Tension, rising

         I’m afraid the honeymoon is over. After a full day spent baking bread, and some biscotti, and churning some frozen yogurt too (I hadn’t had a full day off in awhile; I made sure to use my time wisely) I came to the conclusion that Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day could have some flaws. The recipes are technically sound, and produce loaves that are texturally masterful. However, now that I have surpassed the initial panic of following a recipe carefully, and have graduated to some of the more advanced recipes, I have found some fault. The proportions listed for extras are simply not cutting it. For instance, the pesto pine nut loaf was shockingly lacking in flavor, as was the honey, milk, and raisin loaf. And the olive spelt bread was texturally spot on – dense, but not too dense – but the fruit flavors were non-existent, leaving the bread tasting much like what so many people have come to distrust in “healthy” recipes: that lingering, cardboardy sensation. I still say definitely make this bread; the recipes are scientifically stable and the texture is pleasing, but then add in 2 to 3 times the suggested amount of any extra ingredients listed – salt, olives, pine nuts, garlic, the list goes on – to achieve a bread that will really wow. Props still, Jeff and Zoë, for a bread book that has great narrative, directions, and masterful recipes, and for giving me the confidence and the jumping off point for some creative loaves.