Bread in five minutes a day...say what?!

Do you remember back at the beginning of the year when I said my new years resolution was to bake bread? No? Well, I didn't either, at least it was until I found this recipe. Not only is it the easiest bread recipe ever, the dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Which means hearty homemade bread every night. Or at least until we become sick of bread!

Doesn't that loaf look amazing? The recipe comes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and is the easiest, and tastiest, dough I've tried. Above, and below, is their master recipe. This recipe can be halved, doubled, tripled, etc. for as many loaves as you need. What's also great about their recipe is that the ingredients together at the same time (say the weekend) and left to rise for a couple hours, then stored in the refrigerator for later use (say the rest of the week!). Sound simple? It is! And, all you have to do when you want to eat some bread is tear of a chunk, "cloak" it, let it rest for about 45 minutes, do the cool flour-knife-slash, bake, and enjoy!

But as a side note, do remember that the bread will expand even after you put it in the fridge. I forgot this crucial piece of information, stuck the dough in a container, shoved it in the fridge, and then uh oh, a few hours later I open the fridge draw to where a "bread bomb" seemed to have gone off. Oops! If you're short on space, try using ziploc freezer bags. Just don't put all the dough in one bag! I would divide the dough in to two pieces, maybe even three.

Master Recipe: Boule
Yield: Four 1 lb loaves
Ingredients:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
6 1/2 cups all purpose flour, (scoop and sweet method)

1. Warm water slightly
2. Add yeast and salt
3. Mix in flour (Kneading is unnecessary!)
4. Allow to rise for 2 hours, then put in the refrigerator

Note: Do not put dough in mason jars, or sealed bags/containers as the dough might cause the container to explode .... as in my case.

On baking day:
1. cloak the the bread by first shaping the dough in to a sphere and then pushing the sides around the ball, and then in to the center
2. Allow to rise for 40 minutes, doesn't need to be covered
3. Preheat oven to 450˚F.
4. Twenty minutes before baking place a boiler tray and pizza stone
5. Dust loaves with flour, then slash
6. Place loaves in the oven and pour 1 cup of water in to boiler tray bake for 30 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch
Note: Dough can be stored for up to two weeks!