Master Recipe: Review

This is a review of the Master Recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day 

You might be wondering why the only picture is horribly granulated and not of the bread, but of the first rise.  These are good things to wonder. 

Well we STILL don't have any way to use Zach's nice camera and I can't seem to stop dropping my phone, making the camera worse... here we are. 

As to the object of the picture, that's because I live with my husband and father-in-law, bread hounds of discerning tastes.  I made 3 loaves from the Master Recipe, which makes 4 1-pound loaves. 

I made a 1-pound broule and baguette, then a 2-pound ciabatta.  I was completely skeptical that one recipe could create these separate flavors and textures.  Truth be told, it wasn't entirely successful, but it was passable.  The crumb was much better at morphing from one texture to another based on rise time, baking temperature, and what the dough rose on (flour, corn meal, etc).  Of the three, the ciabatta was the furthest from the real thing, but they were all delicious.

The main problem we all had with this bread?  Way too salty.  I used the called-for amount the first time, and reduced it by a teaspoon for the second batch (pictured above). 

I'm looking forward to trying the more complicated recipes. 

**I didn't get anything for writing this review.  I bought the book myself, and this is only my opinion about the Master Recipe.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Yes, I'm late to this party.  It's been wicked busy.  Also I'm not generally interested in short cuts.  Blame my Mom.  Like she taught me: they often just don't pan out. 

However.... I got the book out of the library a few weeks ago and was intrigued.  Not so much a short cut as spreading the rising times out through refrigeration.  So I'm trying a few different versions of the "Master Recipe" over the next few days.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Shiitake Mushrooms

This week's recipe was great.  We used it as a side dish for a panko pan fried fish and my first loaf of bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  The star of the show were the peas and mushrooms!  Zach requested they show up frequently, and took the leftovers to work.  Even better: they're so easy, I can even make this when school starts in the fall with a little tofu and some rice for a fast meal.  SCORE!

I won a wok!

Nothing makes a bad week better than an unanticipated surprise.  Like this one!  As everyone knows, I win nothing.  I don't even win at cards.  So my joy was a little excessive when Matt's email came.  There might have been dancing, fist pumping, maybe even picking the cat up and a little tango.... Maybe.


I can't wait to start cooking on this baby!  Watch out fire alarm, I am your nemesis!

Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Rum

If you haven't heard about Wok Wednesdays, learn more here!

Sorry about the poor picture quality, our computer died, so we're living with camera phones until we get a new one and can go back to Zach's fancy camera.

I liked almost everything about this dish, from how quickly it could come together to the end result.  (To be fair, we're not fans of bell peppers, so I used broccoli.  A slight change, I know.)

The one thing that was all around a pain was the shrimp--I would not get them shell, legs, vein, tail on again.  It was such a PITA. Plus having to peel Janey's shrimp and pray there wasn't any shell in her dish... just not worth it to me.

I'm not sure the few seconds in the lime really did anything, but it didn't hurt, right?

The best part: I would never have made this without Wok Wednesdays.  This just isn't a recipe that would have appealed to me.  It's a great dish (I'll probably try it with tofu next time), I'm already happy with Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge, and can't wait to try another!

**For the recipe, check out the book, or enjoy the Big Red Kitchen's write up!
 

Naomi's big fear

Realized

Nice dinner in Yuma

Includes peacock.