Peasant Bread Loaf

Peasant Bread Sandwich Loaf Recipe from Alexandracooks.com

Makes 1 loaf

“My mother’s peasant bread continues to be my favorite, easiest bread to make. This is a simple variation, adapted to yield one standard-sized loaf pan, a great shape for both sandwiches and toast. (You can find notes below the recipe that address using whole wheat flour, doubling the recipe, and storing the bread.) For best results, measure with a scale. It will leave you with a delicious loaf of bread, golden-crusted, soft-crumbed, perfect for smearing with good, salted butter.”

3 cups (384 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons (5 g) instant yeast, see notes if using active dry

1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons (5 g)  kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (340 grams) lukewarm water

Softened butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the lukewarm water. Using a spatula, stir to combine until you have a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm spot to rise until the dough doubles, about 2 hours (or longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen).

Heat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9×5-inch or 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan with the softened butter. Deflate the dough using two forks or a flexible dough scraper. Pour the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough and turn the dough ball to coat it in the oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Let rise until the dough crowns the rim of the pan, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

A few notes from Ali:

Dry-Active Yeast

If using active-dry yeast, sprinkle it over the lukewarm water and add the sugar. Let stand for 15-20 minutes or until the yeast gets foamy. Then proceed with the recipe.

Using Whole Wheat

You can substitute some whole wheat flour for the bread flour, if you wish. I recommend starting small: 1 cup (128 g) whole wheat flour and 2 cups (256 g) bread flour. Keep in mind the more whole wheat flour you add, the heavier/denser the bread will be.

Hydration Issues

Depending on where you live, you may need to adjust the amount of water you are using. This is a very high hydration dough, and if you live in a humid environment or if you are using a different type of flour (as opposed to commercial, American flour such as King Arthur Flour), you may need to reduce the amount of water — the dough should be wet and sticky, but it should still form a ball. In other words, it should not be soupy.