French Peasant Bread Recipes

FRENCH PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured plate. Clean the bowl and grease with butter. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel. Let rise in warm place 45 minutes or until double in bulk. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Flour your hands and divide dough into 2 parts, shaping each into an oblong loaf but DO NOT KNEAD. Place both loaves on the prepared baking sheet. Let the loaves rise another 45 minutes until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 425. Brush the tops of loaves with melted butter and bake 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 and bake 20 minutes more. While the loaves are still hot, brush with more butter and serve.

TOASTED PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Put a sheet pan in the oven so that it gets good and hot.
• Place the bread slices on the hot sheet pan. Drizzle the bread with the extra-virgin olive oil bake for 5 minutes, until the bread is nicely toasted. Rub the bread slices with the garlic cloves, and discard garlic. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

FRENCH PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast, sugar and salt in water.
• Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Do not knead -- it will be lumpy.
• Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hours
• Oil a cookie sheet with olive oil.
• Oil hands and remove dough from bowl and divide into 2 rounds and place on cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle dough with cornmeal(optional).
• Let rise 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and brush dough with melted butter.
• Bake for 10 min then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.
• When finished baking, brush again with melted butter.

FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place the first five ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed)., When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal., Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes., Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• Place the yeast and cumin in a large bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup of the water until the yeast is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 1 1/3 cups water. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and the salt. Gradually stir in the remaining flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough, knead for 5 minutes and divide in half. Sprinkle a large baking sheet lightly with cornmeal. Shape the dough into 2 round balls, flatten them slightly and place on the baking sheet.
• Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake until the loaves are nicely browned and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes. Place on a rack to cool.

PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Light or Medium Crust cycle; press Start. For a crispier crust, use the French cycle or turn machine off after first rise and start the cycle over.