December 19, 2012

Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

The handmade bread was available all over New York City, and it wasn't a rarefied delicacy. Everyone knew what it was and took it for granted.

Confession: I am a terrible bread baker. Or, I was, until I too found the secret of no-knead bread. Another confession: Anyone talking about no-knead bread sounds like they've joined a multi-level marketing scam.

But no-knead bread is really and truly that easy to make, although it requires more than five minutes of time. The five minutes of the title refers to the time one is actively mixing and then forming the loaves. It doesn't count the two hours of for the autolyse reaction to "knead" the dough, or the time for the dough to rise and bake.

Artisanal Bread (sorry, "artisan" is a noun, the adjective is "artisanal.") starts with a multi-pages long description of the basic recipe and technique. It's exactly what anyone who can't bake a good loaf needs, and is worth at least half the cost of the book.

The remaining 180-odd pages are variations on the recipe, like rye bread and pizza dough, and even sweet breads, like sticky buns, chocolate-cherry bread and, my favorite, panettone. The recipes are for multiple loaves and are designed to be left for hours or days in the refrigerator before baking. The yeast keeps growing, but very slowly; the slow yeast growth is what gives the leaner breads their excellent flavor..

One step not included in the recipes that I have found particularly successful is not to bake with a pan of water to simulate a professional steam oven, but to back in a cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, starting with the lid on, and removing after about half the baking time has elapsed. The loaf provides its own steam, generating that beautiful crust. It can be hard to get the sticky dough to dro in properly; I've sacrificed looks for taste.

I also haven't found the recommended baker's peel to be necessary, having made do with a well-floured, rimless cookie sheet.

If you are afraid to bake bread, or even just want a varied collection of bread recipes, this is the book for you.