Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

We've tried lots of different ways to insure that we are feeding the kiddos healthy whole-grains.  Here at Cheese & Quackers, we needed a bread recipe that fulfills the following criteria:

• whole-grains, healthy
• easy, fool-proof
• adaptable (can be used for pizza, sandwiches, dinner rolls, etc...)
• inexpensive to prepare (loaves of store-bought bread that fit most of our needs are about $4/loaf!)
• YUMMY (if the kids won't eat it, what's the point in baking it?)

I think we found it!  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking has been the only bread dough we've tried that fits the bill.  We've been using their wet-dough method for two weeks now and it has been simple, convenient and a joy to prepare it with the many little hands that love to help.  The best part, for me, is that I know exactly what's going into the bread and, subsequently the little mouths that I'm responsible for feeding.  The basic recipe has only four ingredients!  Flour, water, salt & yeast are all you really need to make bread, who knew?

Monday mornings, we make up a large double batch of the basic bread recipe.  No kneading is required but, little hands can only mix with wooden spoons so long so, we usually end up mixing the last bit together with our hands.  Then, we let it rise for 2 hours.

Our dough - ready to rise!

A double batch of the dough is enough for our needs for the whole week, and we're feeding 5 adults & an average of 9 children a day!  Whenever we need bread for the meal, we take what we need, shape it and let it rise for 20 minutes.  Then a quick bake in a hot oven and we have yummy fresh bread for our meal!

Two things that I do differently than the book - 

1. I don't keep the dough in the fridge.  I leave it in the large bowl, covered, on the counter.  I'm a big fan of Nourishing Traditions, Dr. Weston Price and the benefits of natural fermentation.  Nothing beats the flavor of a delicious sourdough!  Also, do you know the amount of space I'd need in the fridge for a double batch all week long?  The bread has been delicious, healthy and easy to digest.
2. I don't use bread flour, I use 7-grain flour.  I like the nutrition profile of the different grains for the kiddos.  Next week, I'm going to try using just oat flour and see how that comes together.  We have different food sensitivities in our program and, if I can find a way to make this wheat and corn free, we might have a go-to bread for every day!

This morning, as the kiddos ate their morning snack, I sat at the table with them and shaped up ciabatta rolls for our lunch.  I'd never done the rolls before, just loaves so, it was really an experiment in timing.  I think it was a great success and, by the empty plates after lunch, I'd say that would also be the general consensus!  

PB&J, tangerine, carrot sticks and PB for dipping - yum!

This was not a paid endorsement, we just really liked the book and wanted to share!  However, I am an Amazon affiliate and, if you end up purchasing the book(s) through the links, we will earn a small percentage of the purchase price.  Also, please excuse the iPhone pics, I promise I'll start learning how to use my 'real' camera soon!.