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.
If you have whole wheat brioche dough or other enriched dough (see below) in the fridge; and you want something sweet that isn’t a lot of work, this is the recipe for you. See below for links to other enriched dough recipes here on the website that also work beautifully, but this one gives some whole grains. You’ll also need almond paste, goat cheese, and pistachios. If you’re not a goat cheese fan, swap in cream cheese, lemon curd, or orange curd.
Panettone is a traditional Christmas bread sold all over Italy during the holidays and now, the world. It has a great origin story (which might be true!). A young nobleman by the name of Ughetto Atellani fell in love with the daughter of a poor baker named Toni. In order to impress her, Ughetto disguised himself as a pastry chef’s apprentice in her father’s bakery. He creates a tall fruit studded bread to present to her father, calling it “Pan de Toni.” The bread, rich with eggs and butter, sweet with honey, scented with vanilla and lemon zest, with the finishing touch of dried and candied fruits was a success in the bakery and wins the admiration of the lady and the father’s respect. The baker blesses the marriage and Ughetto marries the daughter.
Today this sweet loaf is no longer just for Christmas, appearing at other holidays throughout the year and served sliced and toasted for brunch and as a dessert with a selection of cheeses and sweet wines. The traditional method for making panettone was done over the course of several days, and included long sessions of kneading and allowed for up to 20 hours of rise time in order to create a flavor that is both sweet, but also has a complexity caused by the fermentation of the dough. In today’s recipe, you can get these great flavors without having to labor over it quite so much. Although you can bake the bread after only a few hours of refrigeration, if you let it sit for 24 hours it’ll develop its full flavor and will be easier to work with.
If you’ve never had roasted chestnuts, they are one of the sweetest and creamiest of nuts and the absolute perfect pairing with chocolate–and the stuff of Holiday memories. This elegant chocolate chestnut bread is from Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day and is super easy to make. If you have a tall panettone mold, it makes a really festive loaf for the holidays or a great gift, along with the book. You can also bake this in a loaf pan or even muffin cups. And check out the Instagram video here!
Put the rolls on a baking sheet prepared with parchment, you can also use a Silicone Baking Mat, covered them with plastic wrap, stuck them in the refrigerator to rise overnight, or do a ninety-minute rise at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350°F,
…and bake them for about 30 minutes.
As they bake, make the icing, and spread the icing over the rolls while still a bit warm, so it melts all over.
Note: Red Star Yeast is a sponsor of BreadIn5’s book promotion and other activities, 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.
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.
