Tuesday, June 26, 2012

A New Way of Breadmaking

Look at this gorgeous loaf of bread!

And this one too...And both of these were super-easy to make.
I've fallen in love with a new method of making and baking yeast bread.  It's no-knead and the science behind it is that you can form gluten in two ways:  kneading or using a very wet dough and refrigeration (allowing the amino acids to align to form gluten).  The science and plethora of recipes are found in this most-excellent book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a DayLove, love it!  I got it first from the library and, after three renewals, purchased my own copy. 

The authors, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, originally wrote the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, but I prefer the follow-on "Healthy Bread..." version.  It includes many recipes that are 100% whole wheat or whole grain, and several gluten-free.  The authors also share the secret to making whole wheat bread turn out light and fluffy, and with a crunchy crust.

The general process:  First, you make a very wet dough (enough for at least 2 loaves) which you let sit loosely covered in the fridge.  This making process takes about 15 minutes.


When it's bread-making day, dust the surface with flour and pinch off the amount needed.   

 Place into a greased loaf pan or shape by hand.  This is the "5 minutes" part of the plan.  Let  it warm for 90 minutes.
Then bake and enjoy!  Allow the remaining dough to sit in the fridge until you are ready to use it, up to a week.

Perfect for tea and toast!
Have you tried no-knead yeast bread?  What's your experience?

8 comments:

  1. ohh... this is quite interesting! Might have to seek out this book!

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  2. By the way, I don't have the special tools (a pizza paddle or bench knife). I just make do with cutting boards.

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  3. Both books are excellent --- and I have had a great time baking from them. I was really happy when the gluten-free versions came out so my husband could enjoy them as well.

    I had fun experimenting with the recipes --- and ended up making 100% whole wheat artisan breads. And their pizza crust is awesome! My friend, Karleen, and I have fed many hungry teens pizza using that crust!

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  4. Teafan8:23 AM

    oh, wow! this looks scandalously simple.

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  5. Wow, that bread looks fabulous, Steph! I'd love to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. The bread looks delicious! I like easy too.

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  7. I have a similar book by another author and I love this method - fresh bread in a trice! And it tastes so good.

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  8. I have heard of this author, and as much as I love bread I *must* give this a try! You make it sound do-able!

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