Introduction ALTHOUGH ARTISAN BREAD baking is a time-honored tradition, with classic forms and methods, there has been a recent surge of revision. Baking experts such as Jim Lahey, Peter Reinhart, Jeff Hertzberg, Zoë François, Dorie Greenspan, Nancy Silverton, Maggie Glezer, Nancy Baggett and the late Julia Child; food scientists such as Shirley Corriher; and innovative bread bloggers have taken a fresh look at old recipes and come up with new, easier ways to achieve the same or similar results. As a cookbook author, culinary instructor and avocational baker, I've built on their combined expertise and gone a step further in streamlining artisan bread baking into an achievable -- and rewarding -- activity for busy people. I've questioned, challenged and tested my way to the best methods for baking artisan-quality breads in an easier, faster manner. I've also used a sequential, step-by-step approach known as "benchmarking." With each dough, with each recipe, you learn and master new techniques. The result is 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads , which shows how you can achieve incredible results in just minutes a day. What's so easy about easy artisan breads? You use basic equipment: a large mixing bowl, a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon, measuring cups, a cutting board or cookie sheet, an instant-read thermometer, a serrated knife, a rolling pin, a broiler pan and a baking stone. You make enough dough for several loaves, store the dough in the refrigerator, then bake when you're ready. Many of the doughs keep in the refrigerator for over a week. You skip traditional bread-making steps. No need to proof (active dry) yeast over water to make sure it works; you use instant or bread machine yeast and simply stir it into the flour. No need to knead, as you use a moist dough that does the work of activating the gluten for you. No need to bake the bread the same day -- you can if you want to, but you can also wait several days, up to a week or more. You master easy methods for shaping the dough into round loaves (boules), baguettes, batards, rolls, filled rolls, flatbreads, pizzas, bagels, pastries and more. You know when your bread is done in one easy step -- by using an instant-read thermometer. No tapping, thumping, guessing, hoping. You learn similarly easy, streamlined ways to make complements to bread, such as artisan butter (in the food processor in 5 minutes) and caramelized onions (in the slow cooker). The "fast" part of the 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads title means that your hands-on activity (not including rising, resting or baking time) with these breads is only minutes a day. You can make the dough one day, form and bake in the days afterwards. If you can bake a batch of brownies from a box mix, you are ready to start 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads . So let's get started! Excerpted from 200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One Bowl by Judith Fertig All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
