Books by author: Zoe Francois

I saw a video by the authors of this book on Cool Tools, and I was sufficiently intrigued to try the recipe in the video — an artisan-style whole-wheat bread. The process was easy, the bread was delicious, and I went on to make some yummy pizza with the leftover dough. After that, I didn't hesitate to buy the book, and I've tried a couple more recipes and techniques since then (garlic knots and loaf-pan style — both were excellent).

The "five minutes a day" catch-phrase is slightly misleading, since it takes about twenty minutes of active work and several hours of rising and baking time to make the bread (the authors average that twenty minutes over four loaves to get to five minutes). But it is easy work, and the results are terrific.

I found a great tip in the book for keeping the bread fresh: just place the loaf cut-side down on a dinner plate and leave it on the counter. Today, I'm on day three of a whole-wheat loaf, and though the crust has hardened, the cut side is still nice and soft. I'm looking forward to finishing it for lunch.

I plan to make another batch of dough today (100% whole wheat with olive oil), and I'm looking forward to trying some of the other recipes.