So I am cruising at the library today and found this book - "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I was intrigued and brought it home. The premise is you make a gigunda batch (as in a one- or two-week supply of dough) that you keep in the refrigerator and then cut off a hunk, shape it, allow it to rest briefly on the counter and then toss it in the oven. No sponge or starter, no proofing, no kneading, no letting it rise to double or triple volume, no punching down. How cool is this?
The recipe uses unbleached, white, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and water. The have provided recipes for all different types of breads from peasant loaves, pumpernickel, rye, herb, flatbreads, enriched breads, even pastries and sweet rolls, all using the big batch in the fridge method. I can't wait to try this. Unfortunately for me, to achieve the best results with the crunchy crust, they recommend a pizza peel and a stone, neither of which I have (but am going to get, now!)
Has anybody else heard of this? I can't wait to try some of these recipes. They do say that you can bake it in NON-STICK loaf pans (which of course, I don't have, either!) that have been greased since it is a wetter dough than what you are used to using and tends to stick. This will also not produce the nice crust that a true artisanal bread fan looks for, but I think I would be willing to forgo that crust for the sake of fresh bread every day or so.
The whole concept just intrigues me!
The recipe uses unbleached, white, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and water. The have provided recipes for all different types of breads from peasant loaves, pumpernickel, rye, herb, flatbreads, enriched breads, even pastries and sweet rolls, all using the big batch in the fridge method. I can't wait to try this. Unfortunately for me, to achieve the best results with the crunchy crust, they recommend a pizza peel and a stone, neither of which I have (but am going to get, now!)
Has anybody else heard of this? I can't wait to try some of these recipes. They do say that you can bake it in NON-STICK loaf pans (which of course, I don't have, either!) that have been greased since it is a wetter dough than what you are used to using and tends to stick. This will also not produce the nice crust that a true artisanal bread fan looks for, but I think I would be willing to forgo that crust for the sake of fresh bread every day or so.
The whole concept just intrigues me!