Customer Reviews:
 Real bread made at home April 13, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I met Jeff Hertzberg about 20 years ago in Palenque, Mexico. I was an investment banker on "gardening leave" and Jeff was a doctor. Two decades later I met up with Jeff and his wife Laura to discover that he had just written a book on bread and I had, in the meantime, set up a wine business - Wine for Spice.
When Hertzberg, a physician and amateur bread enthusiast, teamed up with Francois, a renowned pastry chef and baker, the right ingredients came together for bakers craving fast, simple homemade bread. The results from the oven are easy enough for an amateur to master after one attempt, but delicious enough to meet the standards of a professional chef. The pair developed an innovative recipe for refrigerator-stored dough that can be kept for up to two weeks and that will yield a variety of artisan breads that look and taste like they came straight from a boulangerie.
Because the dough is pre-mixed in bulk, active preparation time for each basic loaf is only five minutes a day, and can be spontaneously used at the last minute. The authors share nearly 100 recipes using variations on the basic technique--such as baguettes, pizzas, and pain d'epi--plus other breads and accompanying dishes that all make fantastic quick hors d'oeuvres for wine-tastings. A sampling of the recipes confirms that anyone can achieve a professional-quality result, including home bakers with no prior experience with yeast breads.
I normally cook and eat Basmati rice with my spicy food. That's easy enough in 15 minutes using my microwave. But bread will henceforth be also on the menu. I plan to lean heavily on the Hertzberg and Francois recipe for naan, which radically simplifies the traditional recipe for this buttery Indian flatbread.
The basic recipe can be used to make a delicious naan:
Mix four ingredients with a spoon -flour, water, salt, and yeast, forming a very wet dough. Don't knead it or otherwise spend time with it. Allow it to rise at room temperature for two hours.
To make a naan, cut off a 100 gram piece (peach-size). Shape it into a ball, then roll out with a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1/2 cm and a diameter of 20 cm. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat on the stovetop, add a tablespoon of ghee (or oil), and drop the dough round into the skillet, decrease the heat to medium, and cover. Check for doneness at 3 minutes, or sooner if you're smelling overly quick browning. Adjust heat as needed. Flip naan when underside is richly browned. Continue cooking another 2 to 6 minutes, until second side is browned.
Its now time once again to make your own bread!
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