Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

I have been baking bread for 30 years and have several favorites recipes that I have tweaked over the years. The very first loaf of bread that I made with this method hit the top of the list immediately! I didn't have the patience for their format -- so long to get to actual recipe and even longer for the variations, and ended up blending flours in the very first batch. I am just not an all unbleached flour person. I combined white whole wheat, unbleached and a bit of barley flour. I think the basic recipe must be indestructible, as despite the changes and higher protein flours (they caution about this), the bread was perfect. I didn't even have the recommended equipment and the improvisations were fine. I used a large metal spatula as I didn't have pizza peel; a large cake tin instead of the pan for the oven they recommend; and, oatmeal-sprinkled, nonstick tin foil on cookie sheet as I didn't have a baking stone and was out of cornmeal; none of this seemed to detract from producing an excellent loaf with the kind of extremely crispy European artisan crust that I adore. Turns our their own variations maintain basic proportions, so no need to rigidly follow their basic recipe to learn the technique. It has been wonderful to have the dough in the fridge for a whim, but the other misleading detail is that although only five active minutes, with the resting and preheating times plus baking times, one needs to be close to the kitchen for an hour or so. Totally worth it, though. The tasks are effortless, but there is still a long lag time from coming home and forming the loaf to having a bread that is sufficiently cooled to slice. Format of book and actual timing aside, the method is fabulous and I can barely wait to make more.

This is a really great book. Now I can have fresh bread every morning without all the fuss and muss. Wonderful

A very good how-to book! The method was very easy, fast and forgiving. The bread was delicious with a very nice interior and crust. Wonderful recipes.

Addenda to my initial comments: I have already given this a five star rating. Now I wish I could add a sixth. I am about to buy my 8th and 9th copies: favorite new gift. After saying that the basic recipe is essentially bomb-proof for experimentation, I now say more humbly that it is worth following their exact proportions and reading their exact instructions. Those yield the best results. Not a bad loaf yet, and experimenting with what goes on top of the pizza dough has become a small community project -- expanding my dinner time and late-night impromptu picnics and collaborative dinners. I have been having a blast. Last but not least, the frosting on the cake (or bread, as it were) is that there is actually a website where the authors personally respond to users' questions. This has been a fabulous experience, way beyond what I would typically ask of a cookbook!