Bread-Baking: My New Obsession

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Do you have any New Year’s Day traditions? I was just telling someone on the phone that I always feel sleepy and melancholic on New Year’s Day. Maybe that’s because I live in Seattle and it’s always, and I mean always, rainy and miserable on this day. It’s probably, also, because I drink champagne on New Year’s Eve, and everybody knows how they feel after a few glasses of champagne–even if it is in moderation. So, determined to do something uplifting and fun this year, I pulled out my new bread book and started baking. Let’s just say, after digging into the pages, I may never buy store-bought bread again …

bread-book

I’ve made bread before–a lot of bread. But until I discovered the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by authors Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoe Francois, I will admit, I thought bread baking was sort of a waste of time. Why would you go through all the trouble to make your own bread when you could buy a perfectly good artisan loaf at the market? Jeff and Zoe, however, totally simplified the bread-baking process with their master bread recipe and easy, no-knead technique. The result is a fridge full of dough–just break of a piece of dough, shape it, and bake it when you want. The dough keeps in the fridge for 14 days.

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bread-oil

So, now I have a big bin of dough in my fridge, and I can make hot, fresh bread every morning. How fun is that? My family went nuts for this bread (we loved dipping it in the spicy garlic olive oil and vinegar set above–a gift from my husband’s boss from Pike Place Market). I’ll just say, I made a simple whole-wheat loaf today, and between me, my husband and my 3 year old (and yes, the 1 year old had a few bites too) the loaf was gone in under an hour.

bread-carson

And I have another loaf baking in the oven right now. I feel so Martha!

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8 Comments
  • January 2, 2010
    reply

    Wow. That seems too good to be true but I am absolutely going to try it. There’s a plethora of New Year’s traditions in my family, going back hundreds and thousands of years. But really, when it comes down to it, it’s just a full day of eating and laughing with family.

  • January 2, 2010
    reply

    I really want to start making more things at home this year. I was thinking jam but I guess I could make bread too 😉 Plus, bread straight out of the oven is heavenly 🙂

  • January 2, 2010
    reply

    That looks SO good. My mouth is watering. Going to have to check out that book!

  • January 2, 2010
    reply
    Gracie

    Hi Sarah,
    Just answering your comment for a few days ago- sorry, I was on mini-vacation! Feel free to do a story on my Emergen-C mishap…although I don’t have photos (thank god). I guess I COULD be persuaded to re-enact the disaster if I had to though!
    FYI I got the color out by the next day but it required several scrubbings and a splash of lemon: and even then I found a pink streak I missed along my jawline the next evening!

  • January 4, 2010
    reply

    I got their first book for Christmas and I can’t wait to try it out! I have to get corn meal, and wait until my Pizza Peel arrives! Enjoy!

  • January 10, 2010
    reply
  • January 22, 2010
    reply

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