I never, ever, used to make bread, and was spending lots of money on artisan loaves from the bakeries. I tried to change that earlier this year with the arrival of some of the 'no knead' bread recipes that came out. For some reason, they just didn't turn out well for me. Then, along came Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François and the bells are ringing, fireworks are exploding and I am like a teenager in love! I have not bought a bakery-made artisan loaf in months! The authors have kindly shared a few of their recipes on their website and have a place for questions and tips. Here are a few of the recipes I have made with success from the book:
Master Boule
Pain d'Epi
Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Bread (using the Raisin Walnut recipe)
Caramelized Onion and Herb Dinner Rolls
Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls
I have found the best results using Gold Medal 'Better for Bread' flour and SAF Gourmet Perfect Rise yeast. The containers I use for storing the dough in the container are new 1 gallon paint pails with lids purchased at the hardware store. I also firmly believe in using a pizza stone for baking. I also let the dough 'rest' on a piece of parchment paper cut to the size of the pizza stone placed on top of the flat side of a cookie sheet. Then, I just simply slip the parchment and dough onto the pre-heated pizza stone and there is no sticking. All of these tips were taken directly from the book.I hope you give this bread a try - it has made my friends and family very happy!
