When Mary Hunt featured a book on how to make homemade bread in just a few minutes a day in her “Everyday Cheapskate” newsletter and on her blog, she got a very good response.  Apparently there’s considerable interest in making homemade bread.  Who doesn’t love homemade bread?  It can be a lot of work though, which is a disincentive to making it.

The book that changes all that is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking, by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois.  The authors promise there’s no kneading, no starter, no proofing yeast and no need for a bread machine.  It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  It’s based on the concept of mixed and risen high-moisture dough stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.  The dough is cut into pieces and put in the oven for fresh bread whenever you’re ready.  You really can have fresh homemade bread every day.

There are recipes in this book for several different kinds of bread, pizza crust, rolls, and more.  I admit that I don’t know whether the kind of flour you use makes any difference for these recipes.  In other words, would the flour you grind yourself work with this?  I’d be glad to hear from anyone who tries it.

Remember that keeping the dough is dependent on keeping it cool, which generally requires electricity.  If you’re completely without electricity for an extended period of time, this will be a problem.  If you live off the grid or have a means of refrigeration you use on camping or boating trips, give it a try and let us know how it goes.

According to Mary Hunt, who says she hasn’t used bread bought at the store for some time now, she can make a loaf for about a tenth of the cost of bread from the grocery store.  I also think baking homemade breads regularly will be a healthful way to wean your family off bread from the store shelves.  Consider this as preparation for the day when getting bread from the store isn’t possible and you must rely on the grains and grain mill you’ve set aside.

            To get your copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, click on the picture of the book below.  That takes you to the Amazon.com page featuring the book, where you can place your order.

            I think it’s fantastic that the authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day have made baking bread so easy and rewarding.  It’s an idea whose time has come, considering the back to basics trends we’re now experiencing.