A Book Review

If you are looking for a great gift giving idea this Holiday season, you may be interested in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It would make the perfect gift for the person that has everything, the foodie, or the frugal baker. The method in this book details how to turn four lowly ingredients (water, yeast, salt, and flour) into works of art that are crusty and delicious.

Or maybe, you would like to add something special to your Holiday table, but you have felt that the process of bread baking was too overwhelming and time consuming to tackle. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day takes the mystery out of making yeast bread and breaks it down into a simple, step by step process that anyone can follow. The method taught here eliminates confusing steps like “proofing” the yeast and labor intensive steps like kneading. If you have a large bowl, a wooden spoon, and an oven, you can make this bread. No prior bread baking knowledge necessary!

I have made The Master Recipe into boule loaves, baguettes, sandwich bread, pizza crust, pizza rolls, and dinner rolls. I have also tried the Light Whole Wheat recipe in many variations. And, I have experimented with my own version that is half white flour and half white whole wheat flour. Everything has turned out well. What I like best about this bread making process is that I can make up a four pound batch of the dough in advance and use it little by little over the next 14 days.

Once you have Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day on your shelf, you will no longer be making last minute trips to the bakery. Instead, the warm fragrant smell of freshly baking bread will fill your home, and you will be a hero in your kitchen!

Note: You can find the Master Recipe for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, along with an instructional video, here.