This post is featured in At The Christian Home Volume 2.
I have always liked baking. Especially yummy desserts. But I usually save those for special occasions. Bread is a bit healthier and is fun.
I started making bread about 10 years ago with a bread machine. After I got my beautiful RED Kitchen Aid mixer, I decided to try using it for mixing bread dough. I had already stopped baking the bread in the bread machine and was using the dough cycle only. The mixer worked well, and I always enjoyed using it to make bread. I don’t know what it is about that red mixer that makes me happy.
I do need to clarify something about my bread making. I don’t grind my own grain, nor do I make ALL the bread for our home. I actually make very little of the overall amount of bread consumed in our home. We can get 100% whole wheat bread at our bakery thrift store for cheaper than I can make it, so I’ve stuck with that. Plus I’ve not really mastered sandwich bread. However, we like a nice fresh loaf of bread as a side dish along with dinner.
A couple of years ago my friend Y at meader family of five introduced me to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (Not an affiliate link because Amazon.com prohibits NC residents from being affiliates. But I’m not bitter or anything.) Hmm. “That looks interesting,” I thought. But I didn’t want to give up using my mixer and kneading dough. Plus I didn’t think I’d have room to store bread dough in the refrigerator.
However the busier I got, the more appealing those 5 minutes a day began to sound. So I asked for the book for Christmas. It turns out I can use my mixer if I want to. (It just gives me an extra bowl to wash, but it’s worth it. Plus it’s easier than stirring.)
I finally got around to making my first batch of dough. I just made the basic recipe to try. Here are my first loaves of bread. (I overdid it a bit on brushing the top with flour.)
That used half of the batch of refrigerated dough. (And didn’t make enough bread for everyone to have as much as they wanted.) I left the dough in the refrigerator for a week (The books says it’s good for up to two weeks.) and made baguettes the next time.
Isn’t that beautiful? It was as yummy as it looks too! The extra week gave the bread an almost sour dough flavor. And it really is quick. I am definitely hooked on this bread making method. (Sorry I didn’t try it sooner Y!) Next on the list, whole wheat bread. And figuring out how to make and store double the recipe.
I saw that book too. What a great idea. Can’t wait to try it. I just got myself a bread maker, and have used it to make white bread, banana quick bread, and pizza dough. Yum!
I recently started using this method, too, and was planning to blog about it. I haven’t tried anything other than the round loaf, though. I want to try the soft pretzel recipe soon.
can we have the recipe? i’d love to try it- looks yummy!
Isn’t it great? We make double batches of the wheat recipe (with our own modifications) and use a storage container, but it does take up a lot of space in the fridge. We use the dough for pizza crust, pitas, and rolls as well. I don’t think our dough has lasted more than a week – it disappears fast at our house!
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I mainly use my bread maker, but I do have a kitchen aid. I’ll have to try this sometime. And that’s a bummer you can’t be an Amazon affiliate. I am thinking of becoming one, once I find out how. 🙂
JoAnn
I very much wanted a Red Kitchen Aide mixer one year. I got one, but it’s gray. My hubby thought I was kidding on wanting the red one. Nope. Oh well. Thankfully it still works well -red or not. 😉 I don’t make bread often simply because I LOVE homemade bread and I would so eat the entire loaf myself! 🙂 (Stopping by from the TOS Crew blog walk)
I own and love the book you reference, and made this kind of bread exclusively for a while, until my sons finally told me they didn’t like it for sandwiches. Since I do grind my grain, and make all our bread, I go back and forth between my new Cuisinart bread machine and this recipe.
Hope some others will be inspired to try artisan bread making as a result of your post; there’s nothing better to serve with a soup and salad menu.
Wow, your bread is beautiful!
My husband and I both agree your loaves of bread looks wonderful! (drooling in the background!)
I love baking and in guise of Valentine’s Day present…I am getting Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes!
I am such a dreamer but how romantic! Granny told me the way to a man’s heart was through cooking and she was indeed right!
Blessings to you on this St Valentine’s Day!
Yum! I love bread and so does the rest of my family. I have misplaced my bread machine (for a couple of years now) and I so miss the smell of fresh bread. Due to dieting we try to stay away from bread and other carbs, but I’ll be looking to hear how the whole wheat bread went. Love the baguettes!
That looks delicious! I need to figure out if I can do something like that gluten free. hmmm… We go through a good bit of gluten free bread here.
My kitchenaid stand mixer makes me smile. It definitely makes many jobs much easier. Mine is white. My husband gave it to me many years ago. I figure that my next one will be red. 😉
I need to check out that book. I think I even saw it at the library :o)
I am grinding my own grain and baking most of our bread. If we had an outlet up here, I probably wouldn’t bake it all. But, when even the ‘junk’ bread is close to $2 a loaf at the store…..well, it’s healthier AND cheaper for me to bake.