Any of you who’ve stayed around here for very long know that this blog goes in any number of directions. Today we’re back to baking. I LOVE baking bread! I love eating bread… Minus the potential biblical problems with the statement, I think I could live off the stuff, especially if it’s good and crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.
A couple of weeks ago I read about (and promptly ordered on Amazon) a book entitled Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The concept is simple: You make enough for 4 (1#) loaves of bread and keep the dough in the fridge until you want to bake it. It’s a very high moisture dough so it stays “fresh,” it requires NO kneading, NO punching down, NO traditional rising. You do “cloak” the loaves and let them rest for 40 minutes (that’s the recommendation, I’ve found it’s not long enough). [Incidentally the 40 minutes doesn't count in your "5 minutes a day" since you don't have to actively be doing anything for the bread during it.]
To make a long story short, I’ve been working the recipe for about 2 weeks now – that’s been about 4 batches (each creating 4 loaves). The loaves are smaller than “normal” but that’s fine since you simply bake a new one when you’re ready (the dough can sit in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!)
The problem is, I’ve been getting WAY too much oven spring (i.e. I get unsightly bread-tumors breaking through my loaves.) I think my problem was 3-fold: 1) I wasn’t using enough steam, and 2) the 40 minutes wasn’t long enough, and 3) I hadn’t been scoring it deep enough. In any case, I’ve been playing with it and finally got what I consider the “perfect” loaf this morning! It even “sang” a perfect near-opera when I pulled it out of the oven!
It’s fortunate and unfortunate since I as baking the loaf to give away. Â It’s the perfect loaf to give, but it’s sad to see it go….
If you’re a bread person, I’d definately recommend the book. The authors also have a (pretty basic) website/blog at:
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/
Grace and Peace,
`tim
