Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day: best bread from my oven to date


For my recent birthday, I requested and was gifted by my most excellent husband a few baking books. Two of these books feature the no-knead, high-moisture dough for making artisan-style bread. I was super excited to try these books, and they have far exceeded our already very high expectations! The first one I've been trying is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The recipes are simple and classic in flavors. It takes just like 10 minutes to mix the dough together (no kneading--it's a very wet, sticky dough), and then you let it rise to doubling at room temperature before storing it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! Then whenever you want a loaf, you grab a hunk of dough and let it warm up to room temperature, preheat your oven, and bake up some of the most delicious bread ever!

I was puzzled at first what to store the dough in (they recommend a 5 quart food-safe plastic container for their multiple-loaf large recipes). I had a stroke of genius and have been using some trusty tall cereal containers for my dough storage in the fridge. It's just the right size and saves space by being taller than wider.

Look at those gluten strands in the dough!! All the extra water soaks in and "develops" the gluten over time in the fridge, resulting in a delightfully chewy crust and tender, springy crumb.

Freshly baked artisanal-style bread from my oven!


A loaf from dough that had been aged for over a week. Look at those cavernous bubble-action! It also has a wonderfully deep flavor. The dough smelled like there was beer in it.

EDIT: I was too lazy to type up the recipe (and to be honest, this is one of those books I'd really encourage everyone to buy! If you love bread, it's so worth it). But for anyone who wants to test run this awesome method before committing to the book, here's the base recipe for your classic white artisanal loaf: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1616

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