Our New Book, a New Look and a Giveaway! [WINNERS WERE ANNOUNCED 6/15/09, CONTEST CLOSED]
As many of you know Jeff and I have spent the past year working on a new book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients
(HBin5). It is a project that started with you! Because of your questions, comments and requests for breads made with whole grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, veggies and even gluten-free ingredients, we set to work to create new recipes. We liked them so well, we decided to do another book. We’ve been playing with ways to make breads that are not only nutritious, but incredibly tasty and still fit into our busy lives. The methods will still be fast, easy and only take 5 minutes, but the results are wonderful breads made with ingredients that will keep us happy and healthy, no matter our dietary needs. Who better than a pastry chef and a doctor to write such a book?
Writing a cookbook takes a long time, not only to test and retest and then test again the recipes, but the editing and designing of the book after we write it. Although it is nearly done we still have more work to do before it comes out this fall. HBin5 will be available in the book stores on October 27th of this year. In the mean time Amazon has posted it for pre-orders for those of you who want to avoid the mad rush at the book stores! 😉
In honor of HBin5 we’ve launched this new home page on our website. My husband Graham designed and built the site for us and Jeff’s wife Laura, who is also our copy editor, wrote much of it. We are so fortunate to have such a creative and talented team to help us. We want to thank them for all of their work!And THANK YOU for inspiring us to write our second book. As a thank you we are giving away 5 signed copies of our CURRENT book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Here is a little glimpse into our life of writing HBin5:
On any given day I have about 5-8 buckets of dough in my refrigerators. (Yes, I have two and at the moment there is little room for anything but dough!) I generally wake up in the morning, shape and let rest several loaves of bread and then once I get my boys off to school I bake them. I have a double wall oven, nothing fancy, but having two ovens makes testing a dream. I can bake about six loaves at a time. Jeff is simultaneously doing all of this across town at his house as well. Between the two of us we could qualify as a chain of bakeries.
Once the loaves are baked and cooled, Jeff and I meet and have a tasting. We sample each others breads and do a critique on taste, texture, the look of the loaf and even the sound of the crust. If one of us isn’t absolutely in love with the bread, we discuss how to improve it and go back to the bucket! Sometimes we hit it on the first try and others take several variations. After a tasting we usually walk around the lake, to work off all the sampling and then head back to our kitchens.
As we test and talk and retest and change things and have others test for us, we write everything down. The stack of notes and versions of the recipes that you see here is only my stuff. Jeff has a similar pile in his kitchen, along with a testing schedule and excel spread sheets of all our progress. (It is a blessing to work with someone who loves excel!) This process is a lot of work, but we absolutely love it. I wake up in the morning totally excited to see what my buckets of dough have brought me for the day. As Jeff always says, “if your not having fun the bread won’t taste good!” You are so right Jeff!
Oh and let me not forget the photo shoots with Mark Luinenburg. He did all of the gorgeous photos in ABin5 and this time for HBin5 we have twice as many. He does wonderful work and is so much fun. And Nan the make-up artist who did her very best to make me look like Audrey Hepburn and told Jeff he looks like a young Paul Newman. She will forever be in our good favor!
Leave us a comment about your favorite bread and you will be eligible to win one of the 5 signed copies of our current book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day! We will announce the winners next week.
While we were loading the new front page of the website we ran into a little snag and ended up losing the last 2 days of our comments. So, if you wrote to us in the past 2 days and haven’t heard from us that is why. Please, write to us again and we will get back to you. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Thanks, Zoë and Jeff
My favorite bread is the “next” one I will bake. Fresh out of the oven, they don’t last long enough, so you have to keep thinking ahead.
ok this book looks AMAZING!! I love bread and finding amazing whole grain recipes can be so hard!!! Any crusty light and fluffy whole grain bread is at the top of my list!! thank you so much for creating this book!
My family’s favorite bread is the European Peasant Bread, and I always try to keep a bucket of that going. I am drooling in anticipation for your next book too, as I love whole grains. I hope I win 😀
I gave your book, a peel and a stone to each of my kids. (I make do with a cast iron grill and no peel, but that’s another story.) Whenever I try a new bread, they get a review and tips and goading from me until they try it. My current fav is naan. Good grief—no matter how tired you are, or pressed for time, you can make naan, which can stand in for a tortilla or pita or pizza crust if necessary. Thanks for revolutionizing bread baking!
My favorite bread is the original basic. Everytime I make it the loaf doesn’t last more then one meal. Looking forward to your new book.
Thanks for making bread so easy to bake.
I love your bread recipe and I use my dough so often that I need to make a new batch every week!
I love the light whole wheat the best.
I too am a new convert. Way back when I was a new bride, I came across an old paperback recipe book about bread baking starting with french bread. It explained the how and why and what for of yeast. It truly took the fear out of bread baking. My husband proceeded to buy me a Kitchen aid mixer and grain mill so I could make our own bread at home. Life and times changed and I got away from making bread even though I truly enjoyed it. I found you and your book in Mary Hunt’s Cheapskate newsletter. I started baking the original recipe found on your website with bleached flour before I could get to the store to buy unbleached. I am in love again. I haven’t even baked in the oven yet. Only on the grill in a clay baker and pizza about 3 times a week. So I can’t say I have a favorite yet but am excited to be baking again! …and so is my husband.
I really love the oatmeal bread for breakfast, and since I discovered the pita bread recipe, I can’t stop making it!! I make the whole wheat dough version.
our favorite is the master recipe or the olive oil dough. i usually have a batch sitting in the fridge for stovetop naan. We also love the brioche – cinnamon rolls in snap. Can’t wait to get your new book in my kitchen!
The good old boule is my favorite!
You guys are definitely a Breadmaking Hallmark! My fave bread is Cloche – Closed
Clay Pot bread, my kids love it. Thaaank you!
My favorite is probably the roasted red pepper fougasse. But I make the rye bread ALL.THE.TIME. It’s my husband’s favorite.
My favorite bread is the lite whole wheat. I have added more ww flour and less white. I can eat it as part of the South Beach diet so, not only is it easy – it’s healthy and inexpensive. I would love the new book to take this even further.
My favorites are Sourdough, Pizza and Light Wheat. Those are the three that I bake at least once per week. I would love to try some of the breads from your book, they look great on the website!
I love sourdough… but am so new to the whole bread making thing (my first loaf is in the oven right now!) that I haven’t tried making it myself!!!
As a recent graduate, I am living a nomad’s life and don’t even have a kitchen to test out the recipes in ABin5… even though I do have a ceramic pizza stone and a “dough bucket” waiting in the wings. I’m sure one day I’ll have a favorite among those breads, but my true favorite bread is my dad’s potato bread. He used to bring a couple of loaves when he visited me at school and I would suddenly be very popular in the dorms. There is still nothing better than warm potato bread with strawberry jam.
I love your light wheat bread–it’s healthy and delicious! Can’t wait for your new book.
My personal favorite is the deli rye, it makes the most amazing grilled cheese. I always have a loaf of the rye and the light whole wheat ready to go in the fridge.
I love the brioche for sweet rolls, but the challah makes the most amazing donuts ever. Next up for me is olive oil dough for pizza, and the deli rye made into reuben pockets.
Thanks so much for the amazing books.
Hello! I just made a batch of your master recipe. It’s rising as I type… this will be the first bread I’ve ever made and I can’t believe how easy it is so far. I plan on trying to bake it in a dutch oven, like you’ve shown on your website. Thanks!
I just got your first book and would love to have your second book! My favourite has been the olive bread.. but I have many more to try!
I’ll have to go with the basic boule, once I find something I like, I don’t venture out much…. 🙂
My favorite bread so far is the basic boule. It allows for so many variations. I also love the rye. That is awesome.
Sourdough! Hands down my absolute favorite. I can eat an entire boule in one sitting.
My favorite bread is light whole wheat–it’s my go-to bread. But, my favorite recipe is the Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls. Yum! Can’t wait for the new book.
I like to make the olive oil bread with part whole wheat flour. It is great as a boule, but I like to have it around for making quick pizzas! My absolute favorite (that I can’t make all the time, but would if my calorie intake would allow) is Brioche–Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls. Also..uh, beignets! Soooo good.
I love to make challah (and I can’t wait to see your new book!).
Zoe – In a post wayyyyy up on the
list, you said “we have meals right in the loaf in the new book!” Does this mean we can look forward to stuffed bread? Have never been able to master the kind I found in a great bakery in Paducah KY, so definitely look forward to that.
The picture new bread is so tempting – would you please tell us what they are? Thanks.
My favorite – whatever is in the fridge at the moment!
My favorite bread (at this moment) is rosemary/olive oil bread. Yummy.
The purple bread looks so interesting!
I loved the eggs in toast that you put up a while back. Simple and fun. I’ve been meaning to buy ABin5 but with your new book about Healthy bread, I think I’ll buy that one first.
All the best with the book!
Hi Zoe and Jeff!
I LOVE your book!!! It has changed the way my kitchen looks and smells! It seems I’ve always got a bucket of dough either on the counter or taking up a big section of my refrigerator! And the oven always has my baking stones and a broiler pan in it, so if I bake cookies or something, I remove the whole shabang and put it on the counter until I’m done so I can put it all back together ready for my next loaf of bread or pizza! It’s so much fun baking bread with your recipes and my family loves the results!
Thanks for the great techniques!
BTW – I would really, really, REALLY like to win a copy of your new book!!!!
Just tried the master recipe and it was so EASY. I Can’t wait to get the book! This is awesome. I also posted it on my Facebook for everyone to see too! Great idea guys! Thank you!! Today my fav is the master recipe. When I try some more recipes that might soon change though!
We have two favourites: the light whole wheat and the sourdough. Either one is never in the fridge for more than a day or two!
My favourite bread is the fig and anise bread I used to be able to buy at the farmers’ market. I keep meaning to try making it, but somebody always seems to eat the figs first.
I love the basic Boule – I add fresh Rosemary and Thyme to the dough, then dip it in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh grated Parm cheese. Love it!
I haven’t bought bread at the supermarket since January, love your book!
Congratulations! Can’t wait til this is out on our shelves over here! 🙂 But in the meantime will try to see if I can win a copy here…weeee!
My favorite would have to be the basic boule…it works for so many things…even pizza! 🙂
I can’t wait for the new book. I love all the recipes I’ve tried so far, but the master recipe shaped into ciabatta is my family’s favorite!
I can’t wait for the new book! I try to incorporate some whole grains into my breads but am not all together pleased with the results. My family ADORES the ABin5 Challah bread. I also use the olive bread as my staple bread. Makes great rounds loaves and pizza crust. The family doesn’t love the harder crunchy crust of the master dough (although I do), and they prefer the olive oil bread better.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this bread. So far, I have only made the basic recipe, but I added roasted cloves of garlic right before baking, and it tastes AMAZING!
Oh wow that’s an interesting and awesome book. I was amazed by that 5-8 buckets of dough in the fridge…that’s a whole lot for the experiments……hmmmm that pile of papers GOD…..Congrats on the awesome work and book…Keep rocking…..
I have to admit, a friend introduced me to the Master recipe, and it is the only one I’ve tried. In the last three weeks I think I’ve made at least 30 loaves of bread and my husband is loving it! Best of luck, I’m looking forward to your new book!
My favorite is any fresh baked bread, especially with a nice, chewy crust. I only heard about your site this morning, so can’t wait to check out the books and try the recipes!!!
I think my favorite recipe has to be the Nan version. It is the first time I have made something that comes close to tasting like the Nan you find at Indian places. Delicious!
I can hardly wait for your new book to come out. Of course, I’d love a copy of the “old” one, too.
I have been using ABIN5 constantly since it came out. Every recipe has been a success. Just this morning a friend mentioned some book she needed to get about making bread in a bucket and pulling off a gunk to bake. I knew right away she must be talking about ABIN5. My favorite is the European Peasant Bread. I am always singing your praise as I know of no other bakers/authors that keep in such close contact with their customers! I would love a signed copy 🙂
I just placed my order for two books for my daughter and myself. We have taken two of the bread classes at Cooks and love the bread, however the method is so easy and wonderful you really don’t need a class to have great results from the recipes in the books.
Smiles, Marvyl
My favorite ‘bread’ is using the olive oil dough to make pizza crust. I love it!
I’m the dughter of above mentioned comment. I work full time, serve on several local committees, play in a golf league, volleyball league, and run with my dog every day. With this bread making method I still have time to bake my own homemade bread.
WOOHOO! Can’t wait for that new book. My fave is still the basic, and even that tastes different from loaf to loaf. I guess that’s what I like about it! Now it’s going to be time to use up all those great grains I keep for other breads…
I use the basic dough a lot, but I love the whole wheat as well.