Peasant Bread

This is one of those honest loaves of bread that can make a simple meal memorable. It's thick and crusty with a rich sweet flavour that particularly complements homemade soup and chunky pasta.

I made it last night to go with pasta with pumpkin sauce. It would have been wonderful if only the bread had been ready on time! It took double the time to rise and almost double the time to bake! Someone had let the fire almost go out and the house was like a freezer. Not exactly the best conditions for making bread!

This recipe makes two large loaves (usually larger than my photo shows) and is a good make-by-hand bread. I use a plastic dish pan (the type that's used for washing dishes when camping) to mix and knead and rise the dough in (a no-mess approach to making bread). There is only one rising time. At first I thought this was an error and let it rise a second time but when I eventually made the bread as per the recipe I discovered that it doesn't need that second rising time at all. Here's the recipe:

Peasant Bread
Into a large bowl place 1.4Kg of flour. Set aside a handful of flour, then add 1-1/2 tablespoons salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix together then make a well in the centre of the flour. Add 900mls warm water (I use half cold and half boiling water) to the well. Sprinkle over 1-1/2 tablespoons dried yeast and the reserved flour. Place in a warm place for an hour.

After an hour the yeast should be bubbling. Using your hands, draw flour into the yeast mixture in the centre. Begin to knead the bread. When the bread feels smooth, you're halfway there! Keep kneading until the dough is no longer sticky and feels soft and satiny (at least 10 minutes depending on your kneading skills and strength).

Form into a cushion shape, tucking the sides underneath, cover and leave in a warm place for an hour until doubled in size.

Knead the dough again for a few minutes then divide into two and place on two floured oven trays. Slash the tops with a knife if desired. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!