Honey Peasant Bread

Peasant bread is bread stripped to its essentials, and this bread machine version takes that philosophy seriously. Five ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, honey, salt, and yeast. No butter, no eggs, no milk. The result is a dense, hearty loaf with a wheaty flavor that tastes like bread should taste.

The honey serves a dual purpose. It feeds the yeast for a better rise and adds a barely-there sweetness that takes the edge off the whole wheat flour’s natural bitterness. You won’t taste honey in the finished loaf, but you’d notice something missing without it.

Using 100% whole wheat flour makes this a genuinely wholesome bread, but it also means the loaf will be denser and more compact than white bread. Whole wheat flour absorbs more water and produces less gluten, so the texture is closer to a European country loaf than a fluffy sandwich bread.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the whole wheat or whole grain setting on your bread machine. This cycle runs a longer rise that gives whole wheat flour more time to develop structure and height.
• Check the dough during the first knead. Whole wheat flours vary in water absorption. If the dough looks too dry, add water a tablespoon at a time. Too sticky, add flour.
• Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. Whole wheat bread holds steam longer than white bread, and cutting early gives you a gummy interior.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of olive oil for a softer crumb and slightly longer shelf life.
• Mix in seeds like sunflower, flax, or pumpkin during the add-in beep for a seeded peasant loaf with more texture.