The new edition of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is now available

jeff 57 Comments

The new edition of the best-selling bread cookbook

So excited about this NEW version of the first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. So, what’s new? It’s nearly 150 pages longer, with lots of new recipes, techniques, and WAY more photos (40 gorgeous color and 100 black-and-white instructional shots). There are over 30 brand-new recipes and fun variations, including Crock Pot Bread, Pull-apart Rolls, Pretzel Buns, Stuffed French Toast, gluten-free breads, and lots more.

All the old favorites are still there, and thanks to your suggestions, there are weight measures added to all the dough recipes in the book, both U.S. (pounds/ounces) and metric (grams). The Tips and Techniques section’s expanded, and includes instructions for adjusting salt and yeast to your taste.

As always, you’re pre-mixing dough that can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, so active time is still only five minutes a day. There’ll be much more to talk about in October when the book hits the stores, but we just had to give you a sneak peek at the beautiful new cover.

Two years in the making, this sixth-anniversary edition of the first book–The New Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day–is available from online sellers. Thanks for all the feedback you’ve given here on the website–it’s shaped the new book. Cheers!

Keep baking bread all summer long–outside!

jeff 94 Comments

cover-on-the-grill.jpg

Below, one of my posts from years back, on baking loaf breads on the gas grill in my backyard.  Some folks were having trouble with the bottom scorching and one solution is to crumple a bunch of aluminum foil and put it under the loaf so it insulates under the parchment.

Even in Minnesota it’s 83 degrees today, so out to the gas grill I went.  Last summer, I did pizzas, and other breads on the gas grill (I like the Weber gas grills for this), but I never tried baking on a gas grill with a closed cast iron pot.  The results are terrific– the crust is much better than last summer’s projects because the Dutch Oven traps steam next to the bread–you don’t have to add any other steam to the baking environment.  But you also need to use a pizza stone under the pot, or it can scorch. Read More

Star Spangled Berry Pizza on the Grill

jeff 19 Comments

4th of July Pizza 10

There is nothing more American than grilling on the 4th of July, well, maybe a star spangled pizza is the most patriotic of all. This is a super fast pizza that is ideal for breakfast, which I just served my family this morning, or can be throw together at your holiday BBQ as dessert. I made the pizza in a small baking sheet, but you can make a larger one if you have a crowd to feed.

Happy 4th of July! Read More

Olive Oil Flatbread with Asparagus and Caramelized Onion Spread

jeff 42 Comments

olive oil flatbread with asparagus and caramelized onion spread | bread in 5

The asparagus season is short, and since we’re on the very tail end of it, working it into a flatbread seemed like a good idea. Technically this might just as easily be a pizza, since there is sauce, some cheese, and a heaping of vegetables. Either way, it’s a delicious dinner. The caramelized onion spread is sweet, and adds a nice backdrop of flavor. The asparagus is peeled into ribbons, and this technique helps them bake easily, leaving a tender bite and a subtle flavor. Goat cheese lends just a bit of tang, and if you happen to have chives growing in your garden, topping it all off with chive flowers makes a beautiful presentation.

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Gluten-Free Calzone

BreadIn5 48 Comments

Gluten-Free Calzone | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Stuff a calzone with any fillings you like and you have a simple and delicious lunch. And if you make them small, individual-serving-size, you can pack calzones for a great school lunch. There is no end to the flavor combinations. This recipe can be made with any of the doughs in our Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day book, but today I made a gluten-free calzone, which is super tasty and the dough is easy to work with. Because the dough doesn’t have the same gluten-full stretch, we have to handle it slightly differently, but it is just as simple as traditional dough with the right technique. Read More

Thanks Michael Pollan, for telling MN Public Radio that you can live on bread alone…

jeff 4 Comments

Michael Pollan on MPR

… at least if it’s got some whole grain.  Michael Pollan was on MPR May 2, 2013, with Kerri Miller.  Charming guy, you can listen to the interview (click here).  He was in town to promote his new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.

To our ever-lasting joy, he really focused on bread; that’s where the conversation started.  Long-fermented (like ours), and home-baked. We have lots of whole-grain loaves in Healthy Bread In Five Minutes a Day, while most of our white-flour based breads are in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Michael, by the way, talked about the value of a little white bread now and then.  Everything in moderation, including moderation.

Braided Black-and-White Pumpernickel and Rye Loaf

jeff 26 Comments

KitchenAid Professional 600

Given all the baking I do, you’d think I’d have started using a stand mixer years ago.  But believe it or not, I’ve recipe-tested for three books using nothing but a wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk.

Well, I’m tired.  So above, my new KitchenAid Professional 600 series, 6-quart capacity stand mixer, which is an outstandingly beautiful piece of industrial design that hasn’t really changed its look in about 100 years. More on the mixer in a bit.

So many doughs, so little time.  I’m hooked on this machine, especially when I have to make more than one dough for a recipe, like in this very beautiful Braided Black-and-White Pumpernickel and Rye Loaf from two doughs in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (this photo by Mark Luinenburg):

New York Rye

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5-Minute Easter Bread – Tsoureki

jeff 32 Comments

Tsoureki Easter Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

This beautiful Tsoureki loaf is the traditional bread of Easter in Greece and many other Christian countries. It is an enriched dough that is twisted around brightly dyed eggs. The bread is often braided with three strands to represent the holy trinity, formed into a circle as a reference to life and the eggs are dyed red as a symbol of Christ’s blood. The dough is lightly sweet, flavored with orange zest and a traditional Middle Eastern spice called Mahlepi, which is made from ground cherry pits. The spice can be found in Middle Eastern or Greek markets. If you don’t have the spice, you can make the dough with ground Anise seed or even Cardamom. Read More