Home Made Peasant Bread

An Easy Bread Recipe

Peasant Bread

The Very Simplest Way To Make Tasty Bread

Quickly

I do have a bread maker but in general I do not use it often as the bread is rather inferior. I love to make bread but am not particularly good at it - and also it usually takes far too long. I was delighted to discover a simple and fool proof way of making bread quickly, which could be cooked in an Aga or an ordinary oven - and appears to turn out perfectly each and every time. ~The very best part about this recipe is that there is no kneading required! I do know the Mark Bittman recipe for no knead bread very well and feel that this is on a par with that - although I do have a preference for this one as it is quicker - about 3 hours start to finish as apposed to 24 hours!

This is the recipe I use - a slight variation of that found in many places on the Internet.

Peasant Bread

Ingredients:
4 cups of bread flour (I use seeded Atkinson's flour or ordinary white bread flour)
2 cups of lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon of active yeast (again I use Atkinson's)
Softened butter to grease tins, (I use two small Pyrex bowls about 1 litre each, which enable a good view of the cooking process), but any bread tin or tins is fine

Method:
Sprinkle the active yeast over a bowl with the warm water and sugar and leave for ten minutes
Meanwhile put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and after ten minutes add the yeast mixture
Mix thoroughly and then place in a warm spot with a damp towel over the bowl for about an hour
After the dough has risen divide into two bowls well greased with softened butter
Again leave to rise in a warm spot with a damp towel over the bowl for about an hour
Cook in a hot oven for about 20-30 minutes (there is no temperature to an Aga other than hot)
Cooking charts suggest around 375 farenheight for ordinary ovens
The Pyrex helps enormously when testing to see if the bread is cooked

These are some photos of my bread taken along the preparation process ...

Ready For Tea?

This bread took about 22 minutes in a very hot oven. If the bowls are very well buttered the bread tips out easily. They are probably a little more well done than I would have wished but will still be delicious with butter when eaten warm.

The inside is just perfect!