1 Recipe, 3 Breads in 1 Day

Four years ago this month, I started making bread from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.

I still haven’t tried more than the main dough from the first chapter. But I’m still amazed by all the variations that can be made from a simple French boule dough I made last week.

Today’s a perfect example.

For lunch, I made crown-shaped loaf called a Couronne.

For supper, I already had a brightly colored crock pot full of purple cauliflower for one of my Indian Slow Cooker dishes, spiced cauliflower & potatoes. To round out the meal, I baked fish, then remembered I could use the boule dough to make naan right on the stovetop with my cast iron skillet.

Then, to finish the day, I tried something new out of the book, cinnamon rolls with caramel topping.

Wow, was that worth what little effort went into rolling those out. My daughter couldn’t keep her fingers out of the rolls, even though she burned her finger on the steaming hot caramel topping.

All three of these versions were in addition to a round boule I made last week.

There’s nothing better on a wintry day than the smell of fresh yeast bread baking in the oven, except maybe when you add butter, sugar and cinnamon.

Update: I forgot to add links to my old post, the book and the basic recipe. Find the recipe here from a 2008 Chicago Tribune story. Unfortunately, it looks like the helpful step-by-step video is gone now. Other links embedded above.