Homemade Artisan bread

When I used to make sandwiches earlier, the most overlooked ingredient was the bread. Any sliced bread would do. But as I have discovered Baguettes, Foccaicas, Cibattas, the Sour-dough Artisan ones, I have changed my mind completely. It all begins with the bread. The filling is completely dependent on it. Sometimes if the bread is perfect, a dip in olive oil is enough to enjoy it or even on its own.

Mum loves breads more than chapatis and rotis. In London when we used to take her to the supermarket's bakery section, she would search for a freshly baked and still warm loaf. Her favorite were the french baguettes. 'Av oooda bread kanaa' was her description before we told her what it is called.

As many of you out there, I love baking more than the the stove-top cooking. The end result is more satisfying. After looking around for some good recipes I came across Zoe and Jeff's famous book 'Artisan Bread in Five minutes'. Bread-making can never be done in five minutes. They count the minutes it takes to dump in your ingredients into a bowl, make the dough and put it in the oven - minus the resting period.

I prepared the whole wheat artisan loaf. Check out the video for the making it. Or else simply buy the book. :) It is totally worth it! I skipped adding 1/4 tsp of the 'vital wheat gluten' because we didn't have any at home. Wanted to see whether it makes a lot of difference. Also I mixed the yeast and a tsp of sugar to lukewarm water before adding it to the dough, as it activates the yeast.

So the end result was a really good loaf of bread for a lovely Sunday morning. Slightly dense, but really good. It is definitely healthier, cheaper and more satisfying to make your own bread. 

Next time I shall experiment with some other flour and maybe add the required gluten for a softer bread.