Well Fed Network

I got this amazing book for Christmas. It’s called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It has changed my life.

Here’s the simple concept: A batch of high moisture doughs sit in the fridge in a lidded container so that all you need to do is rip off a grapefruit-sized hunk of it, shape it, and bake it. However, before you run out and purchase this book, you should make yeast bread on your own, in order to truly appreciate the way in which these techniques will revolutionize and demystify the process of bread baking. Yeast bread isn’t impossible, mind you. It doesn’t typically require a lot of active, hands-on engagement, but it does require a bit of planning and a considerable chunk of time to dip in and out of your kitchen to monitor the rising and so forth. With this book, you can have dough on hand in the fridge (the batch is good for two weeks but, trust me, it won’t last that long) and bake it when you get home from work or first thing in the morning, which is great for those who get inspired to eat something like fresh homemade bread but don’t want to wait half the day for it.

The master recipe is for a simple boule — a round, crusty loaf, and once you master it, it becomes easier to try others. Boule begets baguette begets European peasant loaves and flatbreads and pizza and so forth; the list is endless. There are even recipes for sweeter things, like brioche and challah and pecan caramel rolls.The book is the brainchild of a scientist — well, a physician, Jeff Hertzberg — and a pastry chef, Zoe Francois. The master recipe for boule is as follows, and you can use either a wooden spoon, a food processor or a traditional stand mixer.

Ingredients:
6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method
1-1/2 Tbsp. granulated yeast
1-1/2 Tbsp. kosher or other coarse salt
3 cups of lukewarm water (you can also use cold water but the initial rising time will be longer)

1. Warm the water slightly; it should feel a bit warmer than body temperature, around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, in order to rise the dough in about two hours. You can use cold tap water and get the same end result but the rise will take 3-4 hours.(I used warm water from the tap.)

2. Add the yeast and salt to the water in a 5 quart bowl of a mixer or other bowl, preferably in a resealable, lidded but not airtight plastic food container. Don’t worry about letting it all dissolve. (I used the bowl for my stand mixer.)

3. Mix in the flour all at once, using either a wooden spoon, a food processor with at least 14-cup capacity, or the hook attached to your stand mixer. Mix until the dough is uniform; you’re finished and it’s ready when everything is moist and there are no dry patches. Do not knead.

4. Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container you’re using (I simply transferred the dough to a plastic container at this point.) Let it rise at room temperature until it starts to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), about two hours, depending on the ambient temperature of your kitchen. Longer rising times of up to 5 hours won’t harm the result. You can then use a portion of this dough after the first rise, but it’s easier to work with if it’s refrigerated for at least three hours or overnight.(I refrigerated it overnight and used it the next day.)

5. On baking day: Prepare a pizza peel with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough and using a serrated knife pull off a hunk that weighs about a pound-about the size of a grapefruit. Working quickly, hold the dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30-60 seconds.

6. Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel. Allow it to rest for about 40 minutes; it doesn’t need to be covered. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking (”oven spring”).

7. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

8. Unless otherwise indicated in a specific recipe, dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4-inch deep cross, scallop, or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated knife.

9. After a 20-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake, even though your oven thermometer won’t be up to full temperature (Note: Mine was, but I have a convection oven and it preheats quickly.)With a quick, forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour a cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Because you’ve used wetd ough, there is little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferrably on a wire cooling rack, for best flavor, texture, and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in the lidded plastic container for up to two weeks. (Note: it won’t last that long!)

You can begin to see how the variations for this are endless. There you have it. Fresh bread from your own hands.