Yield: 2 full loaves of lovely peasant bread. It makes wonderful sandwiches, toast, or just anytime bread. and is so easy to put together, it really is the work of minutes.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together: flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Pour in your warm water. Stir until all the flour is incorporated and behold the shaggy mess. Don’t stress. Cover it and let it sit someplace warm until it is double in size. It should definitely look wet and full of bubbles at this point.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Generously butter two standard size loaf pans all the way to the top and make sure you hit the rim too--this bread rises dramatically. Then take two forks, and separate and deflate your dough. Spill/lift a half of the dough into each loaf pan. The dough has a very high water content, so it will be quite sticky. I find it easiest to lift the dough and plop it into the pans. Don’t worry that it looks lumpy. Let it sit in the pans for about 20 minutes, till it rises about even with the top/slightly over. Put your dough into the oven for about 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 375 F, and bake for about 15-20 minutes more.