Look! I baked bread!

Have you ever seen such beautiful loaves? Would you believe I didn’t even have to knead the dough?!

Welcome to the “Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” method. Instead of slaving over one loaf at a time, this method allows you to mix a giant batch of dough and let it chill in the fridge for days. A grapefruit-sized gob of the refrigerated “master” dough is all you’ll need when you’re in the mood for artisan bread, flat bread or pizza crust.

I was intrigued when I stumbled across the method on Erin’s blog, Naturally Ella. Visits to Erin’s blog always leave me drooling, but this one sent me on an investigative mission–could bread made in “five minutes a day” possibly taste as good as more traditional methods? I ended up on Amazon, read several of the hundreds of five star reviews for the original book, and discovered the mastermind baking duo’s second book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients. Sold!

After devouring the first couple of chapters and buying vital wheat gluten at the grocery store, I approached the master recipe with slight apprehension. Would I mess up? Ruin an entire batch? I’m prone to baking mishaps. Fortunately, the method proved as simple and easy as promised. The loaves in these pictures are the result of my first attempt at bread baking with the master dough. Trust me, the bread tasted as good as it looked.

I later made pizza from the dough, which was a smashing success. Then I baked a baguette, which was as crusty and yummy as expected. I thought surely I couldn’t use up all the dough by myself, but I’m already on my second batch!

Last night I mixed up a batch of the 100% whole wheat with olive oil dough, and my friends are coming over tonight to drink wine and make pizza. I hope the 100% whole wheat recipe is as forgiving as the first, because I forgot to add the olive oil until the very end (head smack).

I also mixed a batch of whole wheat banana bread dough. My fridge is overflowing with dough, and I’m in bread heaven! I’ll be posting regular updates of my trials and errors with my new favorite baking book. :)

If you want to give the method a try, check out the master recipe and instructions on the book’s official site. I also strongly suggest ordering the book–like, today! Now! Go get it!