Lewis: Time saved is a great gift
Right at Home
Athens Banner-Herald | Story updated at 4:54 pm on 12/12/2008
Lisa Lewis
At the risk of being obnoxious, I have another gift recommendation this week. I swear I didn't plan this, but just I came across something I did not know existed and thought, "Now this is what I want." Before I tell you what this hot item is, I must give a little history.
About a month ago, when the weather was really beginning to cool off and the leaves were gloriously vibrant, I got my annual urge to make a pot of soup and a loaf of bread. I pulled out a few of my cookbooks, two of which were specific to bread-baking, and began to pore over the possibilities. I narrowed my choices down by the amount of time the recipe would require. Something needed my attention and my quest to bake bread was delayed a week or so. When I did find the time to bake a loaf, my water was too cool and thus, my dough didn't rise. Since I didn't have time to start over, I baked it anyway, as my family is accustomed to brick-like loaves at the onset of fall.
I was undeterred, primarily because there are few things as satisfying to all the senses than a bowlful of beautifully-risen dough, except perhaps the same dough as it emerges hot from the oven as bread. I realized that if I had all the time in the world, bread-baking would be high on my list of things I would do regularly. But alas, time is only rarely on my side, and to quote one of my bread books, "... To get the absolute best bread in the world, the one element that is imperative is time ... and lots of it."
Enter the great gift: "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." Though I have yet to leaf through an actual copy of the book, the aforementioned article includes some recipes and the "secret," which is refrigerated dough. A one- or two-week supply of bread dough is made in advance (in less than 15 minutes, it says), is refrigerated, then a portion can be cut off each day to bake into fresh bread. The book is authored by a scientist (Jeff Hertzberg) and a pastry chef (Zoë François), which is why there are also recipes for desserts using the stored dough.
I feel pretty confident about the claims of the book, but I checked out the reader ratings on Amazon.com anyway. There were 187 reviews at the time I looked and the vast majority were full of accolades. Some of the phrases were: "Wonderful bread!" "As easy as they promise," "Haven't bought bread since I got this," and my two favorites - "This book saved my marriage!" and "Retired, relieved, and rejoicing!" (Somebody's spouse REALLY likes good bread.)
This sounded like the perfect gift for a busy mom, but it might fit the bill for just about anyone who eats bread and has a refrigerator, and I'd say chances are good that if you give it, you'll get at least one fresh loaf in return.
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Lisa Lewis resides in Athens with husband Geoff, daughter Ella, and son Billy.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, December 14, 2008
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