Who Needs To Knead?

I know I’m late to this party. I mean, everyone and their brother has gotten on the “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” bread wagon. The book, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois was published in 2007, after all. What can I say? I’ve been busy. “Too busy to bake,” as a colleague of mine would say.

But just a few days ago, Barnes and Noble nailed me with one of those “you might like this” email solicitations. (Who has a cookbook addiction? Me?)

“Five minutes?” I said. “Surely I can find five minutes this weekend to make bread.” I can now report that I actually spent more time on the checkout line at Target today than it took to prepare this bread dough.

Now granted, the math is a little “fuzzy,” as George Bush II used to say. The five minutes is the amount of time it takes to prepare the dough, and shape the loaf. The baking takes about 30 minutes (just slightly less time than I spent on the checkout line at Target today). But, let’s not split hairs. Considering the fact that I’ve never been able to convince bread to rise in my kitchen, “Five Minute a Day” Bread is quite an innovation. There’s no kneading at all. Just mix the flour, water, salt and yeast, and let rest.

Since I usually skip the introduction of most books, I’m not positive as to why this works. It has something to do with the ratio of flour, yeast, water and resting time. It’s high-moisture bread, and that seems to be the innovation.

The dough mixture rests in a covered container for two hours or more, and then you can pop it in the refrigerator and just use what you need. The dough lasts for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. The dough is similar to a sourdough – it builds flavor and character as it ages.

So while I’m out running errands in the pouring rain, there’s something growing in my refrigerator …

As dinner time approaches, the dough has risen nicely. I cut off two handfuls and shape them into round loaves.

Then, I make a few slashes across the loaves with a sharp knife, pop them into the oven atop a hot pizza stone and within 30 minutes, I have two crusty, golden, piping hot loaves of artisan bread – my daily bread for the week ahead.

I think the “scallop” slash results in the most attractive loaf. I’ll admit, I probably screwed up the “tic-tac-toe” pattern slash, but the clock was ticking and I was feeling pressured.

The loaves literally “crackle” as they come out of the oven. The taste is fresh and yeasty, the crust is chewy and crisp, and the texture of the crumb is beautifully uniform. This proves I can work 9 to 5, bring home the bacon, and bake the bread, too.

I’m not sure why it works. Who kneads to know, really? But it sure tastes good, and the process left me plenty of time this afternoon for a movie and a nap. What could be better? Count me as the latest fan of “speed baking.”

©2009 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved