Quick and Easy Bread Baking: Mastering the 5-Minute Recipe

Interested in Making This Kind of Bread in Just 5 Minutes?

The aroma of freshly baked bread is incomparable. It lifts my spirits. However, with a hectic schedule packed with work and family responsibilities, there isn't much time during the week to bake fresh bread. Making bread involves several steps, such as fermenting, kneading, and multiple proofing sessions before it can be baked. This isn't always practical for the home cook who desires fresh bread with their meal.

So, how can this issue be resolved? The solution is 5-minute bread. In the book “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, it is explained that fresh bread can be made from refrigerated dough for up to two weeks. THAT’S 14 DAYS OF FRESH BREAD! Simply prepare a large batch of wet dough, let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator. Whenever you want freshly baked bread, just cut off a piece of dough to bake for the day, and that's it.

When I initially encountered this concept, I wondered who would think of using old dough to make fresh bread. Wouldn't it spoil in a few days? Wouldn't you need to prepare a new batch? The answer is no. The bread's flavor actually enhances over two weeks as the dough develops sourdough characteristics with each passing day. If stored in a container and refrigerated, its freshness can last up to two weeks, provided the dough mixture doesn't include eggs. This is a fantastic baking technique for anyone who wants fresh bread at their convenience without needing to visit the local bakery daily. For just a few cents, you can enjoy fresh bread every day with the 5-minute bread method.

What Is Five-Minute Bread?

As previously mentioned, the 5-minute bread technique, created by Hertzberg and Francois, allows you to have fresh bread daily without extra time and cost. Simply mix enough dough for several loaves and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake. When you want to use the dough, take a portion from the container, shape it into a loaf, let it rest for at least 20 minutes, and then bake it. There's no kneading required, and you only need to spend 20 to 40 seconds shaping the dough you plan to bake. While enjoying your fresh bread, leave the remaining dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

What Sets 5 Minute Bread Apart From Traditional Bread?

5 minute dough is a pre-mixed, pre-risen, high-moisture dough that stores well in the refrigerator. This dough is made with enough water to create a wet consistency, allowing it to last longer when kept in the fridge or freezer. Unlike traditional methods, kneading this wet dough isn't necessary as it doesn't significantly enhance the final product. So, if you're unfamiliar with kneading or lack an electric mixer with a dough hook, don't worry—simply mix it with a wooden spoon and skip the kneading process. Everything can be measured and combined in one container for later use. Due to its high moisture content, this dough can be stored for weeks, allowing sourdough flavors to develop as it ages.

Let's contrast the traditional method with the 5-minute bread technique.

Table 1. Traditional vs. 5-Minute Method

As illustrated in the chart above, the traditional bread-making method takes ONE FULL DAY to bake a single loaf of bread. In contrast, the 5-minute bread technique reduces the production steps by 70 percent and can produce several loaves over a period of two weeks or longer if the dough is frozen.

Summarizing the Benefits of 5 Minute Bread

1. You don’t need to prepare fresh dough every time you want fresh bread.

2. Starter is not needed. The dough mixture becomes the starter as the dough ages and a portion can be used to prepare the next dough batch.

3. It doesn’t matter how you mix wet and dry ingredients to prepare the high-moisture dough. Just mix the dough until it has a uniform texture without any dry lumps of flour.

4. Proofing the dough is not required.

5. The dough isn’t kneaded.

How Can I Prepare Bread in 5 Minutes?

I'll outline the ingredients, equipment, and tools required to prepare 5-minute bread, ensuring you have fresh bread daily.

What Are the Ingredients Required for 5 Minute Bread?

To make 5-minute bread, you only need four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. These are all that's required to enjoy fresh bread daily.

Flour

There are numerous Types of Flour and Uses for Baking. For this recipe, all-purpose flour is ideal because it contains a medium level of protein. Flours with low protein content, such as pastry flour, cake flour, or rye flour, lack the necessary protein to form the gluten strands required for no-knead bread.

Why is All-Purpose Flour Ideal for 5 Minute Bread?

All-purpose flour is a fundamental ingredient frequently used in baking various products. Its protein content is around 10 percent and contains sufficient gluten, which is essential for capturing the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation and for helping the dough rise. Traditionally, gluten development is emphasized through kneading. However, when a sufficient amount of water is added to the dough, it enhances the elasticity of the gluten, thereby building and strengthening its structure.

If all-purpose flour is not your preferred choice for baking, you can opt for other types such as bread flour, whole-wheat flour, and more. Keep in mind that if you choose low-protein flours, you'll need to incorporate flour with high protein content to develop the gluten network. Conversely, when using high-protein flours, it's important to adjust the flour-to-water ratio in the recipe to avoid creating a dry, dense dough that doesn't store well in the refrigerator. My only advice is to avoid low-protein flours like cake and pastry flours, as they are seldom successful in making high-moisture dough. Refer to the table below for a summary of different types of flour, their composition, and common baking uses.

Table 2. Flour Varieties, Their Composition, and Typical Baking Applications

Oncooking 2003, pp. 928, Tbl 29.1

If health conditions necessitate, gluten-free flours may be substituted in this recipe. Consult your local primary physician if you have celiac disease or are allergic or sensitive to gluten. The 5-minute bread serves as a master recipe that can be adapted and modified as required for the everyday baker.

Water

Typically, with the traditional method, I use a thermometer to check the water temperature. However, for the 5-minute bread, the pre-mixed batch contains enough yeast to ferment and rise the dough, so lukewarm or even cold water won't hinder the yeast's activity. Thus, you can set aside the thermometer and just add water that feels slightly warm to the touch. Lukewarm water is suitable for this recipe. Cold tap water will also work, but the initial rise will take significantly longer. If you're not in a rush, you can add cold water to the dough and let it sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours or more. The bread will taste the same as if you had used warm water.

Active Dry Yeast

For the 5-minute bread recipe, you can choose any type or brand of yeast. Yeast varieties such as granulated, active dry, instant, quick-rise, bread machine, or cake yeast are all suitable. Personally, I favor active dry yeast for baking because it can be bought in bulk at the local wholesale store and kept in the refrigerator or freezer for extended freshness. If you bake often, as is typical with the 5-minute bread, purchasing yeast in bulk instead of packets is more cost-effective and reduces your grocery expenses.

Salt

Salt is essential for this recipe as it enhances the flavor of the bread and fortifies the gluten network. Gluten, a protein network in flour, influences the final shape of the baked product. To learn more about gluten's impact on baked goods and its health implications, read the Understanding Gluten: Exploring its Meaning, Side Effects, and Intolerance and Intolerance article. If necessary for health reasons, you can reduce the salt in the recipe. Rest assured, the taste will remain unchanged.

This recipe uses coarsely ground salt. If you intend to use finely ground salt or sea salt, be sure to adjust for the difference in grind.

What Tools Are Necessary to Prepare 5 Minute Bread?

Scale for Weighing

When measuring ingredients, it's typical to use measuring spoons and scoops. However, the aim of 5-minute bread is to make fresh bread quickly. Weighing all the ingredients directly into the same container using a balance offers several benefits.

1. Unlike measuring cups and spoons, the balance provides an accurate measurement for each ingredient.

2. Lowers the amount of dishes used to prepare the dough.

3. Lowers the time spent cleaning up afterwards.

This is my favorite technique for making 5-minute bread. Give it a shot. You might never return to using measuring cups and spoons for baking bread.

Plastic Container With a Lid

To keep the dough fresh and prevent it from overflowing, use a plastic container with a lid when storing it in the refrigerator or freezer for weeks. As the dough rises during fermentation, ensure you DO NOT punch it down. This is a no-knead bread recipe, and the proofing step is skipped. Thus, the dough requires all the gas it has accumulated during fermentation to rise and expand during baking.

Spoon, Dough Whisk, or Electric Mixer with a Dough Hook

Before measuring the ingredients, determine your method for mixing the dough. If you're using a spoon or dough whisk, you can weigh everything directly in the storage container. However, if you're opting for an electric mixer, use the mixing bowl to weigh all your ingredients, including the water.

For me, using an electric mixer is the simplest method because the ingredients need to be mixed until the dough is smooth and free of flour clumps. Moving the dough from the mixing bowl to the storage container can be difficult without a dough scraper. Hence, a dough scraper is the ideal tool if you intend to prepare the dough with an electric mixer.

Stone for Baking, Cast Iron, or Lidded Dutch Oven

Baking stones, cast iron skillets, and Dutch ovens (whether enameled or not) are among the top utensils for baking bread. I have utilized all three for baking bread and pizza, and in my opinion, cast iron skillets are the superior choice. Cast iron skillets for pizza offer several benefits, including:

1. Used to bake pizza and various bread types (except for baguettes).

2. Can be cleaned, unlike baking stones (no matter what cast iron enthusiast might say).

3. Cast iron properties allow the skillet to hold heat very well and bake the bread consistently throughout the loaf.

Select the baking tools that suit your needs. Cookie sheets, clay bakers, and cast-iron pots are just as effective as the skillets mentioned earlier.

Tips to Stop Your 5 Minute Bread from Sticking to the Pizza Peel or Parchment Paper

The most frustrating event in bread baking is when the dough adheres to the pizza peel or when parchment paper clings to the bottom of the baked loaf. I've experienced this multiple times. It's troublesome and quite disheartening to accidentally drop the dough while transferring it into a hot oven or to make significant cuts into the bread while trying to remove stuck paper. These challenges can be discouraging for novice bakers.

Sprinkling flour or cornmeal on the pizza peel before moving the dough helps prevent it from sticking to the pan or skillet during baking. If you lack a pizza peel, a wooden cutting board is a suitable substitute. Parchment paper can also be used instead of flour or cornmeal, particularly when making baguettes. However, ensure you choose the right type of paper. Avoid using pastry parchment paper, butcher paper, or waxed paper, as these will smoke and adhere to the bottom of the baked bread loaf.

To prepare 5-minute bread, here's a recipe from the book “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” to help you begin.

Table 3. Quick 5-Minute Bread Recipe

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, 2013, Chp 5, pp. 53

Directions for Mixing Dough

1. In a mixing bowl, add lukewarm water, yeast, salt, and flour.

2. Use a mixing spoon or mixer to combine the ingredients until a consistent and uniform dough forms.

3. Transfer the dough mixture to a plastic container using a dough scrapper, cover with a top leaving a small opening to gas to escape.

4. Place on the countertop for 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Directions for Baking Artisan Free Form Loaf

1. Place the cast iron skillet, baking sheet, or baking stone onto the top shelf in the oven. Add an empty baking pan or roasting pan to the bottom shelf in the oven.

2. Warm the oven to 400 °F (204 °C).

3. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough mixture.

4. Grab a ball of dough and cut a section of the dough using kitchen scissors or a serrated knife.

5. Place onto a floured surface (i.e., countertop or cutting board) or silicone mat and shape the dough into ball for no more than 20 to 40 seconds.

6. Place the shaped dough onto the pizza peel covered with cornmeal, flour or parchment paper.

7. Allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes or more.

8. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough. Then, using a serrated knife, make 2-4 slits in the dough.

9. Wash the surface of the dough with melted butter or egg wash.

10. Bake for 35 minutes or until done.

11. Allow the bread to cool before serving.

    
    

In Summary,

Making fresh bread doesn't have to be time-consuming or complicated. The 5-minute bread technique, introduced by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, offers a simple and efficient way to enjoy artisan-quality bread with minimal effort. By preparing a high-moisture dough that can be stored for up to two weeks, you can bake fresh, flavorful bread daily without the need for kneading, proofing, or starters. With just four ingredients—flour, water, yeast, and salt—you’ll have a versatile dough that develops into a delightful sourdough-like flavor over time.

Ready to explore more time-saving baking methods and recipes? Visit our website for expert tips, detailed guides, and mouthwatering inspiration. Don’t forget to subscribe for updates, and start creating bakery-quality treats from the comfort of your kitchen today!

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References

• Hertzberg, J. M.D & Francois, Z (2013). The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. First Edition. Thomas Dunne Books.

• Labensky, S.R. & Hause, A.M (2003). S. Helba and V.R. Anthony (Eds.) Oncooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. Third Edition. Pearson Education.