Queezle_Sister's Reviews
4 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 4Sort by: Title 
| Date | Rating
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
By Jeff Hertzberg MD, Zoe Francois
Thomas Dunne Books - 2007
100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread : page 76
This is an easy way to make an ok 100% whole wheat bread. Mine did not have great internal texture - it was a bit too wet despite cooking for longer than called for. It was not nearly as nice as this 100% whole wheat bread, but it did take considerably less effort.
useful (0)
Baguette : page 32
This baguette starts with the basic master recipe, and largely just varies it by how the loaf is shaped, and how it is treated just before baking (brushed with water).
I had varied the master recipe by cutting down the amount of yeast (to 1T, not the 1.5T), and by adding diastatic malt (1T for 6.5C AP flour).
The first thing I noticed was the rising time; the dough took off and was overflowing the large container within an hour. The malt contains enzymes that break down starch (amylase), helping the yeast to grow and introduce their wonderfully flavorful by-products to the bread. Probably I can further reduce the amount of starter yeast. I also added about 1/3C of the previous batch of dough, in the hopes it has more of a sourdough-like population of microbe. This suggestion came from reviews of the book that I read somewhere - probably amazon.
The baguettes are not like those of Paris, however they have a very crispy - wonderfully crunch - crust and a soft custardy inside. They were also beautifully browned (said to be encouraged by the additional sugars liberated by the malt). My daughter rated them 5, but I think 4 is more like it, optimist that I am, hoping to find a baguette that will take me back to Paris.
Note that the other boule loaves baked with the malt-added recipe were also wonderful. Some crackled very loudly, entertaining us, and matching what the book said would happen.
useful (0)
European Peasant Bread : page 46
A nice loaf with some whole grain. This is a no-knead approach, with the dough made mostly from white, but also including a bit of rye and whole wheat. It turned out a very respectable loaf, and with good flavor.
useful (0)
Its not really just 5 minutes a day, but it is a very quick approach to preparation of yeast bread.
This master recipe serves as a template for a host of variations. The idea is that one prepares a very simple no-knead dough (similar to those of Bittman, Cooks Illustrated, Sullivan St. Bakery, etc), and prepares a large batch. It is then aged in the refrigerator, where is is supposed to take on better (sourdough-like) flavors.
Because we were almost out of yeast, my first dough was for a single loaf, and it was refrigerated only one night. The resulting bread was beautiful, with a great bounce in the oven, but it wasn't as flavorful as I would like.
I now have a 3-loaf batch in the refrigerator, prepared with the addition of malt, and will report back if I learn anything unexpected.
update: the extra malt does contribute to a higher rise! This bread is delicious, and much appreciated by my family. My daughter also suggested that I should buy the book - its that good.
useful (0)