Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Giveaway #5 Winner is…

Pat F. of California Won!!!

Patsy of Family, Friends & Food helped pick this week's winner.  Patsy is a wonderful cook with mouth watering recipes all through out her food blog.  Load up the printer and be ready to print recipes.  Check out Family, Friends & Food with Patsy K.

Well this is it folks, the last book in the box.  After this we all have to wait for Jeff and Zoe's next cookbook, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients.

Hosting all these Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book giveaways has been a wonderful learning experience.  Everyone was so gracious to share with me.  I really appreciate you all being so trusting. And THANK YOU, THANK YOU for telling your friends and family about Simple Daily Recipes.  I have met a whole bunch of new folks due to your generosity.  (((BIG HUG)))

For anyone who is joining the fun for the first time, I ask that you read the Giveaway Guidelines for You and Me before filling out the entry form.  It is only to your advantage to know what to expect from these weekly pursuits.

If you have not read reviews on Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, then visit the following links.

• ABin5 Book Giveaway #1
• ABin5 Book Giveaway #2

If you want to see actual proof of the incredible success I've had using Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and want to get a feel for the recipes, go to these next links.

• Bran Enriched White Bread Made At Home
• Sticky Caramel Rolls
• When You Don't Use Steam in Bread Baking
• Deli-Style Rye
• Fresh and Fruity Oatmeal Bread
• Spinach Feta Bread (This one made me a celebrity at my local farmers' market.)
• Soft White Bread Made at Home
• Chocolate Bread
• Soft White Sandwich Bread Baked at Home

To all that already know about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,

Have you considered buying Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for someone you know?

May I be so bold to ask, would you come back here to SimpleDailyRecipes.com and buy the book through me?  I have a partnership with Amazon.com to receive a small commission for every book that sells through this site.  It makes no difference if you prefer your books new or used, I get credit either way.  You Will?  Then click anywhere you see the words "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" highlighted in colored text and you'll be directed to Amazon.

Thank you for your support.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Book Giveaway #3 Winner Is

Congratulations Crystal H. of Tennessee!

THANK YOU for joining in the fun this week.  180 folks turned up to play, last week 225 played along.  WOW!

I, also, want to thank Ashley of SmashedPotatoe for helping me choose this week's winner.  Ashley is a starving college student trying to get by on cheap food, cheap booze, and her student loan money.  Her recipes look good to me.  She's just getting started as a food blogger, so check her out.

Are you ready to win book #3?  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is my most treasured cookbook and I want it to be yours too.  Before this book came into my life, I rarely attempted baking breads, mainly because traditional bread recipes are too laborious and time consuming.  And when all the baking was done, I was left with disappointment and a chewy brick.  That's no longer true with Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois' wonderful book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Did you hear? They have ANOTHER book coming out in October called Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients.

Well this week you have a chance to win a FREE Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book for yourself.  Of course, if you already own a copy, maybe you should try to win this for a friend or family member and save it for a Christmas present.  That would be cool, wouldn't it?

Now, if you want to read more about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, go to the following links where I've already raved on about it.

• ABin5 Book Giveaway #1
• ABin5 Book Giveaway #2

If you want to see actual proof of the delicious successes I've had using Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and get a feel for the recipes, go to these next links.

• Bran Enriched White Bread Made At Home
• Sticky Caramel Rolls
• When You Don't Use Steam in Bread Baking
• Deli-Style Rye
• Fresh and Fruity Oatmeal Bread
• Spinach Feta Bread (This one made me a celebrity at my local farmers' market.)
• Soft White Bread Made at Home
• Chocolate Bread
• Soft White Sandwich Bread Baked at Home

I've baked many other recipes from the book that I have not written about, such as the Master Recipe: Boule, Buttermilk Bread, Challah, Olive Oil Dough, Brioche, Onion Rye, 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, Italian Semolina Bread, Oatmeal Bread, and Oatmeal Pumpkin Seed Bread.  They were ALL incredible to eat, fun to make, and worth sharing with friends and neighbors.  The only reason I haven't shared these other recipes is, well because I can't copy the entire book.  That's not legal. ;D  You're just going to have to win a copy or buy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

READY TO FILL OUT THE FORM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN?
Have you read Giveaway Guidelines for You and Me?  Be sure and read them.

IF YOU DIDN'T WIN, you NEED to ENTER the NEXT WEEK'S GIVEAWAY to TRY AGAIN. One entry per week is all that is necessary. DO NOT enter your name more than one time per giveaway. I delete duplicated names so every one has a fair chance to win.

Fresh N Fruity Oatmeal Bread

Another SUCCESSFUL RECIPE from the cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day !

I used the recipe for Oatmeal Bread, page 94, as my guide but then added a dash or two of my own desires & cravings.  I have another batch rising as I write this post.  This time, I DOUBLED the recipe!  The first time I made half the recipe which produced two medium loaves that could easily feed 8 folks for one breakfast.  I shared one loaf with my taste testing friends, the Guinea family.

HERE'S MY IDEA OF BREAKFAST BREAD
Makes three 1 1/2 pound loaves.  The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

• 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup fresh whole milk
• 1/2 cup RoundRock Honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup neutral-tasting oil or butter
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pecan pieces, soften in hot water
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, rehydrated in hot water
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in hot water
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• brown sugar or sugar crystals for sprinkling on top crust

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water, milk, honey, and oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight), allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 8 days.
5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four side, rotating the ball in a quarter-turn as you go.
6. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into a greased 9x4x3 inch bread pan OR leave on pizza peel dusted with flour.  Allow to rest and rise for 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you're using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). If the dough sticks, slide a pantry knife under it to loosen it.
7. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350ºF, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
8. Slash parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.  Brush a little milk over the top so you can sprinkle the brown sugar or sugar crystals on top.  Just enough to make it stick.
9. Place the loaf on the pizza stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 35 to 50 minutes, until deeply browned and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
10. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Let me tell you another thing.  Even with the heel of this bread, two days old, it's awesome.  I sliced the hard leftovers into 1 inch chunks and laid flat in a shallow bowl, poured a just enough milk over them to get them wet but not too soggy.  Microwaved for 30-40 seconds to warm it through.

It was just like eating bread pudding!  I kid you not! You HAVE to make this, so you'll know what I'm going on about.

Buy a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I want you to have a much fun as I'm having baking fresh, healthy breads at home for yourself, your family and your friends.

Deli-Style Rye

Another example of the beautiful and scrumptious bread recipes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I can't stop the wonderful madness of baking bread.  It's a part of me now; I've stopped buying store bought bread all together.

When Deli-Style Rye Bread is compared to the recipe for Bran Enriched White Bread, the only difference is the list of ingredients.  The instructions are the same (which makes it easy to find my mojo no matter what recipe I bake).  So here's the list of ingredients, and you can click over to the Bran Enriched White Bread for the step by step directions.

If you'd like to have it all on one page, I highly recommend buying the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I know there's recipes in there you will love that I may never publish here.  Like the one for Bread Pudding or Braided Raspberry Almond Cream Pastry or Philadelphia Stromboli with Sausage, the list of yumminess is incredible and so do-able.

DELI-STYLE RYE BREAD INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 cup rye flour
• 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• Cornmeal for pizza peel

I was suppose to paint the top crust with a cornstarch wash and then sprinkle the additional caraway seeds.  I dropped my spoon and forgot.  I mistakenly dusted the top with flour, slashed the top with deep parallel cuts and popped the loaves in the oven.  Oops.  At least I didn't forget the broiler pan and hot water for steaming.

All turned out magnificent! I shared two loaves with family and we took down the third for smoked turkey sandwiches. Oh yeah, they were awesome.

When You Don’t Use Steam in Bread Baking

Real quick, I just wanted to share with you a lesson I learned in bread baking.

In Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, it consistently instructs us to pour 1 cup of hot water into a hot broiler pan under the pizza stone.  This creates steam in the oven and helps the bread to have a crackling crust.

Well the other day, I prepped two loaves of Bran Enriched White Bread to take to a dinner party.  I got distracted and completely forgot to use the broiler pan and hot water.  To my surprise, they came out with a paler and thicker crust.  I could actually knock on them.

I still took them to the party and called them "rustic peasant bread" made from scratch.  Every one chowed down and were thrilled to eat home baked bread.  They were not ruined by any means, the bread just had a thicker crust and soft in the center.

Anyways, back in the kitchen while the oven was still hot.  I pulled, dusted and shaped another loaf for sandwiches.  This time, I did not forget the broiler pan and water and the loaf came out beautifully!  See the loaf on the left in the picture?

The loaf on the left came out a beautiful golden brown, it crackled & sang as it cooled, and I could gently squeeze the crispy crust and make it sing some more.  PERFECT!

Sticky Caramel Rolls

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

This is what happens when I fall in love with a really super cookbook.  I can't stop using it!

Remember last week when I showed you the Bran Enriched White Bread? Well, these Sticky Caramel Rolls come from the same book.  Baking bread is now a part of my cooking routine.  It's nothing to pop fresh dough in the oven and have hot, fresh bread for dinner.  My plan is to wean my family (the kiddos particularly) off the store bought stuff and save money.  Have you noticed the price of a loaf of bread these days? Yikes.

I learned a good lesson making these sweet delights.  When it comes time to cut the dough into serving slices, it's IMPORTANT to use a serrated knife and not a blunt knife or dough scraper.  The serrated knife gives a cleaner cut.

SEE THE BIG DIFFERENCE HERE

Now, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to type out the Sticky Caramel Rolls recipe.  You're going to have to buy the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois.

HOWEVER, I will delight your eyes with food porn and make your mouth water. I'm hoping the hot dripping caramel topping will convince you to click on the link and buy the book.  The book is totally worth the money and the outcome of the recipes are completely worth your time. Now without further ado, Breakfast Food Porn.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

One last thought to share, this was my first time to make a caramel roll recipe.  I have NEVER attempted to make them, because most recipes are too labor intensive.  When I look back at these pictures, it looks like I've had practice, but I haven't.  I just followed the recipe and it produced these beautiful rolls.

This book has my neighbors & friends thinking that I've been a baker for years, that I'm a super talented gourmet whatever!  But I'm not.  I'm learning like everyone else.

Bran Enriched White Bread Made At Home

I never thought I would see the day when I would become a devout bread maker.  It's always been too scientific for me, too labor intensive for the amount of time I have on hand, too many times that all my hard work resulted in a dense block of undesirable bread only fit for the birds.

Well NOT ANYMORE Brothers & Sisters, NOT ANYMORE!!!

My dear friend Judy@NoFearEntertaining turned me on to a bread book that has changed my attitude and opened up a new world for me.  Thanks to Judy, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, I am now a home-school Mom who bakes her own bread.  Now, if I only had a denim dress and a couple of goats to milk...

The name of this life changing book? Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

Anyhoo. Following this book to make bread does take steps, but nothing like the traditional method of making it.  I got the hang of it after the first batch.  I'm into my fifth batch now and I've already developed a routine that doesn't take anymore time out of my day.  I kid you not.  I'm so serious and excited with my results that I'm searching to get a second refrigerator to have in the garage just to store a variety of bread doughs.

Let me make this clear so no one feels like this is too good to be true.  It takes five minutes to mix the ingredients together.  It takes one minute to shape the dough.  However, it takes time in between to make it all happen.  The great part is that the time happens in the frig & on the counter top.  There's no kneading or waiting for the bread to rise for hours on end.

I've learned not to expect the bread for that day, but for a couple a days from now.  That part takes patience that is well rewarded in the end.

HERE'S A DELICIOUS EXAMPLE from the bread book

Bran Enriched White Bread
Makes four 1-pound loaves.  The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 5 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• cornmeal for coating surface

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook).  If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.
5. On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four side, rotating the ball in a quarter-turn as you go.  Then form a oval-shaped loaf. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450ºF, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
7. Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.  Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.
8. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 30minutes, until deeply browned and firm.  Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Now for my notes:

I use a large popcorn bowl with a foil lid to store my dough in the frig.

Before I got serious with this bread making routine, I used a cookie sheet without sides as my pizza peel.  I had to use a pastry knife to ensure that the bread loaves slid off onto the hot baking stone properly.  That took pratice but it worked out fine.  A few days ago, I bought an inexpensive pizza peel ($9.99) from the Kitchen Collection store.   I can't tell you how sweet it was to flick those loaves off into the hot oven.  So sweet indeed.

When it's time to make a fresh batch of dough, I don't wash the dough bowl.  I will keep it covered so the bits of fermented dough do not dry out while I'm mixing.  The book ensures me that keeping the dough bits aids in the flavors of the next batch.

The last batch of dough I made, I forgot to let it sit out at room temperature to rise and fall.  I immediately stuck it in the frig.  I wasn't planning to make bread for 3 more days.  When I did go to bake, the bread turned out as beautiful as the other batches.  Shoo!

Finally, I love peppery breads and we are enjoying this recipe with 1/2 tablespoon of pepper mixed in.  I didn't have wheat bran available, so I substituted it with instant oat bran hot cereal.  The bread just ROCKS!!!

READ FROM OTHERS

Judy at No Fear Entertaining

Peter at Kalofagas.ca

Zoe Francois at ZoeBakes.com - My Bucket Collection