Artisan Bread at Home

I'm still on the pursuit for the perfect homemade bread.  Several months ago I picked up "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" from the library.  I looked through it, thought it sounded interesting and never made any.  Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I found "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by the same folks.  My mom made the original artisan loaf yesterday and inspired me to give it a try.

This morning Savannah and I mixed together our batch of dough.  It took less than 15 minutes.  It rose beautifully in a couple of hours.  According to the book`the dough gets better with age (think sourdough).  You can leave it in the fridge for up to 14 days, pulling out what you need when you need it.  There is no kneading.  I believe anyone can do this!

There are several variations of the master recipe.  I'm sticking with that for starters.  There are several different ways to use the master recipe too!  I have my eye on the cinnamon raisin bagels.  Maybe breakfast in the morning?!

Get the book or check out the websites.  There are several helpful videos and step by step instructions.  Warm, fresh bread from your own oven is waiting!

Cookbook Recommendation

Last week at the library I picked up a copy of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook by Erin Chase.  I was familiar with Erin through her blog that I ran across sometime last year and have been reading as the updates are sent to my Google reader. 

The book is full of helpful information about planning meals for your family, grocery shopping, matching coupons with sales and feeding your clan good food, cheap. 
 
I read the whole thing (yes, I really do read cookbooks) in a 1/2 a day.  I enjoyed it so much and found so many yummy recipes that it's now on my "to buy" list.