Simple Artisan Bread in Five Minutes! No Kneading!

Ever wanted to make European Bakery Worthy Breads?

Well, there's an awesome book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes (by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoë François ). It's a simple sure fire way to create many different scrumptious breads using one basic recipe and no kneading or proofing the yeast is needed, because you let the batter sit until you need it (like a starter).

Just make a large batch of dough and keep it in the fridge for two weeks, pulling off what you need when you want. However, if there are eggs in it, it should sit out too long and won't last longer than the week in the fridge. All doughs freeze well though; just thaw overnight in the fridge to use the next day.

Here is the website and a video so you can better understand and browse...
www.artisanbreadinfive.com
Movie

Base recipe:

3 c. warm water

1 1/2 T yeast (I only use 1 T, which is fine for longer dough raising)

1 1/2 T salt (not needed: I only use 1 T)

6 1/2 c. flour (does best with white flour, but you can try other variations)

*If doing a whole grain version, I've found my best approach is half white, half whole grain blend and 2-4 T vital wheat gluten with a dash of vinegar (or kefir, buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice--soaking ideally for 12 hours in this helps to break down the phytic acid in the whole grains so it's easier for your body to digest). I also sometimes sub 1/4 c ground flax for some flour sometimes and add a little oil.

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl or large bucket (it will double) with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed (it helps to do the flour last).

2. Let sit at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours if you want more of a sourdough flavor (which is healthier because the souring process is better for digestion). Place the bowl in the fridge until you're going to use it--refrigeration helps the dough not be as sticky. (Do not punch down dough...that releases gas bubbles and creates a dense dough)

3. Pull off the dough you want and shape it in a ball (make four 1 lb loaves--size of grapefruit); put the rest back in the fridge. Will keep up to 14 days.

4. Place the ball of dough on a cornmealed pizza peel or other surface and let rest (about 30-60 minutes, esp if right out of the fridge). 

5. Always Preheat a baking stone in the oven for 20 minutes at the temperature the recipe will be baking at (or a cookie sheet for 5 minutes if you aren't using a stone). For this recipe, bake at 450. 

6. Place the dough on stone/tray and cut a few slices on the top (flouring the top of the dough ball before cutting will help the knife not stick) bake 30 minutes with a pan of water below in the oven (this will create the thick crusty crust while keeping the inside moist).

7. Remove and place on a rack to cool.

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You can use this recipe for all sorts of things. I've made pizza, calzones, sticky rolls, sourdough artisan, etc. all with this same ball of dough. It's so handy to just keep in your fridge and just pull it out when you want. I normally just do half the base recipe though, because I don't want to store a huge bucket in my fridge.

We'll post later about some of our other grain variations so we can make healthier bread, but it's a good idea to get started with this base recipe before you play with your own grain variations.

As I read the book, I took note of the differences between recipes using the base recipe and have made a cheat sheet so it's easy to remember and refer to. But, I suggest getting really familiar with the basic recipes and if you're uncomfortable with my cheat sheet and need more instructions, get the book from the library.

I've bolded the ones I've tried and use.

Bread Recipe	Add at the start of basic dough	Size 1 lb ball =grapefruit	Rest	Oven Temp	Cook Time	Bake on	Water in Oven?	Notes
Basic/Boule* (starter)	--	1 lb ball	40	450	30	Stone	Yes
Olive Oil* (good starter)	Sub. ¼ c. oil for ¼ c. water, and 1 T sugar	--	40	450	30	Stone	yes
Focaccia	--	roll ½”	20	425	25	tray	Yes	Basic or olive oil dough
Pizza	--	Roll 1/8”	0	500	10	Stone	No	Basic or olive oil dough
Calzone	--	Roll ½”	0	450	25	Stone	Yes	Fold over, slit top
Flat Bread	--	Roll ½”	20	450	15-20	Stone	yes
Pita	--	Fist size, 1/8”	0	500	5-7	Stone	no	keep cooked pitas in towel
Crackers	--	Orange size, paper thin	0	375	2-5	Stone	Yes	Prick with fork and salt before cooking; Pop bubbles during cooking
Brioche* (good starter)	Only 1 ½ c. water, 8 eggs, ½ c. honey, 1 ½ c. butter, add 1 c. more flour	1lb ball	80	350	35-40	Stone	No	Brush loaf with egg wash before baking (eggs with water). Dough keeps only 5 days in fridge.
Sticky Rolls	Use Basic or brioche dough	1 ½ lb, roll 1/8” rect.	60	350	40	Pan	No	Coat rect. with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon; Roll and cut. Place in dish with heavily greased and sugared bottom. Flip onto plate as soon as baked so sticky side is on top.
Coffee Cake	Use Brioche dough	1 lb, roll 2 1/8” circles	120	375	45	Greased cake pan	No	Place one layer on bottom and layer fruit and other layer and more fruit. Once baked, cool and flip over.
Cinnamon/Bread twists	Use brioche scraps	--	15	375	15-20	Tray	No	Add cinnamon sugar and/or egg wash before baking.
Potato Bread	1 c. mashed potato, 1 ½ T sugar	--	40-60	450	30-35	Stone	yes
Whole Wheat Sandwich	Sub 1 ½ c. milk for 1 ½ c. water, 5 T oil, ½ c. honey	--	90	350	50-60	Stone	Yes