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Budget Friendly Meals

By Pat Crocker

Herb-rich Recipes:

• Citrus Almond-Basil Cake
• Roasted Squash Soup
• Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
• Pasta with Seasonal Vegetables
• Eggs Baked with Spinach, Parsley and Ham
• Fennel, Celery and Apple Salad
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Cannellini Bean Salad with Savory Vinaigrette
• Savory Vinaigrette
• Roasted Meditteranean Herb Chicken
• Meditteranean Herb Paste
• Rosemary Custard and Wine-Poached Pears

Online Exclusive Recipes:

• Lemon Rice
• Mediterranean Herb-Baked Macaroni
• Pureed Squash
• Tart Tatin
• Cucumber Yogurt and Mint Salad
• Lemon Rice Pudding
• Fresh Figs with Ricotta Apricots

If your budget is stretched so thin you can practically read this article through it, take heart. As you strain to work that food budget, herbs prove that they truly are the useful plants. Put flexibility back into your food allowance by bumping up the quality and flavor of meals as you shrink their weekly cost. Read on to see just how easy and delicious it is to reel in runaway food bills by learning from the professionals.

There are some simple, concrete ideas here for good food that saves money without paring down to white rice and dry noodles.
Thrift isn’t penury, as you can see by looking at the inspirations for those lovely little bistros my East Nashville neighbors would just love to see on every other corner.  It’s basic food, inexpensive food for every day life, only with a little flair.

The article suggests using seasonal food, vegetarian entres, and even food you grow yourself (herbs don’t take up that much room, and make the plainest things special).  They give some ways of making meat go farther, and give some ideas for use/reuse meals.

The part I like the best is what the author calls a 5-Dinner Meal Map

The first step toward eating well while spending less is planning. A meal map not only gives you a sense of being at the helm, it helps you control spending by giving you shopping parameters. There is less chance you will opt for an expensive (and often calorie-laden) convenience meal if you have a simple recipe and list of ingredients for a healthier version in hand. In addition, it ensures you use all of those fresh sage leaves during the week and it saves time by “cooking once, using twice” (as in the Roasted Squash Soup one day and Pureed Squash and Green Beans later in the week). A good plan builds in some leftovers, one of the smartest money- and time-saving tools there is.
The secret to working the plan is to select four or five menus but only shop for three days’ meals at a time. If you do that, the refrigerator is comfortably stocked but it isn’t a disaster should one day’s meal happen to be postponed in favor of an impromptu pizza night. The goal is flexibility.
To get you started using herbs to save on food bills, we have mapped out five dinner menus in true bistro style.

Dinner 1
• Roasted Squash Soup
• Roasted Meditteranean Herb Chicken on Lemon Rice
• Rosemary Custard and Wine-Poached Pears

Dinner 2
• Fennel, Celery and Apple Salad
• Mediterranean Herb-Baked Macaroni
• Broccoli Spears
• Citrus Almond-Basil Cake

Dinner 3
• Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
• Pureed Squash and Green Beans
• Tart Tatin (simple fruit pie with one pastry shell)

Dinner 4
• Cucumber Yogurt and Mint Salad
• Eggs Baked with Spinach, Parsley and Ham
• Lemon Rice Pudding

Dinner 5
• Pasta with Seasonal Vegetables
• Cannellini Bean Salad with Savory Vinaigrette
• Fresh Figs with Ricotta Apricots

The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

1. Oats
High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, oats have also been shown to lower cholesterol. And they sure are cheap—a dollar will buy you more than a week’s worth of hearty breakfasts.

Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with nuts and fruit in the morning, make oatmeal cookies for dessert.

2. Eggs
You can get about a half dozen of eggs for a dollar, making them one of the cheapest and most versatile sources of protein. They are also a good source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may ward off age-related eye problems.

Serving suggestions: Huevos rancheros for breakfast, egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and frittatas for dinner.

3. Kale
This dark, leafy green is loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, and calcium. Like most greens, it is usually a dollar a bunch.

Serving suggestions: Chop up some kale and add to your favorite stir-fry; try German-Style Kale or traditional Irish Colcannon.

4. Potatoes
Because we often see potatoes at their unhealthiest—as fries or chips—we don’t think of them as nutritious, but they definitely are. Eaten with the skin on, potatoes contain almost half a day’s worth of Vitamin C, and are a good source of potassium. If you opt for sweet potatoes or yams, you’ll also get a good wallop of beta carotene. Plus, they’re dirt cheap and have almost endless culinary possibilities.

Serving suggestions: In the a.m., try Easy Breakfast Potatoes; for lunch, make potato salad; for dinner, have them with sour cream and chives.

5. Apples
I’m fond of apples because they’re inexpensive, easy to find, come in portion-controlled packaging, and taste good. They are a good source of pectin—a fiber that may help reduce cholesterol—and they have the antioxidant Vitamin C, which keeps your blood vessels healthy.

Serving suggestions: Plain; as applesauce; or in baked goods like Pumpkin-Apple Breakfast Bread.

6. Nuts
Though nuts have a high fat content, they’re packed with the good-for-you fats—unsaturated and monounsaturated. They’re also good sources of essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, and protein. And because they’re so nutrient-dense, you only need to eat a little to get the nutritional benefits. Although some nuts, like pecans and macadamias, can be costly, peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, especially when bought in the shell, are low in cost.

Serving suggestions: Raw; roasted and salted; sprinkled in salads.

7. Bananas
At a local Trader Joe’s, I found bananas for about 19¢ apiece; a dollar gets you a banana a day for the workweek. High in potassium and fiber (9 grams for one), bananas are a no-brainer when it comes to eating your five a day quotient of fruits and veggies.

Serving suggestions: In smoothies, by themselves, in cereal and yogurt.

8. Garbanzo Beans
With beans, you’re getting your money’s worth and then some. Not only are they a great source of protein and fiber, but ’bonzos are also high in fiber, iron, folate, and manganese, and may help reduce cholesterol levels. And if you don’t like one type, try another—black, lima, lentils … the varieties are endless. Though they require soaking and cooking, the most inexpensive way to purchase these beans is in dried form; a precooked can will still only run you around a buck.

Serving suggestions: In salads, curries, and Orange Hummus.

9. Broccoli
Broccoli contains tons of nice nutrients—calcium, vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and fiber. As if that isn’t enough, broccoli is also packed with phytonutrients, compounds that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Plus, it’s low in calories and cost.

Serving suggestions: Throw it in salads, stir fries, or served as an accompaniment to meat in this Steamed Ginger Chicken with Asian Greens recipe.

10. Watermelon
Though you may not be able to buy an entire watermelon for a dollar, your per serving cost isn’t more than a few dimes. This summertime fruit is over 90 percent water, making it an easy way to hydrate, and gives a healthy does of Vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, an antioxidant that may ward off cancer.

Serving suggestions: Freeze chunks for popsicles; eat straight from the rind; squeeze to make watermelon margaritas (may negate the hydrating effect!).

11. Wild Rice
It won’t cost you much more than white rice, but wild rice is much better for you. Low in fat and high in protein and fiber, this gluten-free rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates. It packs a powerful potassium punch and is loaded with B vitamins. Plus, it has a nutty, robust flavor.

Serving suggestions: Mix with nuts and veggies for a cold rice salad; blend with brown rice for a side dish.

12. Beets
Beets are my kind of vegetable—their natural sugars make them sweet to the palate while their rich flavor and color make them nutritious for the body. They’re powerhouses of folate, iron, and antioxidants.

Serving suggestions: Shred into salads, slice with goat cheese. If you buy your beets with the greens on, you can braise them in olive oil like you would other greens.

13. Butternut Squash
This beautiful gourd swings both ways: sometimes savory, sometimes sweet. However you prepare the butternut, it will not only add color and texture, but also five grams of fiber per half cup and chunks and chunks of Vitamin A and C. When in season, butternut squash and related gourds are usually less than a dollar a pound.

Serving suggestions: Try Pear and Squash Bruschetta; cook and dot with butter and salt.

14. Whole Grain Pasta
In the days of Atkins, pasta was wrongly convicted, for there is nothing harmful about a complex carbohydrate source that is high in protein and B vitamins. Plus, it’s one of the cheapest staples you can buy.

Serving suggestions: Mix clams and white wine with linguine; top orzo with tomatoes and garlic; eat cold Farfalle Salad on a picnic.

15. Sardines
As a kid, I used to hate it when my dad would order sardines on our communal pizzas, but since then I’ve acquired a taste for them. Because not everyone has, you can still get a can of sardines for relatively cheap. And the little fish come with big benefits: calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins. And, because they’re low on the food chain, they don’t accumulate mercury.

Serving suggestions: Mash them with parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil for a spread; eat them plain on crackers; enjoy as a pizza topping (adults only).

16. Spinach
Spinach is perhaps one of the best green leafies out there—it has lots of Vitamin C, iron, and trace minerals. Plus, you can usually find it year round for less than a dollar.

Serving suggestions: Sautéed with eggs, as a salad, or a Spinach Frittata.

17. Tofu
Not just for vegetarians anymore, tofu is an inexpensive protein source that can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. It’s high in B vitamins and iron, but low in fat and sodium, making it a healthful addition to many dishes.

Serving suggestions: Use silken varieties in Tofu Cheesecake; add to smoothies for a protein boost; cube and marinate for barbecue kebobs.

18. Lowfat Milk
Yes, the price of a gallon of milk is rising, but per serving, it’s still under a dollar; single serving milk products, like yogurt, are usually less than a dollar, too. Plus, you’ll get a lot of benefit for a small investment. Milk is rich in protein, vitamins A and D, potassium, and niacin, and is one of the easiest ways to get bone-strengthening calcium.

Serving suggestions: In smoothies, hot chocolate, or coffee; milk products like low fat cottage cheese and yogurt.

19. Pumpkin Seeds
When it’s time to carve your pumpkin this October, don’t shovel those seeds into the trash—they’re a goldmine of magnesium, protein, and trace minerals. Plus, they come free with the purchase of a pumpkin.

Serving suggestions: Salt, roast, and eat plain; toss in salads.

20. Coffee
The old cup-o-joe has been thrown on the stands for many a corporeal crime—heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis—but exonerated on all counts. In fact, coffee, which is derived from a bean, contains beneficial antioxidants that protect against free radicals and may actually help thwart heart disease and cancer. While it’s not going to fill you up like the other items on this list, it might make you a lot perkier. When made at home, coffee runs less than 50¢ cents a cup.

Serving suggestions: Just drink it.

I’ve seen plastic balls you fill with ice cream custard, then toss and roll around for ten minutes or so, which seems like a fun thing to do at a summer party, but this–while not so nifty–requires no fancy equiptment.

Friday, May 15, 2009 5:35:32 AM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
Okay people. I started this list of my favorites out here, and it’s so doggone long it isn’t even worth it. What a fantastic job “ya’ll” (as Robert would say) are doing. Incredible. BUT…

RJ CLARKEN, this one’s for you (sent to me today by a writer friend).

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..

>Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
Now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Marie Elena

My cousin Marie tried this recipe and and reports:

The chocolate cake in a mug.  Not bad at all.  I made two today, one exactly as the recipe states and for the other one I substituted 1 Tablespoon of Kahlua for 1 of the Tablespoons of milk, added 1/2 teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder, and omitted the vanilla.  I like a mocha flavor, so I preferred that one.  I added some chocolate chips to both, though I don’t think it was 3 Tablespoons of them.  Didn’t measure though on the chocolate  chips.  The texture is dense, but the flavor is really good, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Nice to be able to make a “sweet” on the spur of the moment, with ingredients already in the pantry.  One was too much for me, so I think halving it between two people works just fine.  Pictures attached, two of the cake and one of Cooper.  Thanks for posting the recipe.  I think it is one a person can mess with, like maybe using some Heath chips, or different liqueurs in place of vanilla.

Marie

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You can trip on a rock a dozen times, and unless you stop and give it a look, you’ll never find out that pebble in the road was in actual fact the right great toe of the only extant image of the great god Billybob worshiped by the spacefaring race that stopped by during our prehistory for a pit stop and a quickie.

You never know about things unless you pay attention.

I picked up a pint of potato-leek at the Sweet 16th the other day.  There was nothing exactly wrong with the soup, a light and vegetarian-friendly spring version.  It just seemed bland. Not wanting to destroy good food  I decided to ammend lightly.  No salt.  Tried some pepper flakes, and that helped, but it didn’t make it sing.  A crumble of fines herbs didn’t do the job, either.  I was about to just eat and go on to my afternoon’s loafing when I noticed the pear on the counter.

Thought:  Why not?

Rough chopped about 1/3 of a red bartlett and dropped that into the soup.   Took a minute for the fruit to warm, and that was it.

Added the most incredible flavor to the mix.  Like adding a steel guitar to a bluegrass band.  Yow!

has got a few good ideas.  A few of these places are a smidgin too cool for me, but the ones I know are just plain good.  So if you should find yourself in our little city, hungry for something the pre-fab chains can’t provide, any of these will fill the bill on any day, but if you work it right you can get something really special.  Enjoy.

How to eat out every night in Nashville

By Carrington Fox

published: March 19, 2009

Forget grocery shopping. There’s enough going on in Nashville’s restaurants to pack your weekly planner with everything from barbecue to cabaret. Rip out this page and keep it in your wallet, car or calendar. Next time someone asks, “What’s for dinner?” You’ll be ready.

Monday
Smokin’ Monday at Corner PubIf anything can make you look forward to Monday, it’s the porky pilings at Corner Pub on Monday night. With stores in midtown, Bellevue and Green Hills (the last one is no longer affiliated with the others), the Corner Pub brand has a loyal weekly following when it fires up its big barrel smokers to grill ribs, sausage, wings and pork loin. About $20 buys more meat than a man can eat—unless of course that’s a challenge, in which case it’s worth working your way to the bottom of the heaping plate and polishing off the beans and slaw to boot. Since it’s already sizzling on the grill when you get your seat, the food arrives fast, but there’s no mistaking that slow-smoked flavor. 4109 Hillsboro Pike, 2000 Broadway, 8058 Highway 100.

ChaChah Chef’s Table
Chef-owner Arnold Myint is anything but conventional. So while other independent restaurants declare Monday a day of rest, ChaChah calls the resting chef to the table for an evening of high culinary art. With offerings such as spicy gambas toast with quail egg, bacalao-and-chickpea brandade, squid-ink fideos, pig ear salad with mango, dill and chili, and bison marrow with cardamom-braised shank, Myint hopes to attract an adventurous audience who wants to share and talk about food. “If this goes over, I’d love to add suckling pig, sardines, tripe and razor clams,” he says. Call 298-1430 for reservations or email info (at) chachahnashville (dot) com for menu and prices, which will range between $35 and $65, depending on the tasting. 2013 Belmont Blvd.

Tuesday Batter’d &Fried
When the weekly seafood shipment arrives from the Gulf Coast, B&F owner Matt Charette says his team turns into “shucking fools,” as they serve up two-for-one oysters all day long. A half-price half-dozen clocks in at $8.99, and a full 12 costs $13.99. 1008 Woodland St.

Family Wash Pie and a Pint Night
This pioneering gastropub-music venue in East Nashville made a quick name for itself with an uncommonly good British-style shepherd’s pie. At first no one could believe the Lilliputian kitchen could turn out such a hale and hearty meal as the pan of stewed lamb and beef under a cloud of mashed potatoes and bruléed cheddar. Then they learned about the deal: 1 pie + 1 pint = $10. Consider that the pie arrives in a tin that’s perfect for transporting leftovers, and you’ve got your Wednesday-night dinner taken care of too. 2038 Greenwood Ave.

Mafiaoza’s
Ask a parent, and they’ll say two-for-Tuesday is the hottest family night in town. Ask a beautiful young thing, and you’ll hear two-for-Tuesday is the best bar scene going. Clearly the Mafiaoza’s mafia has found a formula that works: satisfying thin-crust pizza slices and beer served fast and cheap. The room glows from the fire in the pizza oven and hums with the buzz of a cheery neighborhood hangout. It’s cheap and cheesy—but in a molten mozzarella sort of way. 2400 12th Ave. S.

Wednesday
Wing Wednesday at Re’Je’s Grab & Go
Starting April 1, the sausage shop located in the twee green cottage next to the doggie bakery in Berry Hill will host Wing Wednesdays. At press time, owner Jennifer Boone-Henry was still testing recipes and polling visitors as to what she should call her secret recipe for wings slathered in citrus-tinged sauce and sizzled on the charcoal grill. If you can’t get there on hump day, swing by 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and try a foot-long burger or one of the many sausages—including Italian, Polish, boudin and chorizo—which Boone-Henry scours from across the Internet.2815 Bransford Ave.

Café Coco’s Italian Market & Kitchen
Now owned by the same crew that brings you Café Coco off Elliston Place, Italian Market has been gutted and expanded, and the menu has been rewritten by chef Paul Nadeau. There’s no catchy name to it, but on Wednesday, $4.99 buys a to-go meal of two all-beef meatballs studded with peppers and onions, rolled in cheese and panko and served over fettuccine with house-made marinara and a breadstick. Or trot in for Tuscan Tuesday when all lasagnas (normally priced $8.99-$9.99) are a dollar off and come with a free side salad for both dine-in and to-go orders. Both specials are available 3 to 9 p.m. 411 51st Ave. N.

Thursday Dan McGuinness Irish Pub Fish Special
The $6 fish & chips special available all day Thursday at Dan McGuinness’ Cool Springs and Demonbreun pubs would make the dead Irish poets smile in Gaelic glee. If sweet and flaky fried white fish isn’t your cuppa tea, hold on ’til Sunday night when Danny Mac steps up the fare with Pie and Pie night. All pints are $3, and shepherd’s pie is $7. 1538 Demonbreun St. and 9200 Caruthers Parkway.

Friday The Pie Wagon Skillet-Fried Fish
Any day of the week is a meat-and-treat at Carol Babb’s Southern fare landmark. But mark your calendar for skillet-fried catfish day, when Babb and Co. sizzle up the sweet farm-raised fish. Eight-and-a-half bucks (including tax) buys a plate with three sides and a slab of jalapeno cornbread. Babb recommends hobo potatoes, broccoli slaw and white beans. (On Tuesday, skillet-fried hot chicken and three sides is $8.) 1302 Division St.

Tabouli’s Belly Dancers
It’s Middle Eastern cuisine with a side of midriff and Middle Eastern music on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 to 11 p.m. The menu stays the same, with a fresh and eclectic repertoire of Mediterranean dishes, but the scenery gets a rhythmic up-tick from a pair of dancers circling the dining room and patio overlooking Belmont Boulevard. 9 to 11 p.m. 2015 Belmont Blvd.

• Photo: Eric England

  

  Sheik Your Booty Belly dancing at Tabouli’s

• Photo: Eric England

  

  South Street Crawfish Boil

The Standard Cabaret
Even New Yorkers have raved about the dinner-and-a-show combo at the historic townhouse, where chef Joe Shaw’s Southern-scented menu of carpaccio, braised lamb shank and grilled veal chop comes with a side of sultry singing and music from the baby grand piano. Jazz starts at 8 p.m., and cabaret and Broadway tunes follow from 9 to 11 p.m. ($5 cover for non-dinner guests). 167 Rosa Parks Blvd.

Saturday Gold Coast Authentic Chinese Lunch
Whenever the bloggers on Bites, the Scene‘s food blog, get started on the subject of authentic Chinese food in Nashville, one name pops up most often: Golden Coast. On weekends, the restaurant stashes the familiar sweet-and-sour and kung pao staples in favor of a repertoire of authentic recipes. The steam table overflows with congee, seaweed soup, salt shrimp and clams in black bean sauce, to name just a few of the intriguing items. The all-you-can-eat lunch for $10.40 plus tax is a filling—and fulfilling—culinary adventure. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 1722 West End Ave.

Miel Brunch
Oh, what a beautiful weekend when the French-flavored Sylvan Park eatery shifts course from dinner to the morning meal, trading foie gras and escargots for orange-custard French toast, shrimp and grits, homemade muesli with yogurt, Callebaut hot chocolate and Benton’s bacon. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 343 53rd Ave.

Sunday Ombi Brunch
Under new ownership of longtime bartender Terrell Raley, Ombi is serving a wallet-friendly brunch featuring the likes of lobster-and-brie frittata ($10), Monte Cristo with raspberry dijon ($7) and filet mignon with porcini-port butter ($12). Available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ombi’s Sunday brunch is a tasty chaser to the weekend’s late-night tapas menu. 2214 Elliston Place.

Red Brunch
The all-you-can-eat buffet at Tribe’s sister restaurant includes an ever-changing array of breakfast and lunch items, with an omelet station and a bananas Foster bar. The $6.50 loaded Bloody Mary includes all you can jam into a glass of vodka and tomato juice—think crabmeat, shrimp and blue cheese-stuffed olives. Four cabanas on the patio make a serene urban spot for sipping $3.50 mimosas. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1517 Church St. South Street Crawfish Boil
From 2 p.m. until the steampot is empty, the bayou biker bar and restaurant serves all-you-can-eat mudbugs, corn on the cob and new potatoes for $28.95. Or get there at 11 a.m. for Saturday and Sunday brunch of frittatas, waffles and the Skinny Pig (blackened trout with vegetables). 907 20th Ave. S. City House Sunday Supper
Chef Tandy Wilson wanted Sunday to be a day when everyone felt welcome at his Germantown neighborhood eatery, so he designed the menu for people to share lots of things. Meals are served family-style, with big bowls for passing, and prices are a little lower than during the week. Every Sunday, you can count on marinara pizza and meatballs, but beyond that, expect the kitchen to cut loose with some unexpected experimentation. Last summer, they even spit-roasted a whole hog. 5 to 9 p.m. 1222 Fourth Ave. N.

All Week
F. Scott’s Speakeasy Phrase
Green Hills’ Jazz Age hangout recently expanded its Speakeasy Phrase promotion to the whole week (except Sunday). Whisper the secret flapper-era phrase to the bartender and you’ll get a special discounted treat, such as pizza for $1 or flatiron steak and cheese biscuits for $2.75. Speakeasy specials also include beer for half-price and house wine, martini-style drinks and well drinks for $5. To get on the email list for the ever-changing secret phrase, send a message to fscottsjazz (at) comcast (dot) net. Bar opens at 4:30 p.m. 2210 Crestmoor Road.

I’m thinking about actually taking up…  Housewifery.

Granted, it’s a lost battle from the get-go.  Be that as it may, I’m still going to play.  After all, the only sure thing about the art of the venture is that if you try nothing, you learn nothing.  In that spirit, it’s all about the bread.

Just to let you know, I’m big on researching before doing.  Not that it does me any good, but studying up on a subject is half the fun.  Of the things I’ve run across, one of the most interesting is this is from Mother Earth

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

By Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

The Secret: Keep Dough Refrigerated

It is easy to have fresh bread whenever you want it with only five minutes a day of active effort. Just mix the dough and let it sit for two hours. No kneading needed! Then shape and bake a loaf, and refrigerate the rest to use over the next couple weeks. Yes, weeks! The Master Recipe (below) makes enough dough for many loaves. When you want fresh-baked crusty bread, take some dough, shape it into a loaf, let it rise for about 20 minutes, then bake. Your house will smell like a bakery, and your family and friends will love you for it.

I was trained as a scientist, not as a chef. That helped in developing a new process for homemade bread, but I never could have brought the recipes to this level without the rigorous standards of a professional — my co-author Zoë is a Culinary Institute of America-trained pastry chef. Over several years, we found how to subtract the various steps that make the classic technique so time-consuming, and identified a few that couldn’t be omitted. Then Zoë worked some pastry chef magic. She figured out that we could use stored dough for desserts, too. It all came down to one fortuitous discovery: Pre-mixed, pre-risen, high-moisture dough keeps well in the refrigerator.
How it All Began

Like most kids, my brother and I loved sweets, so dessert was our favorite time of day. We’d sit in the kitchen, devouring frosted supermarket doughnuts. “Those are too sweet,” my grandmother would say. “Me, I’d rather have a piece of good rye bread, with cheese on it. It’s better than cake.”

Secretly, I knew she was right. I could finish half a loaf of very fresh, very crisp rye bread by myself, with or without butter. The right stuff came from a little bakery in Queens. The crust was crisp, thin and caramelized brown. The crumb was moist and dense, chewy but never gummy, and bursting with tangy yeast, rye and wheat flavors. It made great toast, too — and yes, it was better than cake.

When I was a kid, handmade bread was available all over New York City, and it wasn’t a rarefied delicacy. Everyone took it for granted. It was not a stylish addition to affluent lifestyles; it was a simple comfort food brought here by modest immigrants. But now the ubiquitous corner shops turning out great European breads are no longer so ubiquitous. And nobody’s grandmother would ever have paid $6 for a loaf of bread.

So Zoë and I decided to do something about it. Our book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, is our attempt to help people re-create the great ethnic breads of years past, in their own homes, without investing serious time or effort. Using our straightforward, fast and easy recipes, anyone can create artisan bread and pastries at home with minimal equipment.

Traditional breads need lots of attention, especially if you want to use a “starter” for that natural, tangy taste. Starters need to be cared for. Dough needs to be kneaded until resilient, set to rise, punched down, allowed to rise. Few busy people can go through this every day, if ever.

What about bread machines? The machines solve the time problem and turn out uniformly decent loaves, but unfortunately, the crust is soft and dull-flavored, and without tangy flavor in the crumb (unless you use and maintain a time-consuming sourdough starter).

By pre-mixing high-moisture dough (without kneading) and then storing it, daily bread baking becomes easy; the only steps you do every day are shaping and baking. As the dough ages, it takes on sourdough notes reminiscent of great starters. Because this dough is wetter than most, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. And kneading this kind of dough would add little to the overall product; it can actually limit the volume and rise that you’ll get. That, in a nutshell, is how you make artisan breads with the investment of only five minutes a day of active effort.

A one- or two-week supply of dough is made in advance and refrigerated. Mixing it takes less than 15 minutes. Every day, cut off a hunk of dough and quickly shape it without kneading. Allow it to rest briefly on the counter and then toss it in the oven. We don’t count the rest time or baking time (usually about 30 minutes to an hour each) in our calculation, because you can do something else while that’s happening. If you bake after dinner, the bread will still be fresh the next day (higher moisture breads stay fresh longer), but the method is so convenient that you’ll probably find you can cut off some dough and bake a loaf every morning before your day starts. If you want to have one thing you do every day that is simply perfect, this is it!

Ingredients and Equipment

Great breads really only require four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. The rest is detail. Here’s a short guide to the basic ingredients and equipment you’ll need to make artisan loaves.
Unbleached, white, all-purpose flour: Has adequate protein (around 10 percent) to create a satisfying “chew,” but low enough to prevent heaviness. We prefer unbleached flours because bleaching removes some protein, not to mention adding unnecessary chemicals.
Whole wheat flour: Contains the germ and bran, both of which are healthful and tasty. Together they add a slightly bitter, nutty flavor that many people enjoy.
Bread flour: For chewier bread, substitute bread flour (about 12 percent protein) for all-purpose white flour by decreasing the amount slightly (by about a quarter cup for every 6 cups of all-purpose).
Yeast: Use what’s readily available and buy in bulk rather than packets, which are much more expensive.
Salt: Use noniodized coarse kosher or sea salt.
Baking stone: Use a high-­quality, ­half-­inch-­thick stone. The porous stone absorbs moisture from your dough, allowing a thin, crackling, crisp crust to form — one of the keys to artisanal baking.
Pizza peel: This long-handled board helps slide doughs onto a hot stone. A cookie sheet or cutting board will work, but will be more difficult to handle.
Broiler tray: A pan to hold water for steam during baking.

The Master Recipe

The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means “ball”) is the easiest to master. You’ll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won’t retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you’ll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.

Keep your dough wet — wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.
Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.
On Baking Day

5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

The Master Recipe: Boule

(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

Tips to Amaze Your Friends

The “6-3-3-13” rule. To store enough for eight loaves, remember 6-3-3-13. It’s 6 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons yeast, and then add 13 cups of flour. It’ll amaze your friends when you do this in their homes without a ­recipe!

Lazy sourdough shortcut. When your dough container is empty, don’t wash it! Just scrape it down and incorporate it into the next batch. In addition to saving cleanup, the aged dough stuck to the sides will give your new batch a head start on sourdough flavor.

Variation: Herb Bread. Add a couple teaspoons of your favorite dried herbs (double if fresh) to the water mixture.

Neapolitan Pizza Dough

The secrets to this pizza are to keep the crust thin, don’t overload it, and to bake it quickly at a high temperature so it ­doesn’t cook down to a soup. It’s unlike anything most of us are used to eating — especially if you make fresh mozzarella!

1 pound ­pre-­mixed boule dough
Cornmeal for covering the pizza peel
Topping: your favorite seasonal ingredients

1. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone (scraped clean) at your oven’s maximum temperature — the hotter, the better. (Another option is to use the baking stone over a grill, which takes about two-thirds of the time.)
2. Prepare the toppings in advance. The key to a pizza that slides right off the peel is to work ­quickly.
3. Follow Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
4. Flatten the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick round with your hands and a rolling pin on a wooden board. Dust with flour to keep the dough from sticking. (A little sticking can help overcome the dough’s re­sis­tance to stretching, though, so don’t overuse flour.) You also can let the partially rolled dough relax for a few minutes to allow further rolling. Stretching by hand may help, followed by additional rolling. Place the rolled-­out dough onto a liberally ­cornmeal-­covered pizza peel.
5. Distribute your toppings over the surface, leaving some of its surface exposed so you can appreciate the individual ingredients — and the magnificent crust! — of the final product. No further resting is needed.
6. Turn on the exhaust fan (or use lower heat and bake a few minutes longer), because some of the cornmeal will smoke. Slide the pizza onto the stone (­back-­and-­forth shakes can help dislodge it). Check for doneness in 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the pizza around if one side is browning too fast. It may need up to 5 more minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Makes 1 ­12- to 14-inch pizza to serve 2 to 4.

100 Percent Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Whole wheat flour has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor, and it caramelizes easily, yielding a rich, brown loaf. Milk and honey are tenderizers, and their sweetness complements the bitter notes. Although we’ve showcased a loaf-pan method here, this dough also makes lovely free-form loaves on a baking stone.

1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water
6 2⁄3 cups whole wheat flour

1. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, oil, milk and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
2. Mix in the flour using a spoon, high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook.
3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); about 2 to 3 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next several days.
5. On baking day, lightly grease a 9-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan. Using wet hands, scoop out a 11⁄2 pound (cantaloupe-sized) hunk of dough. Keeping your hands wet (it’ll be sticky!), quickly shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan. You’ll want enough dough to fill the pan slightly more than half-full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Flour the top of the loaf and slash, using the tip of a serrated bread knife.
8. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with an empty broiler tray on another shelf.
9. Place the loaf in the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing in order to cut reasonable sandwich slices.

Makes 3 1 1⁄2 pound loaves.

Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls

This crowd-pleaser was our first attempt to make dessert from stored bread dough. It was so successful that it reshaped our view of what this technique could accomplish. The flavors were enhanced by using stored dough, and the butter and sugar seeped into the folds, approximating enriched sweet doughs.

1 1⁄2 pounds pre-mixed boule dough

TOPPING
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

FILLING
4 tbsp salted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1. Cream together the butter, salt and brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter the pecan halves over the mixture and set aside.
2. Dust the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-sized piece. Dust the piece with flour and shape it into a ball following the method in Step 5 of The Master Recipe (above).
3. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Add only enough flour to prevent it from sticking.
4. Cream together the butter, sugar and spices for the filling. Spread evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Roll the dough into a log. If it’s too soft to cut, chill for 20 minutes.
5. With a serrated knife, cut the log into 8 pieces and arrange over the pecans, with the “swirled” edge facing up. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise 1 hour (or 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
6. 5 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set in center. While still hot, run a knife around the pan to release the rolls, and invert immediately onto a serving dish.

Makes 6 to 8 large rolls.

Naan

“Naan has become my family’s favorite bread to make while camping in the woods. All we need is a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on our sturdy Coleman stove to have freshly baked bread. We always attract a crowd of curious campers drawn to the aroma wafting amidst the wood smoke.” — Jeff

This delicious and buttery Indian flatbread is traditionally made in a huge cylindrical clay tandoori oven, with the wet dough slapped directly onto the oven’s hot walls. Our naan is done in a hot, cast-iron skillet, or a heavyweight nonstick skillet. Butter or oil will work in lieu of Indian clarified butter (ghee), but the taste won’t be as authentic. You can find ghee at South Asian or Middle Eastern markets.

This recipe also has the distinction of producing our fastest bread, since it’s done on the stovetop without an oven preheat, and there’s no need to rest the dough. You can easily make one of these just before dinner, even on busy nights (so long as you have the dough in the fridge). Makes 1 naan.

1/4 pound (peach­sized portion) of pre-mixed boule dough
1 tablespoon ghee (commercial or homemade), or neutral-flavored oil or butter

1. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1/4-pound piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Using your hands and a rolling pin, and minimal flour, roll out to a uniform thickness of 1/8-inch and a diameter of 8 to 9 inches.
2. Heat a heavy 12-inch cast­iron skillet over high heat on the stovetop. When water droplets flicked into the pan skitter across the surface and evaporate quickly the pan is ready. Add the ghee or oil.
3. Drop the rolled dough into the skillet, decrease the heat to medium, and cover the skillet to trap the steam and heat.
4. Check for doneness with a spatula at about 3 minutes, or sooner if you smell overly quick browning. Adjust the heat as needed. Flip the naan when the underside is richly browned.
5. Continue cooking another 2 to 6 minutes, or until the naan feels firm, even at the edges, and the second side is browned. If you’ve rolled a thicker naan, or if you’re using dough with whole grains, you’ll need more pan time.
6. Remove the naan from the pan, brush with butter, and serve.

Caramelized Onion and Herb Dinner Rolls

“A friend once told me she times her cooking so that the onions are caramelizing as her guests arrive, claiming there is nothing more aromatic and inviting. I ­can’t help but agree with her.” — Zoë

Caramelizing the onions is easy and rewarding and can be used to dress up any of our savory doughs. Another favorite is to use the onion mixture with Manchego cheese as a pizza topping (see the Neapolitan pizza dough recipe above). Because it takes some time to achieve perfectly caramelized onions you may want to double the recipe to have some on hand; they freeze for months. Makes 6 rolls.

1 pound (grapefruit-sized portion) of pre-mixed boule dough
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vermouth or white wine
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano (or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme and oregano leaves)
4 tablespoons water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cornmeal for pizza peel

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on ­medium-­low heat. Add the onions, salt, vermouth, vinegar, brown sugar, herbs, and water to the oil and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nicely caramelized. Add more water when needed to prevent burning.
2. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-­pound (grapefruit-­size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a ­quarter-­turn as you go.
3. To form the dinner rolls, divide the ball into 6 roughly equal portions (each about the size of a plum). Shape each one into a smooth ball. Allow them to rest and rise on a ­cornmeal-­covered pizza peel for 40 minutes (or just 20 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
4. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
5. Just before baking, sprinkle the rolls liberally with flour and cut a 1⁄2-inch cross pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife or sharp kitchen scissors. Fill the resulting space with about 1 tablespoon of the onion mixture.
6. Slide the rolls directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm.
7. Allow to cool before eating.

Thus far, I’m not batting all that well.  About 0-fer.  As in, I was going to do a nice dinner tonight;  steam a little salmon, saute some broccolini, maybe wild rice with pecans. And cookies.

Got all the parts together–sorta– and then remembered that it is Wednesday.  Since he didn’t go to the dojo on Monday, it’s tonight for that, which means a really light meal in a hurry.

Fiddlesticks.

Well, at least that gives me until tomorrow to get the cookie ingredients right.  Finally.  Maybe.

I have been looking at a recipe on 101 cookbooks for some time now.  Mini chocolate chip.  I took a look at the pantry.  Baking powder, check.  Soda, check.  Oatmeal, check.  Brown sugar, flour(s), salt.  I was in pretty good shape, all in all.  So I picked up some good dark chocolate to sliver, and some walnuts to chop (fine, by hand, she said), and some turbinado sugar for pretty.

Next day it was vanilla.

Next day candied ginger

Then I actually looked at the baking soda.  I think it used to be in the refrigerator.  Funky.  And the baking powder, there were two cans and one wasn’t even opened.  That was the one with the 2004 expiration date.  The open one had 1999 on the bottom.

God only knows what’s going to happen when I try baking bread.