bread and chocolate

The year I lived in Paris, my favorite lunch, which I ate nearly every day, consisted of a warm baguette and a bar of belgian chocolate eaten together like a sandwich. I used to get misty-eyed just thinking about how delicious that combo tasted. Not anymore.

Last summer I bought the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day after I had checked it out from the library three consecutive times and never once opened it. I had read all the raves on various blogs and thought I would be excited to try it. By the time I bought the book and thumbed through it, I thought it looked kind of daunting. I was happy making my weekly oatmeal bread, and I never got around to trying anything artisan. A couple weeks ago when I started cleaning out my kitchen, I came across the book and decided to give it a second chance. Daunting? Hardly. I cannot believe I let all those months pass with these amazing breads right within reach.

Here is the secret: We eat fresh, hot, crusty European bread every night and it takes practically no effort at all. Even if you have never made bread in your life, you can make this. It's easier than mixing a batch of cookies and every batch of bread dough makes about four loaves. There's no kneading, no temperature taking, no yeast proofing. You mix the ingredients and then keep the dough in your fridge until you're ready to grab a hunk and bake it. The secret, I think, is in the pizza stone and the pan of water in the super hot oven. A process I had memorized by loaf two.

I have always been a slow adopter. I don't know exactly why. I still use the kind of corkscrew you take camping, I write addresses down on paper and post-it notes, and I have never had anything but a pay-as-you-go phone. I don't like fads. I like to do things the hard way. Perhaps this relates to the poor-me syndrome I fell victim to as a child. Perhaps I need therapy. In any case, if you are like this in any way - skeptical, stoic, too cool to be cool - do not miss this boat. You will be utterly amazed that you can bake this well. You will consider opening a French bakery. You will be making bread and chocolate sandwiches. Your entire household will thank you.