Epicurious names “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” as one of the greatest cookbooks of all time

NewArtisan is 1 of greatest

We are insanely flattered. Epicurious.com, which is the food website of Conde Nast, publisher of Bon Appetit and the late, lamented Gourmet, has named The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as one of the 53 greatest cookbooks of all time. That’s our book in their picture, right in the middle of some very exhalted company. Bakers like Dorie Greenspan, Julia Child, Peter Reinhart. We’re hyperventilating. Thanks for the shout-out, Epicurious:

“We were surpised that more baking books weren’t nominated… all the baking frontrunners are bread books. The panel’s  favorites were Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, and The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart.”

For more, click on Epicurious.com, in “The Hunt for the Greatest Cookbooks of All Time”

Our artisan loaf is the #1 recipe in the history of NPR’s The Splendid Table, chosen by listeners

#1 recipe on the Splendid Table

Whenever Zoe and I are on the Splendid Table, NPR’s cooking show starring Lynne Rossetto Kasper, we leave behind a recipe. Now the show’s national listeners have voted our basic recipe as their all-time favorite (click to view). Thanks Lynne, and all the great producers who create this national show right here in St. Paul, Minnesota.

One thing–an updated, and more extensive online version of our basic recipe is right here on the website, with pictures and more detail (click to view). 

Hear all three of our appearances on the show:

April 4, 2000, when Jeff called Lynne with the book idea.

December 15, 2007right after the publication of the first edition of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, we talked bread with Lynne.

March 8, 2014, Jeff talked with Lynne about the changing world of cookbooks and the adventures we’ve had.

The new edition of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is now available

The new edition of the best-selling bread cookbook

So excited about this NEW version of the first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. So, what’s new? It’s nearly 150 pages longer, with lots of new recipes, techniques, and WAY more photos (40 gorgeous color and 100 black-and-white instructional shots). There are over 30 brand-new recipes and fun variations, including Crock Pot Bread, Pull-apart Rolls, Pretzel Buns, Stuffed French Toast, gluten-free breads, and lots more.

All the old favorites are still there, and thanks to your suggestions, there are weight measures added to all the dough recipes in the book, both U.S. (pounds/ounces) and metric (grams). The Tips and Techniques section’s expanded, and includes instructions for adjusting salt and yeast to your taste.

As always, you’re pre-mixing dough that can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, so active time is still only five minutes a day. There’ll be much more to talk about in October when the book hits the stores, but we just had to give you a sneak peek at the beautiful new cover.

Two years in the making, this sixth-anniversary edition of the first book–The New Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day–is available from online sellers. Thanks for all the feedback you’ve given here on the website–it’s shaped the new book. Cheers!

Thanks Michael Pollan, for telling MN Public Radio that you can live on bread alone…

Michael Pollan on MPR

… at least if it’s got some whole grain.  Michael Pollan was on MPR May 2, 2013, with Kerri Miller.  Charming guy, you can listen to the interview (click here).  He was in town to promote his new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.

To our ever-lasting joy, he really focused on bread; that’s where the conversation started.  Long-fermented (like ours), and home-baked. We have lots of whole-grain loaves in Healthy Bread In Five Minutes a Day, while most of our white-flour based breads are in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Michael, by the way, talked about the value of a little white bread now and then.  Everything in moderation, including moderation.

My Co-Author the Celebrity!

(photos by Hubert Bonnet) Just this week Zoe appeared in Lavender Magazine here in the Twin Cities– in a terrific article on Minneapolis-St. Paul’s rising young pastry chefs.  Above, she’s showing off her signature desserts, created for Tilia in Minneapolis, now one of the hottest tables in town.  Zoe was showcased as “best-selling author, blogger, [and] rising celebrity chef…” (click to view the full article).