Baking bread is perhaps one of the most rewarding things that you can do in the kitchen - or at least that is what I think. I still remember on of the first times that I made bread; I was about 6 years old and my father and I spent the greater part of the day kneading, waiting for the first rise, kneading, waiting for the second rise, and well, it went on until we finally got to put it into the oven and bite into delicious warm goodness. I was hooked, but bread is not an easy thing to make, and it is a time consuming endeavor. There have been many times since when I have made my own bread, and all different kinds, but there is always the time issue, and life sometimes just does not allow days on end for bread making. That being said, I recently bought Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I am an avid follower of Zoe on twitter, and several months backs, everyone started to "tweet" about this fantastic cookbook. I finally broke down and purchased the book. I had to see for myself if bread could truly be made in an efficient fashion.
Lucky for me, and my friends and family, the book is so much better than I could have possibly imagined. Yes, it has every bread recipe you would want to get your hands (and teeth) on, but it has recipes that go beyond bread like homemade granola, chilled Moroccan-style gazpacho, and spicy kebabs. Yes, this book is the only book you will need for bread.
I started with the Buttermilk Bread (p. 207) and the recipe makes three 1 1/2-lb loaves. Because I am a fan of whole wheat flour and adapting recipes, I read the recipe over a few times, and the second time I made the batch, pulled off a "cantaloupe size" ball of dough after the rise and add a mixture of raisins, chopped almonds, and flax seed. The loaf is moist, dense enough for a sandwich (I like the sweetness raisins with a sharp cheddar) and the nuts add just the right amount of texture.
Buttermilk Raisin Nut Bread (adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day)
2 cups of lukewarm water (about 100F)
1 cup of buttermilk
1 1/2 tbsp of granulated yeast
1 1/2 tbsp of salt
1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
3 c of all-purpose flour
3 1/2 c of whole wheat flour
3/4 c raisins
1/2 c chopped almonds
1/4 c flax seeds
1 egg lightly beaten (for the egg wash on the dough)
Place the yeast, salt, and sugar with the water and butter milk in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. On low speed, gradually add in the flour, 1 cup at a time. Once all of the ingredients are well incorporated, the dough should form a ball Cover dough (but not airtight) and allow to rise for 2 hours. At this point you can start to make a loaf or place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for in a lidded (but not airtight) container and you can use this for up to 7 days.
When you want to bake, lightly grease a 9x4x3 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle flour over a clean surface area and place a "cantaloupe size" size of the dough and roll it out to an 8x16 inch rectangle. Brush the surface with the egg wash and even distribute the raisin mixture across the dough. Start to roll the dough from the short end, and as you do pinch the sides.
Place the dough - seam side down - in the loaf pan and allow to rise for an additional 40 minutes (or 1 hour and 40 minutes if you have just taken the dough from the refrigerator.
While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 375F. Once the dough has risen and the oven is ready, place the loaf in the oven on the middle rack and bake for about 40 minutes (it might need less baking time - check around 36 minutes), and until the top is golden brown. Remove from the loaf pan, and allow to cool before serving if you can! Eat as is or top with butter, or make into a sandwich, or...
