Key Ingredient, Inc.: 5 Minutes a Day Artisan Bread

Tip #8

So I have a little confession to make. I LOVE to bake bread. Rolls, sweet breads, white bread, artisan bread, pizza dough, biscuits. Any kind of bread. I love the yeasty smell and the warmth that baking bread seems to bring to the entire house. I also LOVE the way it tastes of course.

I've been hearing about this 5 Minutes a Day Artisan Bread for some time. I had heard wonderful things about the book and even more wonderful things about the authors. I poked around on their website and they are very willing to share tips, recipes, and techniques. There's lots of good information there.

So back to my tip for today: Why spend $3-6 a loaf on fancy bread from the bakery when you can make it yourself easily. This recipe does not disappoint. It is very simple and the actual hands-on time involved in making it is, at most, 5 minutes. You mix up the dough and then just leave it in the refrigerator. When you want to bake your bread, you simply snip off the desired amount of dough, shape it, let it rise and then bake it.

And it is very good. I'm posting the recipe but I highly suggest the book. There are lots of recipes and suggestions included that are great. I hope you'll try this recipe and leave your feedback here in the comments section.

5 Minutes a Day Artisan Bread

Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance.

1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
Cornmeal, for dusting the cooking surface

In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)

When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel (I don't actually use a pizza peel but it does make it a lot easier). Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it's not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.

Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40-90 minutes (let it rise until the dough is slightly "wobbly"). Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day's storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.

Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, ¼-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

Photo by justinbaeder