My Bread

Starred review from September 21, 2009
While the subtitle sounds like a late-night television infomercial, Lahey's quick bread-in-a-pot method garnered attention from foodies and critics after appearing in Mark Bittman's New York Times
article. With co-writer Flaste, founding editor of the New York Times
's dining section, Lahey, founder of the Sullivan Street Bakery and the New York pizzeria Co., presents his touted no-knead bread recipe, along with a collection of recipes building on the method. With only five minutes of labor (along with 12–18 hours of waiting/rising time), the authors promise the results of artisanal Italian-inspired bread. Lahey's down-to-earth tone and straightforward technique, along with instructional photographs lead home bakers through chapters including “Specialties of the House,” with such recipes as coconut-chocolate bread and pancetta bread; “Beyond Water,” breads made with carrot or apple juices and peanut butter; and “Pizzas and Foccacias,” featuring less-than-traditional toppings such as celery root, cauliflower and fennel pizzas. Additional sections on building sandwiches and what to do with stale bread—everything from soup to dessert—round out this innovative title.

September 15, 2009
Just when you thought youd finessed the chore of bread baking by purchasing that expensive bread machine, along comes someone who effortlessly whips out a classic loaf of Italian bread without much manual or mechanical labor. Lahey, innovator at Manhattans renowned Sullivan Street Bakery, has developed a technique adapted from Tuscan bakers for no-knead bread. To anyone experienced with bread baking, kneading seems central to the creation of breads structure, texture, and crust. Using photographs to help illuminate his method, Lahey demonstrates how long rising and baking in a covered heavy pot can turn soft, sticky dough into a perfect loaf with full-flavored crumb and crisp, chewy crust. He elaborates this technique for rye, fruit, and even a remarkable peanut butter and jelly bread. This same method yields pizzas, focaccias, and bases for currently popular panini. For anyone foolish enough not to devour Laheys loaves fresh, he inventories ways to use up stale leftovers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)