Friday, January 18, 2013

Overnight Crusty Peasant Bread

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When I first saw the No-kneed Crusty Bread recipe over at Simply So Good I spent an hour looking through all the variations and types I wanted to try and I tweaked the recipe about a gazillion times.  I believe I finally got a consistent perfect loaf!  I think that her base recipe is amazing… and it worked most of the time for me, but whenever I would want to use a whole grain flour it would go dense and flat.  So for us, this is the ‘perfect’ compromise and my own new version of European Peasant Bread.

Overnight Crusty Peasant Bread

  • 1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of spelt flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups of warm water

Sift flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together in a very large bowl. 

Add the warm water and mix until it creates a ‘shaggy’ mixture. 

Cover and let sit for 12 - 18 hours. 

Pour out onto a floured surface and shape into a mound.  Let sit while your oven preheats.

Place your Dutch oven in your large oven, lid and all, and preheat your oven to 400*.

After it is preheated (about 30 mins), carefully open the Dutch oven lid and drop the formed loaf inside, returning the lid to the Dutch oven.

Cook for 30 minutes. 

Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.

Done! 

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I mix it up right before I go to bed at night and then make it between breakfast and lunch the next day.  Sometimes we eat it right away (with honey!  YUM!) and sometimes we save it for dinner with some homemade soup. 

Add-ins - There are some amazing add-in ideas over at Simply So Good, but for my family, we like things a bit spicy.  Just add these in to your ‘shaggy mixture’ and you’ll have a whole different flavor of yummy crusty bread to enjoy!

Slightly spicy loaf - Add in:

  • 2 Tbs of canned green chilies
  • 2 Tbs salsa
  • 1/2 cup of grated Jalapeno jack cheese

Garlic Loaf (very similar to Costco’s garlic bread) - Add in:

  • One head garlic, full cloves, pealed and cleaned.
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

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8 comments

mandi said...

Wow! So easy! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm getting my spelt berries in this week- can't wait to try!

Morgan said...

Could you use wheat flour instead of spelt flour? I have wheat that I grind fresh for making bread. Feel free to email back morgola@gmail.com

Val in the Rose Garden said...

@ Morgan: I have used WW flour instead of spelt flour. It didn't rise as well as the spelt, but it sure tasted great!

Blessings,

Val

Val in the Rose Garden said...

@ mandi - Please, (actually both of you) let me know how the fresh ground flour works in this recipe! I am getting a grain mill some time this year and would love to know that my favorite recipes are all still valid or that I have to find some new ones. ;)

Thank you!

Blessings,

Val

Natasha Klein said...

hi I was hoping you could help me make this awesome loaf!! I have baked breads before and none turn out well!
always dense and dry :(
I looked for you on facebook...
are there any secrets to this bread?
what is spelt flour? can I just use all purpose?
thanks!!!

Val in the Rose Garden said...

Hi Natasha - You do not need to use spelt flour. Your loaf will turn out just fine with just all purpose flour. I think you will love this recipe as it is SO easy and it's also super tasty. :) Enjoy!

Heard about Mesothelioma Lawyer Lake Charles LA said...

Easy to make and great tasting too! Another great recipe from you. Thanks!

Janice said...

Easiest bread ever! I’ve been substituting various flours and loving the results.
Thank you.

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