Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Have you heard of this book/method?

Well, my S-I-L told me about it, and how simple it makes GREAT breads. So I looked it up online(lots of videos and some recipes)

Basically, all you do is mix 4 ingredients...let it rise, either use some then, or put it in your refrigerator to use as needed. Peel off how much you need, shape it, let is rise, bake it...DONE! With wonderful bread.

Here is the original recipe:
3 cups water(room temp or cold)
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
6 1/2 cups white flour
(there is no kneading involved because it's a wet dough, and you just add some flour when you grab your dough)

I loved this idea, and have had some of the bread, it's wonderful....here's my problem. I LOVE BREAD! I know if I make this bread, I'll have homemade bread whenever I want! Hungry for a snack? BREAD!!!

So...white bread...it's just not good for you. Sure they add some stuff that is good for you...but the white flour doesn't react the same in your body...

I wanted to see if it would work with Whole Wheat Flour....I've never use it before in my life! (that I can remember!)

So I didn't want to go out and buy the book.
Online they do have a recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. It looks great, and includes salt or honey, and milk I think.

Well, I want something that's as raw and healthy as I can get...cause I'm prone to eating a lot of bread!

So I decide to try it with the original recipe using wheat.

Ok...apparently whole wheat flour soaks up water WAY more...so my dough wasn't very wet(it's supposed to be a very wet dough)

I tried to make it work anyway since it was already done.
The bread was ok...definitely didn't rise like it needed to.
So I talked to my mom, and she told me about how ww needs more water, and more time to rise. Ok...no problem

Second try...here is my recipe:

3 cups water
1.5 tbsp kosher salt
1.5 tbsp yeast
4.5 cups whole wheat flour

Now I probably won't use this bread for sandwiches...but as a bread to go along with dinner or a healthy snack, I think I have a winner! I'm baking my second loaf now! It's a little salty to me, I might try a tiny bit less salt next time, but I know salt helps with the rising, and I don't want to mess with that!

Here are the other things to know when trying this bread.
You pre-heat the oven at 450! wow!
have a pizza stone(I just use a cookie sheet for now) on the top rack and on the lower rack I have a pan(I use a broiling pan) while you are preheating.
Boil some water right before you are going to put the bread in. (about a cup of hot water)
When you are ready, put the dough on the stone, pour the water in the pan(BE CAREFUL! the steam is hot! Also don't spill any, especially on the glass)
Close the oven, and let it cook for 30 minutes. This makes a GREAT crust! But the crust gets softer after time for wheat bread)

Everything else you get on the videos if you are interested. I didn't put EVERYTHING down, but just what I had to search for.

Hope you try either recipe!

Or better yet, buy the book. They are working on a second book too.

Senior Staff Director

Sounds kinda impressive huh?
That's my new title in the Admissions office at Harding. I feel weird saying it though. I'm used to being a secretary in the Admissions office...not Senior Staff Director. I'm sure I'll get used to that too.
I really do love my new job! It's fun, but I just know I'm gonna mess up!
Basically, I review the applications when they are ready to be accepted, and I accept them however they need to be accepted to HU...unless something is wrong with the app or reference or transcript...which doesn't happen too much thankfully! So I'm learning all the ins and outs of that. I knew the basics already, now I'm just adding to that knowledge, which is fun to me...i know...I'm a nerd!
I also do the opposite, canceling applications and all sorts of other fun things that involve the paperwork part of applying to college.

I guess that's all I have to say about it now, tomorrow will be the end of the second week of me doing the job "on my own." If only we could hire the new secretary soon!! Oh well, we'll just keep praying about it and God will lead the right person to us!

Have a great friday and wonderful weekend!!!