Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Back in January I posted about the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. And I really wanted their follow-up, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. It took 2 months to finally find the darn thing.

While I haven't had a ton of free time lately, I did get a chance to make up some healthy bread. First was some whole wheat bread that I made a loaf and a cool set of rolls from. This week I made quinoa bread. Quinoa is a protein-rich grain, and putting it into bread gives it an interesting texture, kind of like having round sesame seeds in the loaf.

J loved it. He's so ready for the next round.

I'm eyeing the oatmeal maple bread. Doesn't that sound like a great breakfast bread?

Not the weekend we had in mind

J's birthday was yesterday. And he caught a cold. So I went off to work while he essentially slept the day away. And ate a lot of cold medication. He's doing more of the same today. Though he says he is starting to feel better. But I can locate him by his cough no matter where he is in the house.

I have a ton of work that I had to bring home. One assignment is done for the moment, and 3 more left by tomorrow night. Joy.

In the meantime, it's laundry and cooking. I finally got a hold of the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book, and I'm proud to say my podunk grocery store carries vital wheat gluten (who knew?). So I'm making my first healthy whole wheat bread dough as we speak. And there's a pork tenderloin in the crock pot. Yum.

Something tells me that, in between work assignments tomorrow, I should make some cookies.

Baking fail (sorta)

Last night was not my best baking night. I think I was trying to multitask just a bit too much, so things didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.

I used the last of my artisan bread dough to make olive bread. I didn't form the loaf that well after adding the olives, I didn't add the cornstarch wash they recommended, and I forgot to slash the top of the dough before it went into the oven. So I got a weird lumpy ball with a concentration of olives in the center. That being said, the bread still baked up yummy (no undercooked center or anything), so I guess I can't complain.

I also decided to make reverse faux-reos from the King Arthur Flour site. They have been e-mailing me recipes ever since I bought a few breadmaking things from them, and I couldn't pass this one up. The dough was divine. I could have eaten the whole bowl full. And no eggs, so no worries about salmonella!

A few things went wrong: the cookie part turned out flatter than I expected, and I don't know if it's because a) I used this wonky low-process sugar (all 2 cups) instead of granulated (maybe I should have hit it with the blender), b) I screwed up the part where I added the baking powder (but i'm pretty sure I added the right amount), or c) I pressed down my dough balls too flat to begin with (which might be the problem). From the picture it looks like they're supposed to be "fluffy" cookies, and maybe soft, but it also says they're ultra-crispy, which mine definitely were.

Then there was the chocolate filling, which included 1 1/4 cups of sifted powdered sugar. I didn't sift the first 1/2 cup, and it made the filling a bit lumpy or grainy, depending on how you look at it. Still delicious and chocolatey, with enough heavy cream to make anyone happy. It also didn't set as well as I'd hoped.

Still, I ended up with a couple dozen cookies which, even though they don't look that pretty, still taste pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. I may revisit this recipe with organic granulated sugar and see if that makes a difference. I'm determined to make pretty cookies!

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Oh, I wish I had pictures.

I first heard about this book from my father. Who heard about it from my sister in law, the master vegan chef ;) Warm, crusty loaves of bread, made with minimal time and effort in my own kitchen. What could be better?

I got the book for Christmas, thanks to a Secret Santa. My first attempt wasn't the best experience of my life. It was my own fault. While it may take 5 minutes of hands-on time, there is the matter of prepping the loaf, and letting it rest, and baking it. Which takes considerably longer than 5 minutes. And I decided at 6 or 7pm to make a loaf for dinner. Dinner was late. But the bread was awesome.

Since then I figured it out. Just make a loaf on a random weekend afternoon, or after dinner when I'm hanging out watching TV or doing chores. That way there's no time crunch and we have delish bread for the week, or at least for a few days. I tried one of the variations that makes what looks like a string of dinner rolls, and they didn't last more than 10 minutes out of the oven. I made another batch this afternoon and polished it all off myself.

As I type, there is more dough rising, and I'm going to make a bigger loaf before I turn in for the night. Between that and the minestrone in the crock pot, I am set for lunch this week.

Now I'm trying to get my hands on Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I can't wait.