We like good bread, but even with a voucher or coupon, the stuff is crazy price.  We’ve all been brainwashed into thinking that bread is something time-consuming and a lot of effort, when nothing could be further from the truth!  Up until a few days ago, I believed that, too!   Then I read an article that referenced the ease of making artisan breads and I immediately got a book from the library.  It wasn’t the one I from the article, which worked out great!  The book I’ve been using is called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Herzberg and Zoë François.  They just released a revised edition adding chapters on gluten-free baking.  The whole idea behind five minute breads is that your dough sits quietly waiting for you in a covered (but not air-tight) container in the refrigerator and you only grab enough for what you’re baking.  Yesterday’s loaf disappeared rather quickly, so tossed another one in the oven, which you see here.

So let’s start at the very, very beginning.  I’m lazy and use a stand mixer; makes the entire mixing step take about five minutes.

This is all you need for the basic dough recipe: unbleached flour, coarse salt, water and yeast.  It doesn’t matter what brand of flour or what form of yeast – they all work the same.  The only thing you have to be careful of is to keep the water tepid or cooler because otherwise you kill your yeast.  You can even use cold water, it just takes longer for the dough to rise.

6 1/2 cups flour (they recommend the scoop and level method, where you scoop out the flour, then use a knife to level the top).
3 cups tepid water
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt.

Add the water to the bowl, then yeast and salt, then all the flour at one time. I use a stand mixer with dough hook and it takes about 3 minutes before a dough ball forms. Take it out and place it in a 5 qt (approximately) covered container that is not air-tight.  Since I don’t want to be up all night baking bread, I stick it in the refrigerator to rise – takes overnight, but who cares?

I’m adding the last cup of flour to the bowl in this picture, then I’ll turn on the mixer on. If you’re really lazy, you could just mix it in the storage container, I suppose, but that’s reallllly lazy!

Within a couple of hours the dough will at least double in volume.  At that point you can flour your hands, reach in and grab a hunk of dough about grapefruit size – you might want to slice it off with a serrated knife.  I fold it over on itself, forming a ball, then place it on a cutting board dusted with cornmeal for about 40 minutes.  I used to have a peel (those big wooden paddles bakers use), but it kinda absorbed too much sewer water…so I make do without.  After about 20 minutes, turn on the oven to 450º and get a small pan ready to go into the oven at the same time as the loaf.  You need steam, so you’ll fill that pan with hot tap water – brilliant!  One thing you will need is a baking stone (which are perfect for frozen pizzas btw) which should always stay in the oven so you won’t forget until it’s too late and you end up just saying the hell with it and going to bed.  Not that that ever happened to me.  well, okay, mebbe one or two times.  okay maybe more…what are you, my mother!!!

The next step is to dust the ball lightly with flour, then take a wet serrated knife and make a cut or two on the top.  I really don’t understand the why of this but I’ve baked it both with and without the cuts.

After about 30 minutes check and see if the crust is nice and brown.  If it is, take it out with a spatula (you don’t wanna be grabbing this hot thing) and place the loaf on a rack to cool; put it on a plate or counter and it’ll get mushy.  That’s it – except for letting it cool thoroughly before slicing – – and good luck with that!

Get the book or go to their website and see how easy it all is – I plan to make baguettes and dinner rolls over the weekend.