Master recipe for 'Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day' Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound 9 ounces whole wheat flour
10 ounces all-purposed flour
.55 ounces granulated yeast
.55 ounces kosher salt
35 grams vital wheat gluten
2 pounds lukewarm water
cornmeal or parchment paper for the peel
1 to 2 tablespoons of whole seed mixture for sprinkling on the top crust

Preparation

Step 1

1. Measure the dry ingredients: Use dry-ingredient measuring cups (avoid 2-cup measures - they compact the flour) to gently scoop flour from a bin, then sweep the top level with a knife or spatula (or weigh the flours). Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or, preferably in a food-grade lidded container (not airtight).

2. Mix with water - kneading is unnecessary: Warm the water until it feels slightly warmer than body temperature (about 100°). Add all at once to the dry ingredients and mix without kneading, with a spoon, a 14-cup food processor, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with a paddle attachment. You might need to use your hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate. Using warm water will allow the dough to rise fully in about 2 hours. DON'T KNEAD! It isn't necessary. You are finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet and remains loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

3. Allow to rise: Cover the bowl with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container. If you are using a bowl, cover it loosely with plastic wrap; if using a dough rising container, leave it cracked for the first 48 hours to prevent the buildup of gases; after that, you can usually seal it. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten at the top), approximately 2 hours, depending on the room's temperature and the initial water temperature. Longer rising times, even overnight, will not harm the result. After rising, refrigerate in the lidded container, and use over the next 14 days. Fully refrigerated wet dough is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight before shaping a loaf. Once refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself. It will never rise again in the bucket, which is normal for our dough. Whatever you do DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THIS DOUGH! With our method, you are trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and will make your loaves denser.

ON BAKING DAY

4. Shape a loaf in 20 to 40 seconds. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal or lining it with parchment paper to prevent your loaf from sticking when you slide it into the oven. Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a grapefruit-sized piece of dough (about 1 pound), using a serrated knife or kitchen shears. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides, rotating a quarter-turn as you pull to form a ball. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the ball may appear to be a collection of loose ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 20 to 40 seconds. If you work the dough longer than this, it might make your loaf dense.

5. For a narrow, oval-shaped loaf and let it rest; Stretch the ball gently to elongate it, and taper the ends by rolling them between your palms and pinching them.

6. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on the prepared pizza peel for 90 minutes. Alternatively, you can rest the dough on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a peel. Depending on the age of the dough, you might not see much rise in this period; instead, it will spread sideways. More rising will occur during baking.

7. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler pan for holding water on any other rack that won't interfere with the rising bread.

8. Paint and slash: Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top of the bread with water. Sprinkle the seed mixture on the top if desired. Slash the loaf with 1/4-inch deep parallel cuts across the top. Use a serrated bread knife held perpendicularly to the bread.

9. Baking with steam: After a 30-minute preheat, you are ready to bake, even though your oven thermometer might not be up to full temperature. With a quick forward-jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off of the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. If you used parchment instead of cornmeal, it will move with the bread, and if you used a silicone mat or cookie sheet, just place it on the stone. Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch (smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking and resting time). If you used parchment paper or silicone liner, carefully remove them and bake directly on the baking stone two-thirds of the way through baking. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it may audibly 'crack' or 'sing' when initially exposed to room-temperature air. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded container, and use it over the next 14 days. You'll notice throughout the book that certain ingredients mean a shorter shelf life. You'll find that even 24 hours of storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. The dough begins to ferment and takes on sourdough characteristics.

VARIATION: Herb Bread
This simple recipe shows off the versatility of our approach. Herb-scented breads are great favorites for appetizers and snacks. Follow the directions for mixing the Master Recipe dough and add 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (2 teaspoons fresh) and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves (1 teaspoon fresh) to the water mixture.