French Peasant Bread

Mmm, breeeaaad. There is nothing quite like a warm fragrant loaf of soft bread you've made yourself. There is no one perfect kind out there, which is why you will find me posting bread recipes over and over on here; they are all good. I got this one from my friend Lindsay's blog - she made it for another friend Emily's baby shower for her TRIPLETS (omigosh, can't believe it.) It's got the simplest ingredient list, absolutely no kneading, and two simple rises. Didn't even get out my bread board. If you can stir with a spoon and put flour on your hands you can make this bread.

By the sound of "peasant bread" for some reason I was expecting a super crunchy crusty crust but was pleasantly surprised by how soft and tender these rounds are throughout. Wonderfully soft and melt-in-your-mouth bready. We served it up with a hearty sausage and lentil soup, but, like any homemade white bread, it would go great with anything.

French Peasant Bread

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1 T sugar

2 tsp salt

4 cups flour

Oil or cooking spray

Cornmeal

Melted butter (about 2 T)

1. Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in a warm bowl. Stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise 1 hour, until doubled.

2. Flour hands well and remove dough from bowl. Shape into two rounds and place on a greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour more. Brush with melted butter.

3. Preheat oven to 425. Bake for 10 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Brush again with the rest of the melted butter.

Recipe from my friend Lindsay's friend Sarah