375º and make 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.
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