Worth Every Penny

Some people sleep walk. I sleep shop. My nightly ritual is reading blogs until I nod off. Someone, somewhere had a post last week about the best bread they have ever made and went on and on about this new baking technique outlined in the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I must be able to hit the one click purchase button on Amazon in my sleep because the book showed up at my door yesterday. I gave it a try today and this IS THE BEST BREAD EVER. No kneading, no mess. Just plop it all in a bowl. You barely mix it up. It sits on the counter for a few hours and then you put it in the fridge for a couple more hours and voila: the chewiest, crunchiest bread this side of Paris. The 5 minute deal is that you make a giant tub of gooey dough, keep it in the fridge and then you can cut off a grapefruit sized piece every night. You let it rise on the counter for a bit and then pop it into the oven where it swells up to be a delicious artisan boule with a lovely crust and soft insides. The book says to let it cool for the best flavor, but this one was gone within minutes of its photo shoot. To be honest, the backside of this loaf was already eaten before I had even thought to get the camera out. I had to pose it carefully to hide my impatience.