Our Greek Peasant Bread-Horiatiko Psomi is an excellent homemade bread with crispy crust and fluffy crumb! It’s very easy to make and in just two hours you will have a delicious loaf of Greek goodness!
If you’re a fan of our delicious Peasant Bread-Horiatiko Psomi, you’re in for a treat with our Greek Olive Oil Bread, Pita Bread, and Tsoureki Bread!
Why this recipe sings
Here is what you need
- Yellow wheat flour—also called durum wheat flour or hard wheat flour. Hard wheat is used to make semola or semolina, a flour product with a yellow/golden color due to the high content of B-carotene. Further smiling of semolina creates durum flour. This flour is perfect for making Greek peasant bread and pie crusts.
- Fresh yeast—it is a block of fresh yeast cells that contains about 70% moisture and is mainly used by bakeries. It has a beige color and is soft and crumbly. Fresh yeast has a short two-week life and needs to be refrigerated.
- Sea salt.
- Water.
How to make Greek peasant bread
- Pour about 200 ml of lukewarm water into a small bowl (it should be at a temperature of 30° C. If you don’t have a thermometer, test with your finger – it should be hot, without burning).
- Crumble the yeast with your fingers, dissolve it in lukewarm water, and leave it in a warm place for about 15 minutes until it rises.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour and salt and mix with a spoon until combined.
- Add the yeast mixture and begin kneading with your hands or with the dough hook (the mixer’s special attachment for kneading), gradually adding the remaining water.
- Depending on the flour’s degree of absorbency, you may need to add a little less or more water.
- Knead for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough that does not stick to your hands.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about one hour, until doubled in volume.
- Heat the oven to 200° C.
- Place the dutch oven inside.
- Sprinkle a little flour on a working surface.
- Transfer it to the working surface and fold it a couple of times. Turn it into a ball.
- Transfer it to a large parchment paper.
- With a sharp knife or razor, lightly score the loaf.
- Leave it in a warm place for about 20 – 30 minutes until it rises again.
- Transfer the dough and the parchment paper to the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for about 45 – 50 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden.
- Tap the bottom of the bread with your fingers. If the sound is dull and there is an echo, it is ready. Otherwise, bake for about another 5 minutes.
- Let the bread cool on a rack, cover it with a cotton towel and store it in the bread basket.
Helpful tips
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a baking sheet to bake your bread. Dive the dough into two or three loaves, lay them on the sheet, score, let it sit for twenty minutes and bake for an hour at 200°C / 400°F.
- You can substitute 25 grams of fresh yeast with 8 grams of instant yeast or 10 grams of active dry yeast.
How to enjoy Greek peasant bread
- This bread is so delicious you can enjoy a piece just as a snack.
- Serve it sliced to accompany a large peasant salad, lentil soup or a hearty stew.
- Cut it into cubes and add it on a Greek grazing board next to cubed cheese and spreads.
- It is also terrific dipped in olive oil or with your favorite butter and jam.
- Use it to create yummy sandwiches like our feta grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.
- Use it after a few days to make croutons and breadcrumbs.
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Greek Peasant Bread-Horiatiko Psomi
Greek Peasant Bread-Horiatiko Psomi is an excellent crusty bread. It is so easy, in just two hours, you can have a delicious loaf.
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- Dutch oven 5 QT
Ingredients
- 1 kg yellow wheat flour
- 25 gr fresh yeast
- 450 ml water warm, about 30°C / 86°F
- ⅓ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Pour about 200 ml of lukewarm water into a small bowl (it should be at a temperature of 30° C. If you don't have a thermometer, test with your finger – it should be hot, without burning). Crumble the yeast with your fingers, dissolve it in the lukewarm water and leave it in a warm place for about 15 minutes, until it rises.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour and salt and mix with a spoon until combined.Add the yeast mixture and begin kneading with your hands or with the dough hook (the mixer's special attachment for kneading), gradually adding the remaining water. Depending on the flour's degree of absorbency, you may need to add a little less or more water.Knead for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough that does not stick to your hands.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about one hour, until doubled in volume.
- Heat the oven to 200° C.Place the dutch oven inside.
- Sprinkle a little flour on a working surface. Transfer it to the working surface and fold it a couple of times. Turn it into a ball. Transfer it to parchment paper.
- With a sharp knife or razor, lightly score the loaf. Leave it in a warm place for about 20 – 30 minutes until it rises again.
Bake
- Transfer the dough and the parchment paper to the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for about 45 – 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden.
- Tap the bottom of the bread with your fingers. If the sound is dull and there is an echo, it is ready. Otherwise, bake for about another 5 minutes.
- Let the bread cool on a rack, cover it with a cotton towel and store it in the bread basket.
Notes
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a baking sheet to bake your bread. Dive the dough into two or three loaves, lay them on the sheet, score, let it sit for twenty minutes and bake for an hour at 200°C / 400°F.
- You can substitute 25 grams of fresh yeast with 8 grams of instant yeast or 10 grams of active dry yeast.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 22mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 0.1gVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
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