They say that everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, and I hope that’s true, because I loved my trip to Ireland—the music, the literature, the Guinness Stout, and yes, the food. It’s been many years since I was in Ireland, but I remember swooning over the fresh, wild salmon, buttered potatoes (of course), and the moist and flavorful brown bread. But brown bread’s not particularly festive (or green!), and I don’t have a recipe for classic Irish soda bread, which is made without yeast (for that, I rely on James Beard’s recipe in Beard on Bread—the first bread I ever made). But there is a broccoli & cheddar bun recipe in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Turns out four-leaf clovers aren’t especially Irish, but they’re very lucky! Sprinkled with cheese, these cheddar buns make a lovely and healthy accompaniment to corned beef and cabbage. One little disclosure—the broccoli doesn’t make it all that deeply green, as you can see. Some would have used green food coloring, I suppose. Bain taitneamh as do bhéil! Hearty appetite (I think). Read More
In all of my books, you’ll find a bagel recipe made the traditional way, by forming the ring and then submerging it into a brief boiling-water bath before baking–but I don’t do that anymore. I did this every Sunday morning for years, and had lovely family brunches, reading the paper, drinking coffee, and munching on bagels. Growing up, this was an outer-borough New York City ritual (with store-bought bagels). The traditional bagel-making method was captured in this short film, which is archived at the Brooklyn Public Library (and really captures the 1970s vibe!). Just below the video, click on (…more) for instructions on how to skip the boil if you’re feeling lazy like me…:
This is the New York-style rye bread that got me interested in baking bread when I left New York for Minneapolis in 1987. It continues to be very hard to find–pretty much anywhere in the US. Why? It’s too complicated (and for commercial bakeries, expensive) to create the rye sour that defines the taste of this loaf. And while two of my books include a true sourdough recipe that you can make from rye (see this link if you want to go that route), in general, I simply let a batch of part-rye dough age long enough for the sourdough flavor to develop right in the batch itself. Seven days is perfect but you can use it for up to fourteen with a dough this wet (stored dough is the basis of this method). All rye breads need some wheat flour in order to properly rise, because rye is low in air-trapping gluten, so the real question comes down to the ratio of rye to white all-purpose flour.
You can play with this recipe just by starting with the Master Recipe for a white country loaf that I put up on the site last week. All you need to do is swap in rye flour for some of the white. Swapping a cup of rye flour (4 1/4 ounce / 120 grams) is about right, though sometimes I prefer a little less–half that. Really, no other changes are needed, except for adding 1.5 tablespoons of caraway seeds (if you like them–to me, it’s not rye bread without them). If you go for a full cup of rye you may need a little more water–2 to 4 tablespoons. Shape ovals as in this video:
To clarify a couple of things from the video: I said to turn and shape the loaf pulling around on three sides– I meant “on four sides;” turn the loaf in quadrants and pull the top around to the bottom to create a “cloak.” And of course, rest the loaf on on cornmeal or parchment, not on the board where you shaped it or you’d have to lift the fully proofed loaf, which isn’t a good idea.
Let the dough rest after shaping for 60 to 90 minutes, preheating a baking stone to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) in the last 40 minutes of that time, with a metal broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with rising bread (do not use glass for this purpose or it will shatter). Using a pastry brush, paint the loaf with water or cornstarch wash and sprinkle with additional caraway seeds.
Slash at least 1/2-inch deep with a serrated bread knife, making perpendicular, not angled cuts, as in the video. Slide loaf onto the baking stone and pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
It’s the dead of winter here in Minnesota, and everyone I know is baking again–so it’s time to review the basic recipe from my BreadIn5 books. Back when the cookbooks first came out (2007!), authors didn’t generally put their most important recipe out on a website for free.
I took a different approach.
You can really teach people a new method, and communicate with them in near real-time (about problems they’re having with recipes). That means using this technology to let people sample the method, and comment back. So this is one of my sites most popular posts, and it contains the most important method that really made these books a success–the stored-dough recipe for a round European-style loaf, that tastes better the longer you let the dough age in the fridge (to a point–up to 14 days with this dough, in this post!). Here’s the recipe, from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Back in 2007, the New York Times Cooking section wrote that the BreadIn5 method produced a “crusty, full-flavored loaf that may be the world’s easiest yeast bread.” Today, the New York Times Cooking app came out with“40 Recipes for Procrastibaking…“ in other worlds, things you can mix in advance, and bake later. And the BreadIn5 recipe for a simple crusty loaf is one of the 40! You can decrease the yeast from what they reported on in 2007– a tablespoon is enough. If you’re on my site, you probably know about my method, but the other 39 also look terrific. Some other links:
And finally, our greatest hits book, The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, is on sale at at the moment– 60% off (so it’s just $13.00)–click to view on Amazon. If you’re checking this after March 2022, the price may vary from that…
Note: BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions.
Zeppole are a traditional Italian doughnut–a Christmas treat, but the internet holds many different descriptions and definitions of what they are. Some versions are carefully piped, some are made as small doughnut holes, and some are roughly free-form. Years ago I ate the latter rendition in New York at the San Gennaro Street Festival in Little Italy, (which is held in September, so these aren’t just for Christmas) and he loved them so much he knew we needed a post about them.
The version here is based on the Beignet recipe from my book New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day; the dough is no-knead, of course, and is lightly flavored with orange and lemon. I must admit I was a little nervous not pulling out my doughnut cutter to make perfect circles, but we need to embrace the irregular shape: let go and toss the roughly-shaped dough in to the very hot oil.
The golden brown Zeppole that emerged a few minutes later were absolutely delicious; their haphazard shapes gave them a charming quality, and the gentle citrus flavors were lovely. I’m not Italian, but these really are too good not to anyone’s Holiday tradition. And if you’ve been to the blog before at this time of year, you’ll remember these zeppole are very, very similar to Hannukah soufganiot (see the soufganiot post for more on frying up doughnuts).
Vegetable Oil – 3 to 4 inches deep (use a pot that is large enough that your oil is not sitting too high in the pot)
Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
Combine the warm water, orange juice yeast, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a 5-quart bowl; preferably, in a lidded (not airtight) plastic container or food-grade bucket. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated using a stand mixer or dough whisk. Cover, and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours. You can use the dough right away, or refrigerate it for up to 14 days.
On Baking Day (if you need to see a visual, you can check out our other post on doughnuts here, with more pictures on shaping and frying).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment.
Pull out 3 oz pieces of dough (peach-sized) piece of dough, and flatten them slightly (the whole bucket of dough will make 15 to 20 zeppole, but you can do fewer pieces if desired). Place them on the prepared pan and cover with a lightly greased piece of plastic. Allow the dough to sit for at least 20 minutes (and up to one hour) while the oil heats up.
Once your oil reads 360-370°F on a Candy Thermometeryou are ready to fry. Use a slotted spoon or Basket Strainer to flip the doughnuts over after about 2 minutes and then to take them out of the oil once they are golden brown on both sides. This works best with two people – have one person shape the dough, and the other to manage the submerging and turning. Try to keep the oil temperature as consistent as possible. Lay them out on paper towel to allow some of the oil to drain off. Let the zeppole sit for a few minutes, then lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.
Note: BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions.
Here’s a live broadcast on Instagram grilling pizzas and flatbreads outdoors on the gas grill (Click to view the recording on Instagram, or on YouTube). You’ll see the whole method, from dough-mixing to topping, to finishing beautiful pizza and flatbread right on the gas grill—keeping your house cool this summer. You’ll be able to post questions for us to answer right to Instagram, and answered questions in real time—pizza questions or anything else about our method.
And as always, I’m answering questions right here…
Note: Red Star Yeast sponsored this post and Instagram video, and provided free samples of Red Star and Platinum yeast for testing. BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions.
My new book, “The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from BreadIn5,” isnow available. I was excited and grateful to be asked to do a “greatest-hits” compilation. Through the lockdowns and trials of the past 18 months, the conversation continued here on the website, hearing what you were looking for and clarifying which recipes really mattered. The new book reflects those conversations, and it’s perfect for anyone who wants a curated collection of the all-time favorite recipes from my seven previous books on super-fast stored dough—for yourself or for the ABin5 newbies on your holiday shopping list. You’ll find:
The best of the European and American artisan traditions
Whole grain loaves
Pizza and flatbread
Brioche, challah, and other sweet or enriched breads
Gluten-free recipes (a few)
Natural sourdough bread
But enough from me—the multitalented Andrew Zimmern graciously agreed to write the foreword to the book:
From the Foreword by Andrew Zimmern:
“… the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes series is [proves] that the world’s easiest yeasted loaf, the most versatile bread dough recipe (even pizza!), can be taken in so many directions and have so many applications that it has created a series of hits, launched a gazillion home bakers on their own bread journey, and spawned, finally, a Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day… This series redefined bread baking for America, long before the Covid-19 sourdough craze. This series of books launched on a simple premise: bread baking can be easy, simple, and anyone can do it. Then it took off—and took on healthy breads, hydration ratios, flatbreads, gluten-free breads, holiday breads, pizza, and more. That’s what happens in our culture: Success breeds more success and, in this case, more books…”
—Andrew Zimmern
Thanks Andrew!
Note: BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions.
It’s Friday night at the end of April, and I’m still baking (this is, after all, Minnesota). I know challah as a traditional Jewish bread but it’s a close relative of a whole family of enriched, sweetened breads. The most famous is brioche (see link below), which is twice as enriched–with butter. Challah’s lighter, and it works well with butter, or any vegetable oil (including coconut oil; melt it first). There are many versions of this versatile favorite here on the website, and of course, in the books. Here are some of my favorites–the first link includes the dough recipe for a basic white-flour challah. All these recipe-links will open in a new tab:
