Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day
I first heard of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day more than a year ago. I thought it sounded great, but making homemade bread was sooooo.... NOT on my radar. Now though, I've spent most of this year making a couple loafs of homemade Amish white bread a week and feel like I am ready to venture into more interesting textures and flavors of bread.
After a reminder about this book from Tracey (yes the same awesome friend who started an Amazon Wish List for Joplin, MO moms), I decided to buy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day.
And I don't regret it.
I knew I was going to like the bread I made when following the procedures in this book. I even went ahead and doubled the Master Recipe because I knew I couldn't fail. That's how easy the authors made the process. The basic premise is to make up a master batch of dough and then pull chunks of it off to make individual loafs through out the week. The dough can last for up to 14 days in the refrigerator, or longer if you freeze it. There is no wearing out your arms endlessly kneading and punching down bread. The whole process is based on a very wet dough which results in crispy outsides and creamy, dreamy insides.
It didn't surprise me when the brioche came out exactly like the book said it would, even though my skills at creating a gluten cloak were severely lacking. Wanna see what it looked like? I know you do!
Here's what the inside of the loaf looked like. It was super moist and spongy in a good way.
And yes, there is a chunk taken out of that slice. I couldn't resist myself once my hands were on it and had to have a piece!
Charlotte regularly tells me that my homemade bread is her "favorite thing ever!" She even liked this brioche despite the crispier crust. She asked me to cut off some of the darker spots, but still ate most of the crust she was given. We had company over the day I made this and they all liked it too.
Bruce doesn't prefer the super crispy crust, so I may make some and then put it in a zip top bag to soften it up some. Overall though, he enjoyed it and said it would have only been improved with some butter. I wasn't offended though because I know butter pretty much makes every thing better. Right?
Do you make bread at home? If you do or if you don't, I'd highly recommend you get a copy of this book. With the narrative about how and why this method works, I could have started my homemade bread making journey with this book and given my bread maker away. I can see how these recipes would be great for working moms, stay at home moms, or people who live alone but still want to enjoy fresh bread regularly. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about making a master batch and taking it to my mom so she can have some of this fresh bread goodness!
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| After 3 hours of rising in a 2 gallon bucket |
And I don't regret it.
I knew I was going to like the bread I made when following the procedures in this book. I even went ahead and doubled the Master Recipe because I knew I couldn't fail. That's how easy the authors made the process. The basic premise is to make up a master batch of dough and then pull chunks of it off to make individual loafs through out the week. The dough can last for up to 14 days in the refrigerator, or longer if you freeze it. There is no wearing out your arms endlessly kneading and punching down bread. The whole process is based on a very wet dough which results in crispy outsides and creamy, dreamy insides.
It didn't surprise me when the brioche came out exactly like the book said it would, even though my skills at creating a gluten cloak were severely lacking. Wanna see what it looked like? I know you do!
Here's what the inside of the loaf looked like. It was super moist and spongy in a good way.
And yes, there is a chunk taken out of that slice. I couldn't resist myself once my hands were on it and had to have a piece!
Charlotte regularly tells me that my homemade bread is her "favorite thing ever!" She even liked this brioche despite the crispier crust. She asked me to cut off some of the darker spots, but still ate most of the crust she was given. We had company over the day I made this and they all liked it too.
Bruce doesn't prefer the super crispy crust, so I may make some and then put it in a zip top bag to soften it up some. Overall though, he enjoyed it and said it would have only been improved with some butter. I wasn't offended though because I know butter pretty much makes every thing better. Right?
Do you make bread at home? If you do or if you don't, I'd highly recommend you get a copy of this book. With the narrative about how and why this method works, I could have started my homemade bread making journey with this book and given my bread maker away. I can see how these recipes would be great for working moms, stay at home moms, or people who live alone but still want to enjoy fresh bread regularly. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about making a master batch and taking it to my mom so she can have some of this fresh bread goodness!
This book is wonderful!! A friend of mine turned me on to it and now I make all of our bread at home. I actually am getting ready to post about it on my blog as well. More people need to know about it.
ReplyDelete@LeAnn - Since you are more familiar with the book, have you tried their recipe for the bread that is more sandwich like? I like the crusty/chewy bread, but the other adults in my house prefer the softer varieties.
ReplyDeleteI just added that book to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI make other breads occasionally, but that looks just wonderful.
@Kris - I just put another 2 small loaves in the oven this morning... can't wait for it to come out! You won't regret trying the methods in this book. Make sure you tell me how it works out once you get and try the book.
ReplyDelete