How to make bread in five minutes a day? The secret is homemade stored dough, mixed and refrigerated for up to two weeks. You’ve made enough dough for many loaves, so you can take a piece from the fridge whenever you need it. Mix once, bake many…
Jeff Hertzberg is a physician with 20 years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, & faculty member at the University of Minnesota Division of Health Informatics. His interests in baking & preventive health sparked a quest to apply the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (2007) to healthier ingredients in Healthy Bread in Five Minute a Day (2009). He lives in Minneapolis with his wife & two daughters.
Zoë François is passionate about food that is real, healthy, & always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking & pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry & is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband & two sons.
Mark Luinenburg has been a commercial photographer in the Twin Cities for more than 20 years. His work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts & Walker Art Center & is in the Weisman Art Museum collection. His photographs have appeared in National Geographic Adventure, GQ, ESPN Magazine, Health Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, & Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
The Books
Jeff & Zoë wrote their first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (2007) so that baking homemade bread would be easy enough to become a daily ritual for everyone. That includes people struggling to balance work, family, friends, & social life (pretty much all of us). They refined their methods for refrigerator-stored artisan dough while juggling busy careers and families. By 2011, “Artisan Bread” had a over 342,000 copies in print!
Their second book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (2009), takes that same super-fast approach but applies it to healthier ingredients like whole grains, fruits, & vegetables. A dozen of the recipes are 100% whole grain, & for the first time, they’ve included a chapter on gluten-free breads. Healthy Bread had over 109,000 copies in print by 2011.
How we became a team (through a bit of sheer luck)…
In 2000, Jeff called in on the radio to describe a super-fast bread recipe (Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s The Splendid Table on NPR): artisan loaves with active preparation time of five minutes a day. An editor from a major US publisher was listening to the radio show & asked for a book proposal. Nothing happened until…
…Jeff & Zoë met while their toddlers were in a music class together. The kids played xylophones & they talked gluten cloaking. They got busy with a book proposal and eventually, the manuscript for a book, which was released by St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books on November 13, 2007. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day met the needs of an amateur like Jeff (it’s fast & easy), but it gives results professional enough to be served by Zoë, a pastry chef & baker trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Within a month of release, Artisan Bread became the number one bread cookbook on Amazon.com. Our books have been covered by the New York Times, The Associated Press, and the Today Show, among others. The success of Artisan Bread led to our creation of this website to support our readers & get their input. Resoundingly, they asked us for another book focused on whole grains & other healthy ingredients. That idea becameHealthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. We also heard from readers who wanted gluten-free bread, so that’s in there too. Enjoy!
The authors are busy at work creating their third book, tentatively titled “Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day,” scheduled for release on October 25, 2011.
Hi Jeff and Zoe – I just moved to Canada – and noticed the flour here behaves differently than the American ones. It seems to create a much heavier dough (I make challah every week from your original book) The challah- although very tasty- is much heavier even though I use the same amounts as described in your book (7 cups) – I’ve been told there is a difference, but I don’t know how to adjust the recipe so that the challah is lighter. Any suggestions? Thanks! (Jeff- Shabbat Shalom!)
Judy Silver
Judy— so nice to hear from you. We miss you and Ian!
Canadian flour does indeed have higher protein levels, and behaves more like US bread or high-protein flour. So you need to adjust the water (upward). See our post on that at http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-flour-and-water
I’m guessing that Canadian all-purpose will soak up an extra 1/4-cup, not quite behaving like bread flour.
Shabbat shalom, it’s great to hear from you,
Jeff
Hi, i would like to know if there are any french versions of your books as i’d like to send one to my mom back in France..
Hi Josephine,
We are really hoping to have a French translation, but none of the French publishers has approached us yet. We will certainly make it known if it ever happens. There is a British edition that uses metrics, which may be of more use to her???
Thank you! Zoë
Where can I get the container for the bread dough and the spoon, please
Ellen: Here are some Amazon links with good options:
Container: http://www.amazon.com/Cambro-Round-6-Quart-Storage-Container/dp/B0001MRUUU/ref=as_li_wdgt_js_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=arbrinfimiada-20
… but note that the lid is sold separately.
Wooden spoon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CCY1R?ie=UTF8&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0000CCY1R
Hi!! I am planning to use your book to make my own bread from now on! I am aiming to live in a plastic free life and thought you should know that a comment on this blog: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/02/bread-buy-it-store-it-keep-it-fresh-without-plastic/
led me to this site and helped me decide to start making bread! Thank you!! I can’t wait to make my first loaf!!
Same here! Just thought it was worth mentioning.
I have yet to try anything out, but I am looking forward to it, and hopeful!
For the last couple of years, I have been baking my bread in a dutch oven. Are your recipes consistent with the no-knead dutch oven recipes. Would I need to modify the recipes to cook in a dutch oven.
Thanks
Cameron: Which book do you have?– some of them have instructions on this…
Hello, I was wondering how much of your books, specifically Healthy Bread, are vegan friendly.
Kiralay: All vegan friendly, it’s rare that a recipe really depends on meat, dairy or eggs. Exceptions: challah, brioche, and the gluten-free, which require eggs, though the website has non-egg versions of GF. Most pizzas have cheese but there are alternatives in the books.
Ok! Thank you, that is fantastic to know!
After seeing your recipes in Mother Earth News I’ve been intrigued by them and have been wanting to try them. I use a Nutrimill grinder to grind my own grain (wheat, barley, rye, corn, etc.), and it doesn’t get quite as fine as commercal flour. I was wondering if/how it would impact your recipes. Do I need to make modifications?
Linda: see my post on this http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1165 …
… sometimes you need to adjust the water, in that particular case, no. Not easiest to learn our method with unpredictably absorbing flour.
Thanks for quick response and the link to the FAQs on using home ground flour. When I look at the pictures of the commercial and home-ground flour, mine actually looks more like the commercial grind–finer. I’ll try adding more VWG and more water and see how it goes.
I have made several of your breads from your first 2 books and have enjoyed them all. We have a wonderful French bakery here that makes a wonderful white “boule” with a softish crust and blue cheese. The blue cheese is just on the top (And deep in the “slashes” on top). This bread is DELICIOUS with the lightly browned cheese on top and soft interior. I would like to replicate it but am not sure what type of blue cheese to use and how/ when to add the cheese. Also, would I need to alter the temp or anything? Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Sally,
Is the cheese melted on top or still a bit firm and crumbly? If you bake the cheese on top of the loaf, you will want to do it at a lower temperature, or the cheese will burn by the time the loaf is done baking inside. This means it will also have to bake longer or it will be underbaked. It may take some experimenting to get it just so.
Sounds wonderful! Zoë
It is still kind of firm and crumbly but browned, not a melted puddle. It is a fabulous bakery and this particular bread is amazing. I will try the lower temp. Maybe I can also trying adding after it has baked halfway. Thank you for your help.
Hi Sally,
Yes, I agree, I think adding it part way through the baking process is the way to go.
Thanks and let me know how it goes. Zoë
Idk how i stumbled on a tiny article in a mag, but now my bf thinks im a gourmet chef! lol He bought me a pizza stone (pricy for not knowing what we were doing)and found it didnt fit in oven:( luckily he works at a tile plant where guys traded cutting the stone to fit our oven in exchange for a pizza. good trade!!
Hi Tish,
That does seem like a good trade! Hope you all enjoyed the pizza.
Cheers, Zoë
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
I’ve tried your basic recipe before getting the book (very generous of you to publish it) and now I want to learn more and so am going to get the book. There appears to be 2 books for the artisan bread on amazon here in the UK. One is called “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and the other is just called “Five Minute Bread”.
Is there a difference between the two?
Unfortunately I can’t find a contents page for either book to compare and your website doesn’t mention the “Five Minute Bread” which appears to be newer. Can you tell me if the “Five Minute Bread” is just a reprint/new version of the ABin5, please?
Russell
Hi Russell,
Five Minute Bread is a version of our book that was done for the British market. It is done in weights and uses ingredients you will find in the UK.
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is the original book done for an American audience.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks for the quick answer. That’s the one I’ll buy then to save me doing the conversions myself
Hey-I just wanted to let you guys know, we made strombolis from your book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” on the grill.
Our oven caught on fire (different story, for another time), we already had the strombolis made. My husband fired up the grill-all 3 burners. I have a ridged stone baker and smaller toaster oven stone baker. (My oven stone baker was in the oven that caught on fire.)
My husband put the stone bakers and a metal brownie pan on the grill to preheat with the grill.
Once the grill hit 450 degrees, he put the strombolis in the stone bakers. He added the 1 cup hot tap water to the brownie pan.
We weren’t sure this quick improvising would work. I am pleased to announce, the strombolis were great!
Strombolis on the grill…
Jodi
Jodi: Love stromboli stories, thanks for sharing. Makes me miss Philadephia!
Hi Zoe and Jeff!! I loved your first book- it revolutionized my bread output (and made me quite popular too, thank you)
However, with my diabetes diagnosis last year and my husband’s high blood pressure diagnosis, we realized we had to make some big changes. Cutting carbs is essential for us now, but giving up bread just isn’t worth (living) it to me, so when I saw your new book Healthy Bread in Five I was elated! Literally made my day! I just bought it and am right this minute making your Bavarian Pumpernickel Rye. My only only only request would be for you to have included the nutritional info for these breads for those of us who really do have to track everything.
But I love the book and can’t wait to see what you two geniuses come up with next!
Congratulations and THANK YOU!
Lots of Love from Canada!
Robin Hernando
Glad the book’s working for you Robin, thanks so much for writing.
Hi
I live in Australia, and I can’t buy your books on iTunes! Or, in the book store. Help!
Clare: How about the UK version (called “Five Minute Bread”), does that get down there? http://amzn.to/fLNCN2 Assume you’ve googled all our book titles?
Hi
Yeah I have, and I have been to a few bookstores.
Are you going to release the book on the ipad in australia?
Hi Clare,
We would love to be more available in Australia. It is a matter of a publisher wanting to take the book on. The same is true for the rights to have it distributed on the ipad there.
I know folks have ordered the book from the US, but the shipping must be immense.
Thanks, Zoë
I made one of your recipe for the first time, it sounded so interesing I couldn’t resist.
I was amazed! Problem is, I am diabetic and have to count carbs & fiber to get net carbs.
Do you have a way to calculate carbs in your recipes? That way I can eat your breads and be able to dose safely.
p.s. I made oat flour bread.
Thank you.
Teresa: Check our post on this at http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/12/14/nutritional-information-for-whole-wheat-flaxseed-bread-or-any-other-recipe-in-our-book-using-the-usda-national-nutrient-database