Herbed Peasant Bread Recipe
An easy, no-knead, make-ahead herbed peasant bread that I get lots of compliments on! Recipe modified from the original recipe in Victoria Magazine archives from October 1999.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (all-purpose is fine too)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp yeast
- 1 tbsp Italian herb blend
- 2 1/4 cups warm water (about 100 degrees)
Instructions
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the 2 14/ cups of warm water.
- Stir the ingredients.
- I know I said this is no-knead, but I do knead the dough a few times at this point to finish bringing the dough together. The dough will not be smooth.
- Cover the dough in a bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight at room temperature and up to 24 hours.
- After your dough has sat overnight, it should have risen significantly and have some bubbles in it. The dough will be loose and sticky.
- Remove the dough and form it into a ball, and set it on parchment paper.
- Dust the top of the dough with flour.
- Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 more hours.
- Near the end of the 2 hours, turn the oven on to 500 degrees.
- Place a 4-6 quart Dutch oven with lid in the oven to heat up.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the dough. If desired, score with a knife.
- Using oven mitts, remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and set it in your baking area for the moment.
- Next, very carefully lift the edges of the parchment paper with your dough still on it and set it inside the Dutch oven.
- Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and return it to the 500-degree oven, letting the bread bake for 30 minutes.
- At this point, remove the lid and bake the bread for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned on top as shown in photos.
- Remove the bread from the oven when brown on top and done.
- Use the corners of the parchment paper to lift the bread from the Dutch oven.
- Let it cool a bit before enjoying!
