"5 minute" disappointment

Sorry for the recent blog absence. We've all been sick with a horrid cold. It' really frustrating because it has meant the renovations have had to go on hold, and I had to cancel our weekend in Melbourne. The house is a mess. The laundry hamper looks as though we have been on extended camping trip and the bathroom is beginning to resemble a service station rest room. Poor little Turi is having real trouble feeding and sleeping and just wants lots of cuddles. Minty seems determined not to let it slow her down and continues to rampage around the house in her usual maniacal fashion.

Meanwhile I have finally tried the "5 minute bread" from 'Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day'. I'm slow to get in on a craze. I think I was the last person to read The Da Vinci Code, I didn't watch Sex and the City until it was in reruns and I still don't have a pair of crocs. For months people have been telling me how amazing/ life changing/ rock your world good this bread is. Maybe it's just that the book couldn't possibly live up to the hype but frankly my overwhelming feeling after trying it out was… frustration.

Lets just begin by pointing out the obvious. You can't actually make bread in five minutes. This method is faster than making regular bread but you'll need to allocate about an hour on the day you want to bake bread when you aren't going to leave the house or begin a marathon twister competition that you won't want to leave abruptly.

But more importantly than any of that, I don't actually like the taste of the bread. It is slightly sour, spongey and overly salty. I want to like it and for a few days I even tried to pretend to myself that I did like it, but honestly I just don't.

I have only tried the basic recipe - which I've also used to make focaccia (see photo above), so maybe the other recipes are better?? I'm not sure I can be bothered trying them to see. I think I'm going to go back to traditional bread making for now.