The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

While I admit that the authors have omitted the rise and bake times in their statement that these artisans loaves can be routinely enjoyed at home with only 5 minutes per day, their explanation for their reasoning is quite valid. Their, "5 minutes," includes active time, time that must be solely devoted to the process. During the rising, resting, chilling, and baking, the artisan can be doing other things and therefore the time is not really devoted to the bread. The bottom line is that you cannot decide to have this bread and eat it, let alone just have it, in a mere five minutes. That said, five minutes now can, indeed, give you great bread later on in the same day. And I simply cannot imagine a lifestyle that is truly busy enough to preclude carving out the requisite daily five minutes for this delicious, inexpensive, and nutritional bread. Believe me, if I can do it, then so can you, but it does require just a bit of planning. I must admit here that I did cheat a bit. Having heard about this wondrous technique, I went directly to the authors' website to learn more about it. I then proceeded to make the Basic Recipe, without ever purchasing the book. Then I graduated to Brioche, Pannetone, and Hot Cross Buns, all courtesy of the instructions on the website. My family and I have been enjoying the fruits of these authors' labors for several weeks now. I began to feel guilty for having exploited the authors, and decided that I really ought to buy at least one copy of the book. That was a few weeks ago, when the revised edition was available only for pre-order. I decided to go ahead with the revised edition, despite concerns that some of the original recipes may have been sacrificed to allow room for the newly added ones. As explained by the authors in this new edition, a major difference is the addition of weight measurements for all of the ingredients. It was as if they'd read my mind. Many times, while diligently measuring out 7 cups or more of flour, I had lost count and had to remeasure. Each of those times, and many in between, I longed for weight measurements so that I could use my digital scale, Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Kitchen Scale (18 lbs Edition), Tempered Glass in Elegant Black (which I adore), and never worry about losing count again. Apparently, others had voiced this request through the website, and the authors actually heeded the advice of their readers! The authors also explain that the number of pictures in their original edition was severely limited by their publishing budget, and that the new edition includes 150 How-To-Black&White photos and 40 color images of their loaves. Having never seen the original edition, I don't know first hand how this measures up, but the authors mention that the other edition had only 8 color photos and, "a smattering," of Black&Whites. As for recipes, the only recipe I've sought that wasn't available on the website (or in the other edition, apparently) was the Pretzel Bun Recipe, which is proudly displayed on page 207 of this edition. That brings me to another point regarding the Index. The index in this edition, at least, is a delight to peruse. Within the first ten minutes of opening the book, I'd already found many old favorites and new loaves to try in the coming weeks. There's even a Soft White American Loaf for all those kids (and young at heart) who lamented the loss of Wonder Bread from the shelves when Hostess met its demise. Also, it's notable that the book includes recipes and ideas that go beyond the breads, such as spreads, sandwiches, and even a Moroccan-Style Gazpacho. This is more than just a collection of no-knead bread recipes; it's an entire cookbook with a well-planned and easy to use index. Oh, and for those of you who felt duped because you cannot actually eat the bread 5 minutes after deciding to prepare it, try the Naan Bread on page 260. There's no required rest and no oven to preheat for this one, making it the fastest bread in the book. Just one final point. I have many times been enticed by cookbook authors' claims of fast and easy recipes only to find that indeed they would be fast and easy if only I could find the rare (and/or expensive) ingredients in my local grocery store. The Master Recipe in this book was created, tested, and perfected using Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour, precisely because that's what most people have in their pantries or can easily find at the local chain grocer. Thank you, Chef Francois and Dr. Hertzberger for my new favorite cookbook! UPDATE 10/24/13: I just realized that I neglected to mention that each recipe has BOTH weight and volumetric measurements for its ingredients in table form. So, if you'd rather use measuring cups than a scale, you're free to do so. Yesterday, I used the scale for the flour but measured the other ingredients by volume.

The reason I purchased this book is I wanted a simple, quick way to make bread. I have made sourdough (I keep a starter in my frig for making sourdough waffles), and I have made spelt bread, both from scratch. You have to kneed those, and there are a bunch of steps that must be followed. This bread recipe is easy to follow (although it takes up several pages in the book with long explanations about each step, so it can be kind of hard to follow along as the book pages tend to close, and you have your hands with things like flour on them); you only have four simple ingredients: water, flour, yeast, and salt. Unlike the prior book (this is the revised or new edition), this time the ingredients are also listed by weight, taking the guess work out of things like getting the right amount of flour in each cup you put in. So, if you follow the simple directions (and use the right equipment and sensing devices for your oven like an oven thermometer, your results should be excellent the first time (and if not, they give you trouble shooting tips to correct whatever problem developed in your bread). My only mild gripe is they suggest making four batches worth of dough at a time (but they concede you can halve or double the amounts); they want you to use a 6 quart container to keep in your refrigerator. I don't have that kind of room in my frig, so I went with a half size (3 plus quarts) for a half batch. They advise you to get the basic recipe down first before you go experimenting. Since I love sourdough (and they say you can just incorporate the sourdough in their basic recipe), that will be my next recipe. My point is, if you can follow simple directions, have the right equipment and quality ingredients, you will be successful for a certain amount of time invested. Their 5 minute a day bread title is a little misleading in the sense you have to go through certain steps that take time (like when you pull it out of frig and prepare your loaf (all in about 40 seconds they recommend), you still have to wait 40 minutes before you bake it, and then, of course, you have to bake it and let it cool before eating. That will take at least a couple of hours, so you can't just start fixing it at 5 p.m. and expect to eat it for dinner at 6 or 6:30 p.m. It isn't going to happen. That said, if you have the time, I think this is a foolproof recipe that is easily worth the money for the expertise (and yes, you probably can get the basic info for free, but, heck, give the authors some credit and some reward).

I've baked bread off and on for decades, but more off than on. I've made it by hand, and I've made it using a bread machine to mix and proof the dough. For awhile, I used the bread machine to bake the dough, too, but didn't like the results so switched to oven-baking. The bread was usually delicious, with a few failures along the way. But I didn't bake as often as I wanted. I was skeptical about this method, and tried a recipe before I bought the book. That recipe sold me, and the book has so many more options. I still use the master dough recipe the most, but there are enriched doughs, olive oil doughs, and others, and tons of recipes for both breads and for dishes using the breads. Five minutes a day is pretty accurate, although maybe more time than it actually takes. It takes about five minutes to mix up a new batch of master dough, a minute or two longer if you use one of the recipes with extra ingredients. For baking, it takes very few minutes to take the dough out of the refrigerator, give it a brief shaping, put it in the oven, take it out of the oven. Some of the fancier recipes, or the more fancily shaped loaves do take longer. This may be obvious, but you don't have bread ready to go into the oven in five minutes when you first make the dough. It needs to sit on the counter for a couple of hours, and then let rise and bake the portion you want, or refrigerate the whole thing. I usually make a fresh batch right after I have shaped the last of the dough in my bucket, so it is ready for next time (usually the next day). I've given loaves to friends, and they asked me how I made it. I don't think they quite believed me when I told them how simple it is. The breads have a wonderful crunchy crust, and are soft and delicious inside. The variations are almost endless, and every one I have tried has been a success. But the master dough recipe is still the one I use the most..

It seems to work pretty well. I had actually considered buying an expensive mixer to do the kneading of bread, but I'm glad I found this book first ! Basically, you can make bread without having to knead. You just mix up the ingredients for the master recipe, from the book, let it rise for a while, and then you can refrigerate this dough for up to two weeks. I've made bread a couple times kneading and, believe me, this no-knead bread makes it much easier to create your own bread. Here's what I use: 1. make the batch of dough using the master recipe. 2. coat inner surface of a cast iron loaf pan (example: Lodge cast iron loaf pan) with olive oil. 3. take 2 pounds of the dough and place it in the cast iron loaf pan (don't do any of the "gluten cloaking" for this cast iron loaf -- just dump the dough into pan so that it's more or less level in the pan). 4. cover it with saran wrap so that it doesn't get dehydrated during the resting process. 5. let it rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. 6. preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 7. Once oven has reached that temperature, insert loaf pan into the oven and let it bake for 40 minutes. 8. After 40 minutes, take it out and let it cool at room temperature for 2 hours. Interestingly, with this size bread in a cast iron loaf pan, I didn't need to cut slashes on top of the dough, so that was one less step to deal with and if you are portioning out 2 pounds of refrigerated dough, you don't need to flour the top of it to make it easier to work with (again, this is one less step to deal with). Be sure to buy yeast in bulk, since the individual packets are ridiculously expensive in comparison. For example, I bought 2 pounds of yeast from Amazon for under 10 bucks. You can then store the yeast in an airtight container in your freezer. To mix the ingredients for the master recipe, get a Danish dough whisk. It makes the mixing easier and more thorough. I used a 6 quart Cambro food storage container (the 2 pack that also comes with the lid) and it seems to work pretty. In terms of the book, the master recipe is pretty straightforward, but it also has a bunch of tips and techniques that seem useful as well, so I think it's definitely worth getting the book. For example, it has troubleshooting techniques in case your bread didn't turn out right.

I first read a review of this book in the newspaper and checked it out of the library, then I purchased it. There is one basic recipe with variations. The idea is that you mix up enough dough for 3 or 4 loaves, let it rise, then store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you want to bake some bread you take off a chunk, cloak the gluten which means to wrap it around itself (a process that takes 20 to 40 seconds) and let it rest for 30 minutes and then bake it. There is no kneading at all. This bread is delicious. I have tried the master recipe and the semolina bread. At the minimum you will need equipment such as a baking stone, pizza peel or substitute, and a 6 quart food safe container with lid. Thinking the dough would be heavy to mix by hand, I used my stand mixer the first time but the dough clung to the beaters and worked its way up to the motor. A very sticky situation. The next time I used a whisk to dissolve the yeast and then a wooden spoon to mix the dough. It was very easy to do but I just purchased a Danish dough whisk here so that I will only have one utensil to wash. I also purchased silicone baking mats to try to cut down on the cornmeal ending up everywhere. The authors recommend refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours before getting it ready to bake and I definitely agree. Right after the initial rise the dough is extremely sticky to work with (I washed my hands twice and still needed a scrub brush to get it out from under my fingernails), after refrigerating much less so. Does it really take 5 minutes? Less! It takes about 5 or 6 minutes to mix the dough on day 1. It only takes a few seconds to cloak the gluten. You can't really count the time it takes to rise and bake. I suppose it takes five minutes a day if you count the time it takes to wash utensils and clean the flour and cornmeal off of the counter. Check out the authors' website called artisanbreadinfive.com. and various youtube videos demonstrating the method. If you like good bread, buy the book.

Simple enough to get started immediately, with little hassle or fuss. Exhaustively detailed enough to provide months of learning and pleasure experimenting and refining your skills! Taste-wise, the results are fantastic. I spend a lot of time in France, and the bread I baked from this book on my very first try is at least as good as your average bakery in the country known for its amazing bread. It is not as good as the very best, but as a simple daily 'everyday" bread, this book gives you a near perfect solution. The secret to the book's popularity is not just the excellent recipes, but the carefully thought out no-knead method using high moisture dough. The water in the dough develops the gluten, making kneading unnecessary. The book is well written, well organized and attractively laid out with photos and info boxes with additional information engagingly presented. It simply and clearly details everything you need--the ingredients to buy, the skills you need to develop, tools to buy, etc.--in order to make fresh homemade bread part of your lifestyle. At the core of the authors' method is a secret most professional chefs already know: You can make your bread dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator, and it actually gains flavor over time. This is super convenient as you can mix when you have time, and just pull out the ready-to-bake dough when you want it! While this is not anything new (I learned it years ago from a professional chef friend of mine), the authors do a wonderful job exploring in detail how to use this concept to simplify your life. The "master recipe," the core of the book, makes enough dough for 3-4 loaves; You can keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks, snipping off a piece of dough to bake whenever you have a hankering for bread. Everything in the book is meticulously documented, clear and simply written. The authors do a particularly good job describing the trade-offs between time-saving methods and superior results. For example, a longer preheat of the pizza stone you're baking on may give you a more divine crust, but you may prefer to save energy and time with a shorter preheat; the authors demystify the issue and clearly describe the trade-offs so you can make your own decision. This is a pleasant contrast from cookbooks that simply tell you the way things must be done and don't offer you reasons why or clearly explain how much difference it makes if you take a short cut. The section on "what to buy" also strikes the perfect balance between perfectionism and practicality. For example, the authors recommend a dough whisk to mix the dough, saying it works faster than a wooden spoon and offers less resistance. But for those who don't have this implement, and may not want to buy one, they note, reassuringly, "a wooden spoon works fine." Another thing I like about the book is the troubleshooting section. If your bread's crust is not crunchy enough, for example, it lists three possible ways to fix it. Is it really just five minutes a day? Well, almost...for me, on mixing day it takes about 10 minutes of my time, and on baking day, another ten minutes of active work. The method is simple: You mix four ingredients (yeast, warm water, salt and flour) in a large bowl or plastic container, let it rise for two hours on the counter. The "master recipe" makes enough for 3-4 loaves. You pop it in the fridge, where you can leave it up to two weeks, and whenever you want to bake, snip off enough for a loaf, shape it rapidly and let it rest. Another tradeoff in the book is that a longer rest time gives you better "crumb" or the texture with nice big holes in it. The authors recommend a minimum of 40 minutes but up to 90 minutes; I get great results with an hour. Once it's rested, you score it with a knife, slide it into the oven onto a hot pizza stone and cook for a half hour. Hot bread comes out of the oven 1.5 hours after you start. (Do I chow down on the hot bread? Sadly, no. The authors recommend cooling completely because the texture is best if you don't cut too early.) If you want your bread ASAP, you can simply snip off some dough and make a Naan in a cast iron skillet. Just snip off the dough, roll it out into an oval, and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. The results are stunning: The best Naan I've had in my life! The smaller the amount of dough, the less "resting" time you need: The baguettes and the dinner rolls in the book, also made from the master recipe dough, take about forty minutes from the time I decide I want one. This book is one of two that, in recent years, have popularized the no-knead high moisture method. The other is My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method . The main difference between the two are that Artisan's master recipe details an initial two-hour rise on the counter, while Lahey's method uses less yeast for a slow rise of 12-18 hours; you have to plan ahead more with Lahey but the method also involves minimal labor. Another difference is that this book's master recipe uses all-purpose white flour, while Lahey's uses bread flour--whole wheat or white, depending on the recipe you choose. (There are some whole-wheat recipes in the Artisan book but the core of the book is the all-purpose flour master recipe.) I have used the Lahey recipes a couple times and find overall they are slightly more marvelous than the Artisan breads. However, since the Lahey method only occasionally fits into my lifestyle, I use the Artisan method regularly. One area of significant discussion among afficionados of no-knead high-moisture breads is whether the slow rise or faster rise is better. I have been experimenting with using a longer rise on Artisan's master recipe--and I like the results. The authors recommend a two-hour rise probably because they want to keep it simple, nonfussy and accessible; longer rises necessitate more lead time and planning. But they also note (and their frankness and detail is the reason they get five stars) that many people prefer the flavor of a longer rise. They note that you can simply use less yeast and wait until it rises the proper amount. (When it collapses slightly, it's at the end of its rise.) I did a bakeoff this weekend between this book's master recipe involving a two-hour initial rise, and a test dough which rose for ten hours. The master recipe has a tablespoon of yeast, and I used a third as much in my test dough. I baked one loaf of each side by side on the same pizza stone, and then took them to a dinner with ten friends. Both breads were delicious. But when given a side-by-side comparison, almost everyone preferred the lower-yeast long rise bread because it had a less strong "yeasty" flavor. One friend described the yeast flavor as "winey." Several people liked both about the same, but those who had a preference all preferred the slower rise. I also waited two days and did another test with more mature dough, and again, the slower-rise lower-yeast version has an edge. My conclusion is I'd rather do a longer rise when I have the lead time, but the two-hour rise is just fine if I have a deadline. In addition to providing the basic method, this book is chock full of fun and inspiring recipes--for example, three-citrus marmelade and Asian-style pork bun which look scrumptions! I buy very few cookbooks these days as you can find most of what you need on the Internet. However, this one is really a treasure. Even if you've been baking bread for years, the book is chock full of useful professional tips you may not know. The section on parbaking alone is worth the purchase price. When you want hot bread on a deadline (for example you want to bring fresh bread to a friend's house but have no time the day of the event), you can simply cook it most of the way, cool and freeze--and the day of the party bring it and pop it in the oven for five or ten minutes.

Who knew it could be this easy to make amazing bread? The recipes in this book are easy to follow, easy to make and have great results. I have made many batches of the master recipe, the Vermont Cheddar bread, the rye bread and the brioche. The master recipe is an extremely versatile recipe. I have used it to make pizza, hamburger buns, rolls, flat bread, stuffed buns, and many other kinds of sweet and savory bread. For example I have added cinnamon, walnuts and dried fruit to the master recipe, I've added nutella (which is awesome--you just roll out the dough then spread Nutella on it roll it up, shape and bake), I've done peanut butter and chocolate chips, chunks of cheese and herbs. You could pretty much add anything you like to the master recipe and make an amazing loaf of bread. The brioche dough is AMAZING! I made cinnamon rolls with this dough and they were probably the best cinnamon rolls I've had. There are so many ways to use this dough. This dough would be great for making baked good gifts (as is the master recipe). The Vermont Cheddar bread is also really great. It rises well, and I find it a bit airier than the mater recipe. I think because it has sugar in it the crust gets darker than the master recipe. The Rye bred was delicious. I used it for grilled cheese and also toasted some slices and topped it with lox and cream cheese. My first batch of bread did not turn out great, but still tasted good. Here is what I have learned through trial and error. I find I get an airier crumb by letting the dough rest for 90 minutes. I also discovered that I usually get 3 loves out of the master recipe instead of 4, so I needed to increase the baking time for those loves to 40 minutes. In the book they suggest using a little bit of dough from your previous batch of mater recipe in your new batch--I do this every time, and I do think it helps to add flavor to the bread. In some of the videos they use parchment paper instead of cornmeal--this is a helpful tip if you are not so great with a pizza peal. There is a really helpful trouble shooting section in the book, as well as a Q & A that is also helpful. Equipment: The main thing you need is a big enough bowl or container for the dough. Here are some things I find are helpful to have: A dough whisk--makes mixing up the dough too easy and you don't have to get your hands dirty, measuring spoons with a 1/2 Tablespoon measure, a pizza stone-I found one on sale for $15 and it made difference in the crust of the bread, a pizza peal, a good sharp knife for slashing the bread (kitchen aid makes a good knife--it is a small serrated utility knife--it solved all my slashing problems) and a metal pan for the water for steam (many people use an old broiler pan). I think this is also a good book for someone who wants to start seriously baking bread (and by that I mean someone who wants to learn all about bread and sourdough and other fancy stuff). This book will give you some quick success and build your confidence. It will also allow you to practice skills like shaping, slashing, using a pizza peal etc.. It is also a good way to let your creativity run wild. If you are already an experienced bread baker you might find this book too basic. But you might like it because you can make good bread fast. This book has paid for itself already (and I haven't had it that long!). I haven't bought bread, rolls, or pizza crust since I bought this book. Since the dough is always ready to go you can come home and make a pizza after work in the same time it would take to order one. I love that I can provide healthy, homemade bread for my family. I think anyone you would give this bread to, either as a gift or at a meal, would be impressed. I am definitely a super fan of this book!

I come from a long line of bread makers. I have such fun experimenting with the simple and convenient approach to bread making in this revised book (and the earlier bread-making books by these authors). I have learned important techniques that seriously improve the quality of my loaves. This revised version of the "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes..." includes several wonderful new recipes, color photos, and simple strategies for creating irresistible crusts. This book will inspire you to create beautiful breads from many traditions and in every conceivable shape. The rustic or "peasant" breads are in huge demand around my house. Because I prefer whole-grain breads, I have been experimenting with combinations of whole-grain flours for the European Peasant Bread recipe, which asks for a total of 6 1/2 cups of various flours. My favorite combination so far produces a darker, more dense, and more textured loaf that is exquisite. My variation on the recipe asks for 4.5 cups of whole wheat, 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats, and 1/2 cup dark rye flour. Because the whole grains produce a denser, heavier loaf, I also add 1/4 C vital gluten to dry ingredients to enhance rising of the loaves. For a real adventure, try adding 1 cup of walnuts chopped finely or processed into a coarse "flour" (which is a surprisingly flavorful and nutritious addition to any rustic or whole grain bread recipe) plus an additional 1/2 C water. Sometimes for texture, I also add a couple tablespoons of millet seeds, quinoa or dark rye pumpernickel meal (which is coarser than flour). Before baking, I usually brush the top of a formed and raised loaf with water and then sprinkle with whole grains such as quinoa or millet for extra crunch. Enjoy!