I’m not a baker.  Not by any means.  Other than a repertoire of a half dozen well rehearsed cookie recipes, I pretty much stick to boxed mixes and straight from the bakery goods.  However, I do love fresh baked bread, I mean, who doesn’t?  Right?  But despite the fact that I periodically toyed with the idea of taking up bread making, my lack of baking finesse and the amount of time it takes to make bread from scratch have always deterred me.

Until now, that is…

For Christmas, I asked for and received a new cookbook: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.  (Thanks, John and Denny!)  I gotta tell you, I love this book!  I’ve been making fresh bread several times a week ever since I got it.  Me… baking bread… on a regular basis.  Crazy!

The premise is simple, you mix up a large batch of dough (it takes me about 10 minutes using my stand mixer, but you can do it by hand too), and then store the dough in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, just taking out enough to make one loaf whenever you feel the need for some freshly baked goodness.

It’s ridiculously easy, no-kneed bread that makes your house smell divine!  And it’s tasty too!

(This is the first loaf I ever made.  Well, actually it’s just part of the loaf.  The girls and I got about half way through it before I remembered to take a picture!  This bread is so good!)

There is a basic white bread recipe the authors recommend you try first, but then there are several chapters of variations and other types to try.  I’ve made three different kinds so far and they’ve all been great, even when I’ve neglected to perfectly follow the instructions.  Eventually I’m planning on trying my hand at the Pecan Caramel Rolls.  They sound amazing!

So anyway, if you love freshly made bread, but hate the time commitment it demands, this book is for you.  I highly recommend it!