European Peasant Bread

A wonderful cookbook I have is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Well, it is too good, but also, it is true. The authors developed a basic bread recipe that is easy, and importantly, does not require kneading. The dough is mixed, allowed to rise in a container (not air-tight) then refrigerated until ready to bake. There are many variations of the basic recipe. I love the European Peasant Bread. Crusty bread with a marvelous crumb.

Yeast and salt are added to warm water in the bowl of my stand-up mixer. The flours, in this case, whole wheat, rye and all-purpose. It is mixed until incorporated then dumped into a container with a lid. Leave the lid slightly ajar as the dough will rise and then fall slightly over a two-hour period. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

When ready to bake the bread, dust the top of the dough with flour and pull a hunk of about a pound from the container. Dust with a little more flour and shape into a ball by pulling the sides down and under. Place on a pizza peel that has been covered with cornmeal and let it rest and rise for 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes later, preheat the oven to 450° with a baking stone set on the center rack. The recipe calls for placing an empty broiler tray on a rack under the stone. This is for placing some hot water in to create steam during baking. I have tried it with and without the water with great results both ways. For these Christmas loaves, I used the water.

Sprinkle the top of the risen dough ball with more flour and using a sharp knife, make a cross or other decorative pattern. Slide the dough directly from the pizza peel onto the baking stone and add a cup of water to the broiler pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown and firm. Of course, larger loaves require cooking time adjustment.

Bon appétit!