Peasant Bread

(This recipe makes one loaf. The three above were made by doubling the recipe and using smaller loaf pans.) 

 

4 cups flour

1½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 cups warm water

 

Whisk dry ingredients together.

Add water and mix with spatula or wooden spoon till shaggy sticky ball and no dry streaks.

Cover and let rise till double; 1-1½ hours.

 

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Preheat oven to 425F.

Grease 9-inch pie plate or 8½x4½-inch loaf pan.

Put dough in pan.

Let dough rest uncovered 15-20 minutes, till slightly puffy.

 

Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce to 375%.

 

Bake 55 minutes.

Remove from pan when taken from the oven.

 

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I’ve made some adjustments to the above recipe. I use half whole wheat flour and half white; 2 teaspoons of honey instead of the sugar; I shape the loaves but it seems to me the original recipe allows you to dump the dough into a loaf pan and that works fine; and I bake at 325F for 15 minutes, then 45 minutes or 1 hour at 375F.

 I usually double the recipe and have added chopped green onions to the dough when mixing.

Aaaand ... one last tip if you're new at baking: I slash the tops of the loaves (about 1/2 inch deep) diagonally 3 times so that they can "spring" -- rise -- in the oven without the crust tearing during that first 15 minutes at 325F.