I saw in on Pinterest - Artisan Bread

I love Pinterest! Yep, I've been a member for a while and pin every single day. There is just so much to find and do and I love that I no longer have to print out ideas from the internet but can file them virtually for future reference. Isn't Pinterest great?!

In an effort to get myself motivated I'm going to occasionally feature a Pinterest find here on the blog. Perhaps try a new recipe? Make a new craft? Whatever...I need to actually attempt some of these things and not just pin them, know what I mean? I know you do... If you're like most people on Pinterest, you are pin-crazy but not much actually gets produced from them.

First off, this is me on Pinterest and I hope that you'll follow me.

I'm going to start this with a food idea from my board, Practical Food.

Our dinner routine is a bit...routine. My husband is a simple guy and certain foods don't agree with him so we stick to the basics most nights. Spaghetti with ground turkey. Baked chicken tenderloins with brown rice. Salads. Lots of salads. Healthy, yes. But also boring. I need, I want, I crave carbs. Sometimes (not all the time) but yes, sometimes I just need a nice thick slice of warm bread with butter...real butter!



Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes.

Well, now we are talking!

A coworker actually owned this book and after I borrowed it for the weekend, I was hooked and bought it for myself. Of course "5 Minutes" isn't exactly accurate because there is some rising time and resting time built in but yes, the process is simplified and the punching and kneading of the dough from past recipes is eliminated here. You can make enough dough to produce several loaves and refrigerate it until you need it.

I did a little search on Pinterest for Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes and came across this pin and was intrigued. The original recipe requires steam be added to the oven while bread is baking by pouring water into a pan inside the hot oven. This was never properly accomplished by me because for fear of scorching my hand on the grates, I never angled my measuring cup well and would end up pouring the water all over inside the stove instead of in the pan.

This "new" method has you making the bread inside a Dutch oven which produces the steam inside the lid. Works perfectly and you get a warm crackling loaf in about 20 minutes. Turkey spaghetti never had a better dinner companion!

Unfortunately the website does not have the recipe, I think you have to purchase the cookbook or borrow at the library, but let me tell you, this book is worth it. It really is the easiest approach to yeast I've even experienced and loaves go together in just a few minutes so it's very little hands-on work.

Artisan bread baked in your Dutch oven



And here is a shot of the pizza that I made using the dough. I just worked a piece flat, stretching it with my hands until it was sort-of circle-shaped, sprinkled the baking stone with cornmeal and topped with sauce & cheese. Wow, it was the most amazing pizza...and I know pizza!