I've had the revolutionary cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day in my Amazon cart for months - the idea of a no-knead approach to bread sounded so appealing.
I love, love, love homemade bread, and I actually do enjoy the zen-like process of traditional bread baking - the careful measuring of ingredients, the satisfying sensation of kneading, the anticipation of the moment you cut that first slice . . . yum. However, I find that as much as I love to make my own bread, I don't often make time to go through the whole process.
So, when the publishers of the new book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day contacted to me to ask if I would be interested in a review copy, I enthusiastically responded that I would be more than happy to give the book a review.
Y'all.
This book is a treat. I can't even tell you all of the things I love about it. There is some very helpful, very accessible information in the beginning about how and why their no-knead method works, as well as some basic information on ingredients (including a great run-down on all sorts of flours) and baking tools.
Then the bulk of the book itself is just page after page after amazing page of incredible bread recipes!
Here's a little more info from the formal press release:
"From the authors of the groundbreaking Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day comes a new cookbook filled with quick and easy recipes for healthy bread
Their first book was called "stupendous," "genius," and "the holy grail of bread making." Now, in their much-anticipated second book, Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François have taken their super-fast method and adapted it for the health-conscious baker, focusing on whole grains and other healthier ingredients.
The method is still quick and simple, producing professional-quality results with each warm, fragrant, hearty loaf. In just five minutes a day of active preparation time, you can create delectable, healthy treats such as 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Whole Grain Garlic Knots with Parsley and Olive Oil, Black-and-White Braided Pumpernickel and Rye Loaf, Cherry Black Pepper Focaccia, Pumpkin Pie Brioche, Chocolate Tangerine Bars, and a variety of gluten-free breads. And many of the recipes are 100% whole grain.
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will show you that there is time enough for home-baked bread, and that it can be part of a healthy diet. Calling all bread lovers: Whether you are looking for more whole grains, watching your weight, trying to reduce your cholesterol, or just care about what goes into your body, this book is a must-have.
Author Bios
Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is a physician with twenty years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interest in baking and preventive health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients.
Zoë François, coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is passionate about food that is real, healthy, and always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking and pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry and is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons."
(You can check out their blog at HealthyBreadinFive.com)
Now, the basis of their book is creating these beautiful, lovely, inspiring artisan-style loves:
Pretty, right? But maybe not that practical or appealing for those of us who are feeding toddlers more often than we are gathering loaves of crusty bread and bottles of wine for romantic picnic outings. (I don't know why, but artisan bread always summons images of wine, cheese, and picnicking for me.) The authors include practical instructions for preparing these healthy breads as loaves - perfect for sandwiches and toast.
If you are like me, your Christmas blessings may have included a gift card to a bookseller. If baking your own healthy bread at home has ever been appealing to you, I highly recommend gifting this book to yourself. In addition to the breads listed above, you'll find recipes for Apple-Barley Bread, Sweet Potato and Spelt Bread, Whole Wheat Brioche, Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ, banana bread and doughnuts and even gluten-free cinnamon buns AND this lovely little recipe I get to share with you - Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread.
I've made this several times since I received the book, and I am IN LOVE!
Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread
by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François,
Authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients
"I was so pleased when the nutritional powers that be deemed dark chocolate and espresso 'good for you'. Considering what a large portion of my diet they occupy, I was relieved to know I no longer needed to feel guilty, not that I ever really had. So in an attempt to make you all a bit healthier and a lot happier I've come up with Chocolate Espresso Bread. Not too sweet but packed with flavor." --Zoë
Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use any leftover dough to make cupcakes.
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt (increase or decrease to taste)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup lukewarm brewed espresso or strong coffee
1¼ cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
½ cup neutral-flavored oil
¾ cup honey
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on top crust
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top
1. Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Combine the liquid ingredients and the chopped chocolate and mix with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you're not using a machine.
3. The dough will be loose, but it will firm up when chilled. Don't try to use it without chilling at least 2 hours.
4. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
5. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond that, the dough stores well in the freezer for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Freeze it in 2-pound portions. When using frozen dough, thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use, then allow the usual rest/rise time.
6. On baking day, grease an 8½× 4½-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
7. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into the loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise for 1 hour 45 minutes.
8. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you're not using a stone in the oven, a 5-minute preheat is adequate. Steam is not needed.
9. Just before baking, Use a pastry brush to brush the loaf's top crust with egg wash, and then sprinkle with the raw sugar.
10. Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until firm.
11. Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
VARIATION: Cupcakes
1. On baking day, grease a muffin tin. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a smooth ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
2. To form the cupcakes, divide the ball into 12 roughly equal portions (each about the size of a golf ball). Shape each one into a smooth ball as you did above. Place the buns in the prepared muffin tins. Allow to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 40 minutes.
3. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack placed in the middle of the oven. If you're not using a stone in the oven, a 5-minute preheat is adequate.
4. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg wash, and then sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are richly browned and firm.
5. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and allow to cool on a rack before eating.
*Note from me: These make delicious cupcakes/muffins - especially when served warm with a bit of cream cheese on top!
Finally, I wanted to share this quick video with you so that you can see how insanely, ridiculously easy it is to follow the bread-making method this book teaches. I hope you enjoy it, and if you make the chocolate espresso bread or get a copy of the book for yourself, I would love to hear about your experience!
