Lazy J Bar C

Lazy J Bar C

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Artisan Bread


I have been seeing recipes all over the place for making quick and easy artisan breads but haven't tried any of them...until now. Mother Earth News had an article awhile back by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François on their method and book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. My blogging friend, Mary Beth from Oklahoma Pastry Cloth, did a post recently about how much she liked this method and how easy it was, so I finally gave it a try. What have I been waiting for?!?

There is no kneading required and once you make up a batch of the dough, it will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. There are many variations of the method floating around on different blogs so I would like to refer you back to the article from Mother Earth News for the original recipe, method and some good information and tips, you can find it here: Five Minutes a Day for Fresh Baked Bread. The only change I made was to substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour for 2 cups of the all-purpose flour called for.

To me, this bread is reminiscent of sourdough without the need to fuss with a starter. The crust is crunchy, the interior is chewy and there is a nice artisan bread texture. The dough is supposed to develop more flavor as it ages and you use it too. I made two small loaves yesterday and we have already completely devoured one, the second one will be eaten with our bean soup for supper tonight. Jerry told me "You get an A+!"

I'm linking up with Heidi at My Simple Country Living for The Country Homemaker Hop, Mira for Crisp PhotoWorks' Food Photography Challenge and the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop.

22 comments:

LindaG said...

So far, my experience was that it was fairly yeasty. So I probably did something wrong.
But I will be trying this again.
Thanks for your post!

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

We make this too and keep it in a large Rubbermaid tub in the spare fridge. My husband grabs a handful and we end up with fresh bread for dinner. We haven't experimented withe the variations but the book has lots of different things to try.

HIBISCUS HOUSE said...

I think that I will try it too! Looks so good. Seems so easy to do also....
Thanks for posting.
Dolly

Candy C. said...

LindaG,
We haven't noticed that with this particular recipe. I hope you give it another try!

Kathy,
I am so impressed with just the "basic" recipe that I am going to get the book!

Dolly,
It is really easy, hope you try it!

Alica said...

I have what must be a very similar recipe, and I agree...it's very simple, and delicious! This one looks great!

Jen said...

Pretty bread! I'm gonna have to try this. I do so love bread

Michelle said...

I was looking for a hamburger roll recipe. But this sound really easy and good. I am going to give it a try instead. Thanks Candy.

Farmgirl Heidi said...

Thanks Candy. I read that article, but was intimidated by the idea of artisan bread. I will give it a try too. Thanks for reporting your whole wheat variation. I love whole wheat. It tastes so sweet and nutty.

Candy C. said...

Alica,
It is easy and good, huh?!? :)

Jennifer,
Me too and Jerry definitely! LOL!!

Candy C. said...

Michelle,
It is really good, I hope you try it!

Heidi,
I agree about the whole wheat! I was intimidated by the article when I first read it too! :)

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I may have to make this soon. Thanks.

Tanya Breese said...

isn't it nice to get an A+ for your efforts?! i must try this, home made bread is so yummy!

Candy C. said...

Kristina,
You are welcome!

Tanya,
Jerry LOVES this type of bread so he was very happy that I decided to try this recipe! :)

Mira Crisp said...

Bread is my favorite thing in the world! :) thanks so much for sharing this lovely photo with us this week!

Gina Kleinworth said...

That looks so good.

Candy C. said...

Mira,
We are big fans of bread too!

Gina,
Thanks! :)

Unknown said...

your bread looks fabulous! bread is one thing i haven't made ... i think it might scare me off a bit. always seems like a big task. i really would like to try this recipe!! it sounds extra awesome eaten with bean soup!

Ngo Family Farm said...

Alright, I must try this!! (your pics are lovely, by the way! You're getting really good with that camera, I'd say :)
-Jaime

Ngo Family Farm said...

And, I'm a poet and don't know it. Hee :)

Candy C. said...

Tish,
It did pair up really well with our soup!

Jaime,
You did get it to rhyme! LOL!! Hope you try the bread! :)

Unknown said...

Looks lovely :)

http://carabossesbakeshop.blogspot.com

Candy C. said...

LibrarySnake,
Thank you!