Fresh Bread For Dinner Is Easier Than You Think

What could be better than a fresh loaf of bread for dinner? For some that may be a pleasure reserved for the weekends, when there is time to mix, kneed and bake a crusty loaf. For others, it may be something exclusive to those able to stop at a bakery on their way home from work. But there’s no reason the average person can’t enjoy a fresh loaf of bread for dinner with just a little preparation.

If you want to try making yeast breads but are afraid it takes too much time, check out Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoe Francois. The authors describe a method for making bread dough that can be stored in the refrigerator, cut into smaller pieces, and cooked in the oven any time you want fresh bread. The book has many delicious recipes that require less work than you would think.

For those who already have a favorite yeast bread recipe, try making a loaf and freezing it. After you make the loaf, let it cool then wrap it in a double layer of foil and pop it in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, take it out of the freezer, unwrap it and let it thaw completely. Heat your oven to 400 degrees and cook the loaf for about 10 minutes. The time in the oven will heat the bread through and make the outside of the loaf nice and crispy.

Even an inexperienced bread baker should have good luck with Pesto Bread. This recipe yields a tall, nicely textured loaf that makes great sandwiches. Try setting your bread dough in the sun during both the first and second rising for stellar results.

Quick breads are another option for the home baker. Quick breads are often sweet – think banana or zucchini – but there are many good recipes for savory quick breads as well. I’ve included my favorite recipe for Corn Bread. Like so many great recipes this one came about by accident. My best friend is allergic to milk so I made her a batch of corn bread with rice milk. The extra sweetness and the slight vanilla flavor in the rice milk yielded such a great result that I’ve never gone back. The recipe contains some whole wheat flour and whole corn kernels, so your family gets a little extra nutrition and doesn’t have to give up anything in taste. You can substitute regular milk for the rice milk if you don’t keep it on hand.

With fall just around the corner and schedules getting busy again, rest assured that you can still enjoy fresh bread with dinner on any given night. Just be careful – your family might enjoy it so much that they’ll ask for bread every night!

Pesto Bread
½ c. plain yogurt
1 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 T. honey
1 package active dry yeast
2 c. wheat flour
1¾ c. white flour, plus more for sprinkling
¼ c. pesto
1 t. salt

Place yogurt in a small bowl and allow it to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Mix together warm water, honey and yeast. Let sit until yeast is foamy, 5-10 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into a large bowl and stir in yogurt, flours, pesto and salt. Stir until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You can add small sprinkles of white flour if necessary until the bread reaches the correct texture. Place bread on a floured breadboard and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, then turn until dough is coated in oil. Cover with a dish towel and let dough rest until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Shape into a rectangle roughly 8” x 4”. Place dough into an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan, pressing dough into corners of pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook until top is brown and bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack. Once bread has cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), remove from pan and let loaf cool completely.

Corn Bread
½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
1 c. corn meal
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 c. vanilla rice milk
¼ c. canola oil
2-3 T. honey (plus more for serving, optional)
2 eggs
1 c. frozen corn kernels
Butter, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9” pie pan. Set aside. In a large bowl mix flours, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl combine the milk, oil, honey and eggs. Mix well then stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in frozen corn kernels. Pour mixture into pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut into wedges and serve with butter and extra honey if desired.