The bread chronicles - part one

For Christmas, my parents gave me Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  So far, I love this book.  I started with the boule, or the master recipe.  You mix the dough, let it rise for a couple of hours and then stick it in the refrigerator to keep for up to two weeks.  You cut off a hunk, form the loaf, let it rest and then bake.  The recipe supposedly makes four loaves of bread.  And it does, if you like really small loaves.

Above is loaf number one.  I followed the directions to the letter for this one and had some issues.  After much consulting with Sarah and Emily, I think my house is not warm enough to let the dough rise properly after I take it out of the refrigerator.

With loaf number two, I let the dough rest for 2 hours (instead of the 40 minutes) before I put it in the oven.  That did the trick - this one was far better.

For loaf number three, I decided to try the baguette.   It is made using the same basic dough recipe.  Again, I let it rest longer before I put it in the oven - about 1 1/2 hours instead of 20 minutes.  Apparently, I did not slash the top deep enough so it really isn't as pretty as I had hoped.  It didn't matter - it was really good.  So far, this one is my favorite.

I'm anxious to try another recipe from this book - perhaps a sandwich loaf.  It's really nice to have the dough sitting in the fridge, ready to go at my whim.  I'm also thinking up ways to get my girls in on the action.  It really is easy enough for kids to do with some supervision.

Before I mix up another batch from this book, I am going back to the dutch oven, no-knead variety like Leslie just made.  It's been awhile since I made that and I want to do a little comparing.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Comments

[Mary Jo, Five Green Acres]

Oh Thank YOU! I've been meaning to open my book (the same one) and get a batch or two going. This is the perfect inspiration to do it now! Your loaves look beautiful - nicely crusty on the outside and beautifully soft on the inside. Awesome. I'll bet that a 2 hour rise is in order for me, too.

[Sarah Jackson]

mmm. I need to make some bread today. I don't think we've had bread in the house for 2 weeks. That's just not acceptable.

[Sarah]

Isn't that a great book. I've made the primary recipe a few times. I love that I can just throw it in the oven for dinner guests or to go with a good soup.

[Cathy]

that would be really cool to have bread dough premade in the refrigerator!

[Katie]

I took out that book from the library and really enjoyed using it for its convenience. I made stromboli a few times using the boule recipe, and it was a big hit. The cinnamon buns are good too.

As for sandwich bread, I don't think it's my favorite. My favorite recipe is the Oatmeal Bread on the back of the King Arthur Bread Flour. yummy!

[beki]

Oh my, my pants are already tight. If I started baking bread I'd surely be as big as a house, though I'm sure it would be easy to only eat a little bit with the bread lovers in this house - they'd devour a loaf in no time. (okay, could that sentence be any longer??)

[rohanknitter]

I got that book for Christmas too - haven't tried anything yet. I already make all our sandwich bread, but I thought that would be nice for doing bread for soups and such with dinner.

[Amy]

I have never been able to bake bread - until I got this book. I hope you enjoy years of deliciousness!

[lisa]

Beautiful bread loaves! That looks like a book to add to my wish list.

[Ana Kreutzer]

Homemade bread! Yum! You know when I was a new wife and stay at home mom I baked bread one day and surprised my husband with it for supper that night. His reaction was, "Isn't it cheaper to buy bread than it is to bake it?" Needless to say, I've not baked bread since...which was 22 years ago. WOW! Maybe I ought to take it up again! I'm getting so old!

[Amanda H.]

I absolutely adore this book...and the bread that I get when I make it! Isn't it amazing how pretty they look when they are done? I never thought I could make bread like that before this book.

[jess]

I got that book before Christmas and really enjoyed it.
I got out of the habit of making bread during the holidays, but I think it's time to break that bad boy out again.

[Meg Evans]

I love that book and am so happy to have my own copy after constantly renewing the library copy! I usually have either the master recipe or the olive oil dough recipe (for pizza crust) on hand in the fridge. And we made pizza last night, so I'd best go get another batch going. I'm thinking a baguette for French toast this weekend...

[Lindsey]

I love the recipes from this book! I make sandwich bread, bread for soups, and even garlic bread from the recipe in some form or other. I sometimes let my bread rest longer, too.

Enjoy!!

[Lisa Clarke]

I have that book on my wish list. Maybe I ought to bump it up in priority ;-)

[Zoe Francois]

Your loaves look fantastic! The crust is just perfect! Thank you so much for trying out the recipes and sharing your great success with your readers. I just love to see pictures of what people are baking from the book!

Great thanks and Happy Baking! Zoë François

PS If you have any questions we'd love to hear from you at www.artisanbreadinfive.com.

[caroline]

You bringing one of those loaves over tomorrow?

[laeroport]

I had to give my book back to the library, so I think a purchase is in order. I substituted 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour for the white in the current batch I've got going. We liked it too. And yes, it is so great to have it sitting in the fridge, ready to go.
My five year old son likes to help mix it up - very kid friendly. ;)

[Tanya]

I purchased the book last spring after reading about it on Angry Chicken's blog (Amy Karol) and have been loving it! I've tried a bunch of the recipes and especially like making pizza with the Olive Oil dough. The Buttermilk bread is yummy, too and the cinnamon swirl loaf. I did notice on the web site that there is an errata with the resting time of the dough after taking it out of the fridge - should be an hour and 40 minutes. Good call on keeping it out for 2 hours. Your loaves look delicious!

[Mary]

They all look good to me. There is nothing like fresh bread out of the oven with a little butter melted onto it! Mmmm...

[loriz]

I also have the problem of my house not being warm enough, as the dough does not rise quickly once out of the fridge.

A Baguette is a great idea!

[amandajean]

mmmm, bread!

[Kate]

There's a light wheat recipe that's our regular these days. I think that's the name. And your loaves - every last one of them - look so much better than mine! I don't think I cut deep enough. Hmmm..

[melissa]

My house is also stone cold in the winter, so I turn the oven on at about 200 and put the dough on top of the stove. I turn the stove off after it gets to temperature and open the oven door. After a while I turn the stove up to preheat the baking stone, and I usually let the loaf rise for at least an hour. Even when the rise is wimpy the loaf seems to do fine in the oven.

[Liz]

I love the idea of fresh bread anytime! I have got to get that book! Thanks for sharing.

[Jolene]

I got my married daughter that same book for Christmas and have been using the basic recipe at my house. I love this easy easy recipe too.

[leslie]

my no knead is sitting on the counter, waiting to be baked. i am going to be so bummed that i didn't make two.
i must get that book!!!

[Erin Hibshman]

This book rocks! I have had it since the summer when I read about it on Angry Chicken's (Amy Karol) blog as well. I also agree that the loaves can be a tad on the small side, so I know that when it says "Makes 4 loaves" it really makes 3 for our family. I LOVE the basic recipe, and also the brioche recipe. As for a quick recipe, I love the King Arthur Flour recipe for english muffin bread that is on their website.

[Rhiannon]

I have a cold house too. So what I do is turn my oven on for just a couple minutes to warm it up just a smidge and then put my dough in there to rest/rise. It works a treat.

[Myrnie]

mmm...I've been meaning to get that book from the library, your loaves look fantastic! I've found the only way to rise dough in my kitchen is to leave it in the bowl on top of the stove, under a damp towel (I run it under warm water and wring it out really well), and I leave the stove light on as well.

For the final rise (after I've shaped the loaves), I start preheating the oven and leave them next to the vent, covered in the same damp towel.

Isn't it amazing all the tricks we come up with to make things work?! :)

[ani]

i picked up that book from the library but decided that trying to keep a giant container of dough in my fridge wasn't going to work too well. i adore the NY Times no knead bread...it takes a forethought, but i've never been disappointed with it.

[PatchworkPottery]

I've found that my house is also not warm enough in the winter. It's taking about twice as ling (4 hours for my first rise) and 1 1/2 hrs for the second straight from the first batch (unrefrigerated) and at least 2 hours from refrigerated dough. A trick to speed things up is to the it rise in the oven with the light on. It's warmer in there!

Careful...it's very addictive...I needed to buy bigger pants!

Hugs, Laurraine

[PatchworkPottery]

I also found that if I put more water in the pan the crust is not as thick but still nice and crunchy (not as difficult to chew). I tried putting no water to see what would happen and the crust was rock hard...

[Pittsy]

My aunt gave every on her list this book, including me. I'm not a baker (but I love to cook). She promises I won't be disaapointed. I am inspired to give it a try. This weekend.

[Eliane]

you make me soooo curious and I wonder whether I can purchase that seemingly marvellous book in Ireland as we eat mainly self made bread but we need some change! thank you for sharing!

[Christy]

My husband received this book for Christmas and our house has been a bakery ever since! Seriously, I'm going to have to get him to slow down if I don't want to put on 30lbs before spring! The bread is amazing..who doesn't love that smell in the house?! We have also tried the rye and the spinach/feta bread. Both are great!

[Emily]

I got it for Christmas too! I've used up ten pounds of flour between that one and the light wheat bread.

[lucy]

I am honestly going to try this handmade bread pretty soon. I tried it once but the bread turned out too hard, so i gave up. Since then I use a breadmachine (shhh!). You really made me want to try again and follow instructions!

[Fiona]

I have been reading about this and am looking forward to trying it out. I love baking bread, but we also have the problem of the house not being warm enough. Last time I put it in the oven to rise and it was a little too successful! Normally I put it in its bowl on a chair a little way from the gas fire and the fan blows the warm air over it. Seems to work out ok for us.
Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread.

[emily]

aren't there whole grain recipes in there too? i've gotta put my copy next to the sofa. doing it now. (must find a good one to bake in march!)

[Grace]

I'm excited to try the one that Leslie made, and today I talked on the phone about Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for about 30 minutes to one of my friends. She just got the book this week and is IN LOVE with it. I think it's quickly being bumped to the top of my birthday wishlist.

[heather at brown robin]

It was fun to check in with you after not being here for a while. I have been using this book for the last couple of months, and loving it. I haven't posted about it, though. I keep forgetting to take pics of the bread before we eat it up! I've been experimenting a bit with rise too. I found that I can let it "rest" all day, or say, 6 hours and it gets more loft. Also, it seems to matter exactly how wet it is. If it's too wet, adding some flour when cloaking and pulling it a bit more has seemed to help. These were all suggestions from an "expert" friend of mine. Experimenting has never made a bad loaf, though. Seriously, I can't seem to mess it up. It just rises less, but tastes great!

[metrosupial designs]

Having been a baker with a wood fired brick oven, I gotta say that crust is impressive looking! Better make some aprons for the kids!

[Amy @ parkcitygirl]

I just added that book to my wishlist! Your bread looks yummy - I love to make it at home :)

[SaraD]

Wow, this book looks great. Your bread is beautiful. I reserved the book from the library, can't wait to try some recipes out. I love that you can just take it out of the fridge and go with it.

By the way, I also have a hard time getting my bread to rise since I keep our house at a "toasty" 62 degrees.

[heather smith jones]

loaf number two looks so good and i find that homemade bread usually tastes yummy regardless of how we wanted it to look. :)
i need to check that book out!

[kate]

You've inspired me to get that book off the shelf and try again. My first attempt didn't go so well. Looks delicious!

[tiennie]

That looks delicious! I would love to make homemade bread.

[Debbie]

I have the book, too; my favorite so far is the 100% whole wheat--so so delicious. I also like to use the master recipe and roll sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and parmesan cheese into it. All this fresh-baked goodness makes my family happy--especially my Portuguese daughter-in-law, who has never eaten packaged breads and misses the baked wonders of home. (oh my goodness, not to mention those cheeses, especially san jorge.)

[anina]

I've heard a lot about this book and I love fresh baked bread. This may just make me run out and get it.