Must Read Monday: The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
A long, long time ago on a TV far, far away, my husband and I watched a show called Lost with Jorge Garcia (You know...that guy Hurley that won the lottery with those cursed numbers). While he was acting on the show, he did a blog called "Dispatches from the Island." There was nothing fancy about the blog, but it was fun to watch his day-to-day adventures with his little dog NuNu, and all the fun things he did. (Side note: If you need a little time waster, go back and read some of his blog. He did a lot of fun stuff. http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/)
During the time he wrote in the blog, he frequently spoke about a bread making book he used called "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg. I bought and quickly read it. I made quite a bit of bread for a few years off and on. It was tasty and made me feel like a master bread baker. Eventually, the cookbook got pushed back behind of all of the other cookbooks I have and was forgotten until recently when I did a little purging in my kitchen. I opened my copy of the book again and wondered if there was an updated version. Through the COOL network that this library is part of, I found such an item housed with our friends at the Marvin Memorial Library in Shelby.
The authors do a great job of describing in detail how gluten works in making bread. They have created their own technique for making bread that requires no kneading. I don't know about you all, but I'm a super busy person who has no time for unnecessary kneading! Recipes make enough dough for several loaves of bread and is stored in the refrigerator. Included in the updated version is a new chapter on gluten-free breads.
Even if you are a person who believes they can't make bread, I am confident that you will find success with this technique. Super easy, super quick. I included a picture of the bread I tend to make the most; Pain d'Epi (wheat stalk bread).