The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Thoughts on book Artisan Bread in 5 Mins a Day

bakingmama1's picture
bakingmama1

Thoughts on book Artisan Bread in 5 Mins a Day

Have any of you read "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day"? I've heard about it recently and want to give it a read. I just don't have a very conducive schedule to baking bread, especially the good stuff ;) so I'm wondering if it's a good and helpful book to read.

Thanks!

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

of their recipes and they work quite well. It is very handy to have dough ready to go at a moments notice. 

gwschenk's picture
gwschenk

I've baked the King Arthur Flour version. They give credit to the authors. It's on my list to purchase.

It's seems like cheating. It's too easy. I generally make the cheese and jalapeno version and people can't get enough of it.

People can't get enough of any real bread for that matter.

edit: Like you I have scheduling restraints. I have a hard time scheduling bread that takes two days to make. No counter space for a mixer, etc. So this fits in with my schedule quite nicely.

bakingmama1's picture
bakingmama1

I like KAF! Thanks for your input. I'll have to check theirs out too.

Also, cheese and jalapeno sounds delicious!

Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. 

suave's picture
suave

When the book first came out they were pilloried around here for basically taking Lahey's no-knead bread, fool-proofing it by increasing the amount of yeast by a factor of 10, borrowing a name from an obscure Pillsbury brochure and selling it as their own.  None of it prevented it from becoming one of the best-selling bread baking books ever.

bakingmama1's picture
bakingmama1

Ah, I see. That's interesting. Thanks for your feedback. 

Felila's picture
Felila

I've got the book and love it. My everyday bread is the pain au levain, or sourdough. Making bread is practically effortless when it is spread over three or more days. Two if I start the biga in the morning and make the dough at night. 

Though I have lately amped up the recipe by substituting almond meal for some of the bread flour and using full-fat milk rather than water. 

bakingmama1's picture
bakingmama1

Thanks for your input. I hear mixed reviews, but my husband bought me the book anyway so I decided I'm going to give it a try, especially if it will help making bread become effortless!

I want to try your substitutions too. I'd prefer using milk than water. 

Thanks!

floured kitchen's picture
floured kitchen

I'm enjoying baking my way through this book. It's giving me confidence and easy recipes that I can adapt to my own tastes. I've spent many, many hours reading bread blogs and perusing recipes online and, of course, lurking in TFL, and I've picked up a fair amount of knowledge. This book, along with my sourdough starter and bakes have helped me begin to integrate what I read into what I do. ABin5 is simple and adaptable enough for any baker and any schedule. The recipes are good and there are a decent number of them. I've started grinding some of my own flour at home and integrating that into the book's easy recipes, and that is teaching me a lot as well. I highly recommend it for the beginning bread baker as well as those who must fit bread into already busy schedules. 

bakingmama1's picture
bakingmama1

Wonderful, glad you've experienced so much success with it. I hope to as well, especially as a beginner bread baker. I just got the book so I'm excited to get started. Thanks for your input!

Harleyellen05's picture
Harleyellen05

I have this book and others available under the "For Sale" section if anyone is interested.

SlowRain's picture
SlowRain

I read The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Revised & Updated as my first bread book (I've only read two bread books so far). It's a great book for beginners to explain the basics and build confidence, and their method doesn't take up too much time. However, it doesn't go into much detail of the whys, modifying, or troubleshooting.  I'm glad I started with it, though.  It's not intimidating at all.