Fresh Bread in 5 minutes a day
A new book has transformed the art of making bread, so that you can literally make a beautiful, delicious loaf in five minutes a day — no kneading required, and no starter to feed. The book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, includes a recipe for a “batch” that makes up to five loaves that you store in your refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Just pull off what you need for the day, and bake; the rest stays in the fridge.
Once you have taught your children this simple art, they will never be a starved college student. With a few dollars, pooled together from their buddies, they can get themselves some yeast, flour and cheese, and create a terrific meal for themselves and their friends. Cheaper than pizza, this method is so simple, you could make this in a college apartment, no special tools required.
Some things I’ve learned:
- Use two containers when doubling. I doubled the first batch, correctly believing I would be making lots of bread. This is what happened. (Check out those air holes!! That is going to be some GOOD bread!)
- The yeast and salt. The book calls for 1.5 tablespoons of yeast and salt each. The bread is a little too salty and almost reeks of yeast. You can reduce this to 1.5 teaspoons for both ingredients, and make better tasting bread, without loosing “rise.”
- You’ll be making more loaves than you thought. My first loaf came out of the oven, and I headed for my camera to take the picture – it was such a beautiful specimen. I came back to the kitchen to find this one lone crumb.
- Hands-Off Until It’s Cooled. Fresh bread out of the oven is tempting. Your kids, and spouse, will give it maybe five minutes at most to cool, at most. Just cool enough to grab it and pull it apart just to watch the steam come out of those hollow holes inside. Teach them to wait. Opening the bread while it’s too warm will collapse the bread. The texture of the bread will improve dramatically if your family can learn to be patient.
- While most bakers insist on a scale, this method demands that you scoop and level the flour. The recipes are “built” into this method.
- Train them. Truly, this bread-baking process is simple enough for an 8-year-old to easily master. So, go ahead, teach them how to pull out the dough for the day, shape it, and let it rest for the twenty minutes. You can step in to help when it’s time to build the steam in the 450-degree oven.
I waited for the book to show up at the library, got tired of waiting and ran to Barnes and Noble. Of course, the book was sold out, so I had to wait for the special order. The day it arrived, I fought ice and snow to get the book, toddler in tow, whining for the Batman Comic books, and we enjoyed our first freshly baked baguette that night.
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i am sooooo getting that book!! my kids love homemade bread. i don’t mind making it! i love fresh challah. but…that bread sounds delicious!
thank you for sharing!!
hope you have an awesome valentines day!
xo
Ooh, I am checking that out of the library tomorrow! I tried making starter a few times but couldn’t get it to work. I think I’ve got buttermilk biscuits down finally, so now it’s on to bread!
No starter to feed… amazing.
Sounds delightful! Your family are lucky!
Landscapes & Cityscapes
You are SO dangerous, Susie.
Must be something in the name.
I’m adding this book to my must get list. Thanks.
Hot buttered bread is like heaven. I could live off of bread, butter, and cheese alone. Well, maybe a little wine, too.
Great TT!
I agree… I could even skip the butter if I had good cheese.
OMG that looks delicious!! I just wish I wasn’t on this diet!!!!
Looks delicious.
I love breads! I used to make them when I had a bigger kitchen. Your photos of the bread is fab!
Hmm…home-made bread…
Man, I’m getting Homer Simpson flashes.
Happy TT!
Grace… trust me… No counter space needed for this.
My husband bakes all our bread by hand. Waiting for it to cool is definitely the hardest part!
I love fresh bread.
Your post made me hungry, all the fresh bread looked delicious even the one lone crumb.
Not feeling up to doing my own list this week, but wanted to wish all my fave 13ers a Happy Valentines Day
Now I’m going to go and get me some fresh bread! Yum!
Ever since my bread maker broke, there had been something missing in my life. No joke! I have to get this book.
OMG! I’m getting this book! I purchase frozen dough, but this sounds even better! Thanks for sharing!
Forget the breakdmaker! All you need is a spoon!
I’m getting the book!
I wonder if being at high altitude will make a difference?? I suppose shorter rising time…
I love homemade bread! Yummy!
I so love the smell of bread baking… Now that would be a perfume! (Though I hear that this is why many perfumes contain vanilla — for the associations with ‘mom’, ‘kitchen,’ ‘care taking’ and ‘comfort.’)
Yum … I love fresh homemade bread!
Hugs and blessings,
Well that looks just scrumptious! I might just have to pick that book up!
okay, you sold me.
i’ve done the “no-knead” bread from the times, but this is way intriguing.
Dang, I am soooo getting this book! Thank you so much!
Fantastic bread! Thanks for sharing how to make it, susie!
Oh yummy! I have a planned trip to the bookstore tomorrow…hmmmmm….thanks.
[...] other day, I ran across this post at SusieJ’s and I was immediately sucked in by the idea of fresh, artisan bread every [...]
[...] yoga gumbo: … [...]
Susie, I just had to let you know that my book arrived and I’ve already made 4 loaves! OMG this is amazing. Bad for my diet, but delicious! Thanks so much for sharing about it–I’d never heard of this method before your list.
[...] yoga gumbo: … [...]
[...] to entertain in this nippy, blustery weather. But I do have a batch of marshmallows brewing, and artisan bread that I can whip up in five minutes. But, seriously, I am NOT all about the food. In addition to our four boys, who love each [...]
[...] made bread today. Thanks to SusieJ’s review of the great book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day! I finally made it to the #1 spot in holds on [...]
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I’m Jeff Hertzberg, one of the co-authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I’m so glad our recipes are working well for you. Come visit us anytime at http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com, where you can post questions into any “Comments” field, or click on “Bread Questions” on the left side of the homepage and choose among the options.
Jeff Hertzberg
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com
Chicago tribune video: http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9780312362911&m_type=2&m_contentid=119255#video