cover image The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from BreadIn5

The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Favorite Recipes from BreadIn5

Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François. St. Martin’s, $32.50 (272p) ISBN 978-1-250-27743-5

After 15 years, over 860,000 copies of their bread cookbook series in print, and a pandemic-fueled sourdough craze, Hertzberg and François (Holiday Celebration Breads in Five Minutes a Day) collect 80 of their most adaptable recipes and supplement them with a host of new techniques and shortcuts in this definitive guide to bread making. Their simplified method of refrigerating high-moisture, no-knead doughs for daily baking can be applied to whole-grain, enriched, and sourdough loaves; pizzas; and even gluten-free breads—each of which gets its own chapter. (The five minutes a day refers to active prep time for the doughs.) Beyond loaves, boules, and flatbreads are a raspberry star bread, and honey-glazed doughnuts—which, when fried properly, take in only 15 to 45 calories’ worth of oil. Dietary accommodations include a healthier version of brioche, made with less butter and a blend of white and whole-wheat flours, and a gluten-free take on rye bread that uses teff flour. A thorough rundown of troubleshooting tips covers storage, freezing, cooking on the grill, par-baking, and issues with density. Based on feedback from readers, the authors offer recipes with reduced amounts of yeast, “flavor boost” options, and variations for resting and baking times. Both veteran and novice bread bakers will find empowerment and inspiration in this excellent guide. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Oct.)