Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

If you are looking to bake bread, frequently, with the least possible work, this is the way to go. You just mix the dough, let is rise, then store it in the fridge until you want to bake (within 7-14 days).

very pleased with the book and the service. I bought two - one for me and one for a bread baking friend - sparking much experimentation in the kitchen!!! thanks

I first read about this book on a blog so I checked it out from my local library. I was so impressed by how wonderfully the bread turned out EVERY time that I decided to buy the book which says a lot for me! Now I always have a container of bread dough in the fridge and can throw a loaf in the oven at a moment's notice. I look forward to trying all of the recipes Zoe and Jeff created for their stored dough method. Yum!!!

I originally saw an article in our local paper about this book, tried the basic bread recipe and it turned out amazingly well. Then I bought the book and made four other types which were just as wonderful. Since I have so little time to bake bread (or anything else) this has been like an oasis for me and, in fact, I bought one for my daughter and sister-in-law which they both have praised. Because I can process as much dough as I want or need and can refrigerate the rest, bread is not wasted as in the past.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

I knew I would love this book the moment I saw the title! (This is not misleading: the five minutes' time refers to actual loaf prep after the dough has been mixed and refrigerated.) A first reading has not proved me wrong. In fact, this is a book to pore over again and again.

Chock full of kitchen-tested bread and pastry recipes ranging from peasant loaves to pizza, from flatbread to brioche and on to delectibles such as the Braided Raspberry Almond Cream pastry, these recipes deliver.

Authors Hertzberg and Francois share a master recipe with variations and a technique that is their secret to perfect artisan bread that doesn't take all day - mix enough dough for several loaves and store it in the refrigerator. The authors explain the goal of the book as a way to help people re-create the great ethnic breads of years past in their own homes without investing serious time in the process.

A foreword, a preface and an introduction provide the history and details of their process with tips on each page ("wetter is better" - the dough consistency; what steps you, the bread baker, can eliminate when you follow their revolutionary method.)

Chapters 2 and 3 discuss ingredients (where you'll get a primer on all the types of bread flours) and equipment. More tips in Chapter 4, and then on to the Master Recipe in Chapter 5, which Hertzberg and Francois suggest you try first.

Some of the loaves featured include Boule (artisan free-form loaf), Baguette, Batard and Ciabatta.

This is a wonderful book listing an assortment of tasty recipes. Try it and you'll soon be turning out prize-winning, old-world style breads to make you the envy of your neighborhood.

Highly recommended.

NB: Just made the Boule using the Master Recipe and the loaf is superb! Best I have eaten.