I enjoyed the idea of "Artisan Breads in Five Minutes" but the method resulted in having a great deal of dough in my fridge, which didn't really work for my small family of two. Also, I found that if I made a "normal" size loaf the results would often be somewhat gummy. And the smallish loaves that book produces were just not enough to last the workweek or to serve at a dinner party. I have had better luck with Nancy Baggett's "Kneadlessly Simple" book, in which you mix up a batch (for one and sometimes two loaves) and just leave it in a bowl on the counter for 12-18 hours and then bake it off (or you can refrigerate it after mixing too). Her method produces generous-size loaves with no gumminess or heaviness. Her book also offers an amazing variety of breads, from artisan (including "dutch oven" breads) to old-fashioned white loaves to dessert breads. A great addition is a section in which Baggett offers tips on converting any favorite bread recipe into one using her method. By the way, Lahey didn't invent the no-knead method, it's been around forever; he just revived the method and made it popular again.

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