Ask a Question
Questions? Start with the Search Bar: I’ve been posting recipes and answering questions on this site since 2007, so if you have a question, there’s probably a post that addresses it somewhere on this website. So, the first thing to do is to use the Search Bar on the Home Page. In narrower laptop or desktop displays, it sometimes appears right underneath the orange BreadIn5 logo, and on phones it’s right above where it says “How to make bread in five minutes a day?” Just type in the bread style, ingredient, or technique that you’re interested in, and the search-engine will show you posts on the topic, with recipes and answers to many questions.
Another place to look: the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page (there’s also have a Gluten-Free FAQs page). If you don’t find your answer in the FAQs, you can post baking questions and comments, but please be brief, so I can get to all the questions.
If neither of those get you to the answer you need, click on any “Comments/Reply” field at the top of any post (it doesn’t have to be here on “Ask a Question”) and scroll down to the bottom; then enter your question or comment. Don’t look for the response in your personal email… Come back here to the site on the page where you posted, to look for the answer.
Questions are answered here on the website within 24 hours, often with a reference to a page number in our books where possible. Please remember that the blog is moderated, so your post may not appear until I’ve read and approved it; this can take 24 hours.
Hi,
I have version 1 of Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day. I am having trouble with the Master Recipe (p. 54) rising properly. I let the loaf rise for the specified amount of time and it looks great until I remove the light covering. It instantly falls flat and spreads out. When I bake it, there is no more rising. The bread tastes fine, but is very flat and circular in shape. It happens with my free form loaves and the ones I put in a pan for sandwich bread. I am at a slightly higher altitude. Is there something I need to adjust?
Thanks!
Hi Leanne,
As I read your note I wondered if you were at high altitude, so that is indeed the issue.
Here is some information that may help: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-high-altitude-baking/
Let me know if you have more success after doing some of these adjustments.
Thanks, Zoë
Ai would like to make bread by using kamut flour. Any recipes I should use? Thank you for your help.
Hi Daniela,
Which book do you have, I can try to point you to a recipe? If you have the Healthy Bread Book, it would be closest to using spelt flour, which requires less water, because it has a lower gluten content.
Thanks, Zoë
hey,
great work. your books have changed my life (no kidding). i have always lived for good bread and now i can make it.
anyway, question:
i left my broa dough in the fridge way too long and it has obviously gone sour (smell test).
is it still safe to consume after baking?
is this now sourdough broa?
is there a point after which it is just not safe?
thx in advance,
s.
Hi Scott,
So glad you are enjoying the bread.
The dough is safe as long as it is free of any mold, which takes a very long time to develop, so it is likely just fine, but will have a strong fermentation smell and flavor.
Thanks, Zoë
thx for the reply.
i liked my loaf of “sourdough broa” i’ve had sandwiches all week off of it!
cheers,
s.
Hi. I am glad to hear it!
Enjoy, Zoë
I’ve got 2 things that I don’t know what to do with: Kamut flakes and Bulger. What do I do w/ them? I can’t seem to find a recipe in my Five Min./Day book.
Hi. We have a recipe that uses bulgar in our Healthy Bread book. You will need to soak them for a couple of hours before making the dough and you may need to reduce the water in the recipe. I would add about 1/2 cup (measured unsoaked) to your dough. Kamut flakes can be used in a loaf like this: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2012/05/15/english-granary-style-bread/
Thanks, Zoë
Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day, p. 91 “English Granary style Bread”
Is the malt powder called for in the recipe malted barley flour? And should it be diastatic or non-diastatic?
(I’m guessing non)
Your book stayed on my shelf for about a year before I decided to try it out. As a long-time bread baker (from my very early teens), I was faithfully married to the idea of kneading. But this really works! Thank you! And thanks for the video of the scoop and sweep. That was exactly what I was looking for. I also noticed the adjustment for shaping the loaves and will be mindful of that for next week.
Hi Sarah,
Non-diastatic malt powder is what you need for this recipe.
I am so pleased that you gave it a try and are enjoying all the bread!
Cheers, Zoë
Whey. I have whey from homemade yogurt. How much water can I replace with whey for the whole wheat and the master white recipes from your original book?
THanks!
Hi Douglas,
I usually do 50% whey and it turns out great.
Enjoy, Zoë
Hello ! Love, LOVE your books , have them all . Question ire: recipe Deli Rye (p.58 original ABin5), for 1.5 Tbsp. kosher salt . i make it often & recently switched to La Baleine fine sea salt, for other needs , but altho I cut back to 1 generous Tbsp, found the bread too salty … I saw a post saying you developed with Morton’s, but couldn’t find a conversion . Can you help ? Also , I know salt is for flavour but also retards the yeast, so how much less before it blowing up ? Is the salt required to be in a fixed amount to the yeast ? Thank you v.
much,C.
Hi Cate,
I am so glad you are enjoying the bread. I would go with 2 teaspoons of the sea salt, since it is fine and the recipe was written for a coarse salt.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you so much !C.
The brioche recipe on page 300 in “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” calls for honey. Would it be possible to swap it out for maple syrup instead? I know it’s more expensive, but I always have maple syrup & don’t generally use honey. Thank you.
Hi Virginia,
Yes, you sure can. It tends to me a more intense flavor, so you can even reduce the amount a bit if you like.
Thanks, Zoe
I love your book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. When using the steam method, your book says to use one cup of water a broiler pan. There is no water left in the pan at the end of the baking time. Is that normal or should I use more water?
No, that’s normal and desirable
I am on a low sodium diet and saw your answer to the question about reducing salt. You said it would alter the flavor. My question is this, what will removing salt or reducing the amount do to the texture and the rise of the bread? Will the bread be flatter than a bread with salt in it? Thank you for any help!
Unfortunately, yes, it will affect structure, because salt strengthens gluten. So it might be flatter, and you may prefer versions done in a loaf pan.
I have an abundance of un-ground wheat and rye “berries,” and a very fine home flour mill. I would like to have a recipe for 100% home ground whole wheat flour and rye flour. Thanks.
Well, this is going to be a challenge.
We have addressed home-ground flour in a post: go to the Search bar above and type in “Fresh-ground” and you’ll see it. It can be tricky, and you’re going to have to experiment.
Then, for a recipe, the closest we have would be one of our 100% whole wheat recipes in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/1NdVkgj But we don’t have anything quite like this.
I’ve got all your cookbooks except the gluten-free. I’ve been cooking a lot of wheat bread in the crock pot lately. I was just wondering if any of your recipes could be cooked in my new Instant Pot. Have you tried it?
Have not, actually, don’t know what you mean by “Instant Pot”??
It is a brand of electric pressure cooker. Mine came with a trivet that would allow water to be put in the bottom and the bread could be in a pan sitting on the trivet. The pressure cooker would be creating steam, so it seems a lot like what your books describe when water is poured in a pan that was preheated in the oven.
Well… I really don’t think that’s going to work. For bread-baking, you use steam at the beginning of the bake, but then it transitions to dry heat as the steam sizzles off in the first few minutes of baking. In a pressure cooker, the steam is relentless, and it’s under pressure, so I think you’d end up with a very soggy loaf and there’d be no crust development–which depends on drying out the surface of the bread and oxidizing it. It’d be stark white when your done.
Also not hot enough–I know it’ll exceed water’s boiling-point because of the pressure, but water boils at 212F, and we’re calling for 450F in our lean doughs, and you’ll be nowhere near that.
Hi, do you have a recipe for a sweet pumpkin dough that can be braided like challah? I saw pumpkin pie brioche in New healthy bread, but wasn’t sure if it could be braided or if it should just go in a pan.
Thanks
You can definitely braid that dough, sure.
I have purchased the kindle version of the Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads in 5 Minutes per day. There is a chart with the Master Recipe in the Master Recipe chapter. The chart is so small that it is unreadable and I have not been able to increase the size. I spent the money for this book on amazon and would really love to have the master recipe. Why is it that it cannot be enlarged. I have your other 3 books and am feeling disappointed. It was purchased last year so I cannot return it for the hard copy or I would.
I’m looking into it with the publisher. What kind of Kindle do you have? But meanwhile, the recipe’s just 3.5 cups water (28 ounces/800 grams), 1T granulated yeast, 1 to 1.5T coarse salt, 7.5 cups AP flour (38 ounces/1,080 grams), and 1/3 cup of thick tomato sauce, 3 ounces fresh mozzarella (85 grams), and 6 fresh basic leaves.
Phyllis: Publisher got back to me–double-tap on the image of the table, and it will enlarge. At least that’s the way it behaves on my Kindle.
Hi, I have all your cookbooks. I want to make spelt bread that is nondairy. Which recipe should I use? I’d like it to be mostly or all spelt. Can you give me a few choices please? Thanks.
You can swap spelt for whole wheat in any of our recipes, and most of the whole-grain recipes are non-dairy. In The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, see pages 82 (Master Recipe with spelt) or 92 (100% whole grain). But it’ll work throughout, though denser. Most tasters preferred this grain with vital wheat gluten, especially the 100% whole grain versions.
It doesn’t rise quite as much as regular wheat; you may prefer this as a flatbread.
Can I make cinnamon rolls with the basic dough recipe (6-3-3-13?)
Sure can!
Hello, I’m enjoying The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day! Have had wonderful success with the bread, I’m trying to perfect the baguettes as we like to have a warm baguette with butter as a sort of appetizer just as dinner is almost ready. I’d like to make cinnamon rolls with the Challah (p 296) or the Brioche p 300). May I substitute white sugar in place of honey? I have looked through the FAQs and haven’t found this yet.
Thank you!
Sharon
Absolutely. In theory, you have to adjust for the water content, but I’ve found it makes little difference. Honey is about 85% sugar and 15% water. So not off by much.
Can you tell me how you determone the protein percentage in flour? I am using Central Milling Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. In the nutritional information it states that there are 4 grams of protein for every 30 gram serving. Does this mean that the protein percentage is 13.3%? That seems awfully high considering on page 9 of your book it says that most all-purpose flours average around 10%? Should I be using more water for breads made with this flour?
Can’t use those #s because of rounding error. Since they’re only required to post to the nearest whole number of grams of protein. So could be anywhere from 3.6 to 4.4 grams. How does the dough look when u mix it accdg to instructions?
I understand that FRESH yeast gives even better flavor and lift than dry yeast. Can fresh yeast be used in the basic recipes and how would I go about that? Thanks!
Which of our books, what recipe/page number?
Did I not see a post on here regarding baking on a Big Green Egg or was I dreaming, couldn’t find it in a search!
We haven’t… But we do grill pizzas and some loaf breads… Search “on the grill.”
Can butternut squash puree and dried cherries be incorporated into the Master Recipe from “Gluten Free Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day’?
We’ll, to an extent. If u use too much, it’s going to get dense. Keep it spare, and letusknow how it goes.
Can I bake the bread in a regular loaf pan? If so, do I still need the stone, etc.?
Which recipe are you working from (which of our books and what page-number)?
Does your basic bread recipe work in a bread machine?
Which recipe are you working from (which of our books and what page-number)?
Is there a bread dough recipe for quinoa? I know cake recipes exist.
Yes! We have one in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: https://amzn.to/2fxaPa5 But be aware, we didn’t find that you could use a whole lot of quinoa without ending up with a very dense loaf, so there isn’t much quinoa in it. Then again, we used unground quinoa and maybe you could push that if you used quinoa flour (not readily available in most markets though).
Hi–I made the cheddar cheese recipe–think it’s called “Vermont…”. I noticed that the dough needed more water to make it a wet dough; also, did not taste the cheese. Is the dryness the result that the it’s winter and the air is dry? (Couldn’t be the baker!)
Last Saturday, I made dough (the master recipe) and again, dough needed more water than indicated in recipe.
Thanks!
More likely, measuring differently? Are you weighing? Using scoop and sweep. A little more water’s OK. What kind of cheese?
Air=dry could have some effect, yes…
Thank you. The house is probably dry. First weekend we turned the forced air on. I used mild cheddar. Tonight I’m making a loaf with no steam. Can’t wait. Thanks again!
Great!
Mary Hunt talked about your website and said that the Master recipe could be found there complete with photos and detailed instructions. I searched but can not find it. Is it still there if yes can you direct me to where?
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2013/10/22/the-new-artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-is-launched-back-to-basics-updated
I want to make and freeze the sticky buns or cinnamon buns for Christmas morning. How long would you rest them after they have thawed?
See “Can I freeze the dough” in any of the books–check the index under “frozen dough”.
Can malted milk powder be used in your recipes? If so, how much?
Do you think it would add to your brioche recipe?
Thanks
You must mean malt powder–and yes, you can use it as a sweetener instead of sugar or honey in our recipes that call for sweetener. Completely changes the flavor though, for brioche, that wouldn’t be traditional, but good.
Sugar (or malt powder) generally can be swapped 1 for 1 for honey by volume, but be aware that technically you should correct for water in honey, which is about 15% water.
Hi Jeff,
I made your loaf bread mentioned on this site (used the master recipe)-without steam. But I got a crispy crust. Any way to get a softer crust? Still delicious–but would like to get a softer crust.
Thanks!!
Brush oil or butter on the crust when it goes in, and when it comes out.
COOL! I’m forced to eat more butter! will do, Jeff–thanks again–and Happy Thanksgiving.
Jeff,
I checked the product label and it is Dry Malt (Diastatic) Powder
Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for the quick answer.
I have been using your Master Recipe: Boule for over a year. It really is versatile recipe.
For the first time I’m trying the Brioche (page 300) recipe. it’s going to be good.
Thanks
In the brioche, could swap some fraction of the sweetener with malt, rather than going all at once? Less of a commitment.
Re: New Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a day
page 132 Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, (+ also burger buns recipe)
-method does not include broiler pan with water ie no steam. Is this an oversight or is it the lack of steam that will contribute to a soft crust?
Thank you.
That does contribute to the soft crust, yes.
Hello! A friend recently gave me The New Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and I’m trying to master the Master Recipe! For the floor I grind my own Hard White Wheat Kernals and use that fresh. I usually sift it once before using. The bread tastes pretty good but the crumb is pretty dense. I also noticed that when the book says “pull up and cut off” my dough just tears. It doesn’t stretch enough to need any cutting off. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Check our FAQs page above, under “Questions,” and click on “Fresh-ground grains: can I use them with this method?” Your flour is needing more water–all bets are off when you use fresh-ground because of the moisture, but much more importantly, you are swapping whole grain flour for white. That takes much more water, and is doing to have a very closed crumb structure in any case.
I inadvertently used too much flour and made my dough more like traditional bread dough. Can I use it only letting it rise for the same amount of time on the countertop after chilling (40 min.), or do I need to let it rise longer?
Go 90 min
I am baking from the “Healthy” book and have a general question about proofing. I would like to make a 1/2 recipe of dough and then bake it as a large round loaf, after refrigerating the dough overnight. How can I tell if the dough has proofed long enough? Should the outside of the dough be room temperature? Should I poke the loaf and see if the dough slowly springs back? Thanks for your advice!
Often, it won’t be at room temp after our standard 90 minute rest, but that’s fine. It may, when optimally proofed, feel and look “jiggly” when you shake the pizza peel, but it might not, especially for 100% whole grain loaves. In general, the poking method isn’t very predictive with our method.
If you’re resting for 90 to 120 minutes, you should be fine.
I want to try some GF recipes. I would like to use our Wolf steam oven and I’m wondering how to adjust the recipes and equipment to work with this. Do you have suggestions?
Which of our books are you using (what recipe and page number)?
After dough has been refrigerated for 3-5 days, rise is more than double with lots of air holes. Shaping is OK but the rise for 60 minutes is less than double and there is no rise in the oven; baguette falls slightly. What can I do to improve the post refrigeration rise? More time? Stiffer dough? More yeast? More psyllium husk?
Thank you very much.
Kurt Heinz
Which of our books are you using (what recipe and page number)?
I was looking for a sweet dough like Brioche but we can’t use butter (Grandson has a dairy allergy). I wonder if there is anything suitable to substitute for the butter in your brioche recipe. Otherwise, I will make the Challah recipe. Just want to make buns with a bit of sweetness.
Love your book.(The New Artisan Bread…..)
Thank you.
The challah dough is just as sweet and the fat content is low enough so that you can completely swap butter for oil (any kind) without making the dough too loose. Otherwise, you can experiment with the brioche using a solid fat, like coconut oil (solid at room temp). Or 50/50 oil and coconut oil.
Bet lard would work if you’re not averse to it.
My daughter in law can’t have yeast, any solution for gluten free yeast free bread?
“Quick” bread is usual answer, made with baking soda and/or baking powder, and we don’t work with those for breads. Or, if she can tolerate wild yeast, then natural sourdough, but we haven’t experimented with that in the GF world.
Can you subtitute instant yeast for wild yeast (my own starter)? If so how you do it???
Regina:
Go to our FAQs page and click on “Sourdough…”
Hi, I love your master recipe! I’ve made it a few times now and am really happy with the taste and texture of the loaves it made. I bake mine in a dutch oven and the crust is crispy and delicious!! My question is, can I use the same dough to make a sandwich loaf with regular loaf pan without using steam (so no dutch oven or water in the bottom of the oven?) or is the dough recipe different then a sandwich loaf? Don’t get me wrong… I love the crispy crust but not so much for sandwiches as I find it hard to bite through. Thanks!
Ginette: Sure can… also, consider butter or oil brushed onto the loaf–before it goes into the oven, and when it comes out.
Regarding the corn masa dough recipe on pages 90-91 in Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, the ingredient list calls for 1 1/2 cups or 365g of masa harina flour. The Bob’s Red Mill package of masa harina says 1/4 cup should weigh 29g, which would make 1 1/2 cups weigh 174g. I was making the dough last night by weight, so I ended up using way more masa harina than I think was intended. I added more water to make the dough workable, so we’ll see how it turns out. Which amount of masa is the correct amount?
Hi Clarissa,
My apologies for missing your question earlier. There is for sure an issue with the recipe, both the ounces and the grams were transcribed incorrectly into the chart. The real number should be 6 3/4 ounces and 195 grams (which is still more than Bob’s, but that’s probably because we scoop and sweep, instead of spoon the flour into the cup).
Thank you! Zoë
I have both versions of all your books except gluten-free. I will be making the European Peasant Bread from “The NEW Artisan Bread,” page 94 into 2-pound loaves. Your article (How to Make a 2-pound loaf) was written in 2012 and I was wondering if it has been updated with any additional information, especially about resting times?
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2012/03/20/how-to-make-a-2-pound-loaf/
Thank you,
Rita
Hi Rita,
No, that is still exactly how I would suggest going about it.
Enjoy, Zoë
Great! Thanks Zoë.
Rita
Hi,
I’m planning to make the gluten-free crusty boule from The New Healthy bread in five minutes a day, page 299. I’d like to know how long this bread keeps once baked and if it can be successfully frozen.
Thank you.
Hi Sonia,
Gluten-Free breads do tend to stale faster, so I highly recommend that you slice and freeze any bread that you don’t eat on the first day.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi
Love your recipes
Can I use a proofing basket with your recipe? They are not mentioned in your book.
Thank you
Hi Patti,
Which book are you using? Here is a post that will show you how we do it: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2015/03/16/super-peel-giveaway/
Thanks, Zoë
Have loved using your 5 minute recipes for a couple of years now. Here in Ventura, California, we are experiencing a massive wild fire. Wednesday My youngest daughter and I were able to pull out my dough from the fridge and bake it for my family (including my elderly parents who we picked up for the voluntary evacuation that day); while we listened to news reports of the fire that is raging.
When they went home they had a warm loaf and homemade soup (made from my oldest daughter)
We are outside its perimeter thankfully but we are inside due to the high Santa Anna winds and air quality. Schools have been closed. Many things have been at a stand still.
Thank you for your book! Today I just put in 4 baguettes to bake again from my big container of dough. It has been the comfort food that we have all needed with dinner throughout this stressful time.
Nothing beats homemade bread!
Warmly!
Trudi Driscoll
Hi Trudi,
Reading this gave me goosebumps. I am so glad you and your family are safe. I am also thrilled your daughter was able to bake your folks a loaf of fresh bread. I hope these fires are controlled soon and you and your family remain safe. Thank you so much for taking the time to write, you made my day!
All my best to all of you, Zoë
Hi , I’ve been working out of The new artisan bread in 5 minutes a day book for about a year now and have really enjoyed the results.
My question is can I substitute Einkorn all purpose flour for the regular all purpose flour in the master recipe on page 53 ? If so, what adjustments ( if any ) to the recipe would I need to make using Einkorn flour ? Do you have or are you working on any recipes using Einkorn flour ?
Thanks for your time
Hi Bryan,
Einkorn works very much like spelt, which is a lower protein wheat. You’ll just need to adjust the amount of water, because it doesn’t absorb as much water and your dough will be too wet and loose. Reduce the recipe by about a 1/2 cup or more. Start with little and you can always add more water back into the dough. Because it lacks protein the dough will not have as much structure and strength, so it won’t store for 2 weeks.
Thanks, Zoë
I just acquired The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, and have so far made the Challah (pgs. 296 & 303; and the Broa (p.146) along with its Yeasted Thanksgiving Cornbread with Cranberries. I also made a pizza dough out of the Broa, and all came out beautifully. Very happy, since it’s my first time making bread. My question…my gas oven has a “proofing” setting, that is 100 degrees. We keep our house pretty cool in the winter, so I was wondering if it would be advisable to use the proofing setting in the oven for the 2 hour initial rise. The question would apply for any of the breads. Much thanks.
Hi Molly,
If you used warm water you wouldn’t necessarily need the proofing oven for the initial rise. But, it may help with the loaf once it is shaped to put it in the proofer for a bit. 100°F is actually quite warm, so you don’t want to over proof the bread or it won’t rise in the oven well and the loaf will be dense.
Thanks and enjoy all the bread, I am so thrilled you are baking so many types of bread!
Zoë
Greetings,
I am using a 4 quart bucket due to lack of space. Can I drop the recipe by a third, or will that cause the dough to rise out of the bucket?
I am currently cutting the recipe by half, but I am enjoying the bread so much that I need more dough.
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Owen,
It should work, but some of the recipes are larger than others. The brioche recipe makes a lot of dough and it may just climb out of your 4qt bucket, but the master should be fine.
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the bread. Zoë
Instant Pots seem to be all the rage this year, so I finally picked one up. I was hoping to see some recipes on here for making your bread in one, because it seems like it would work well?
Any tips for making artisan bread in an Instant Pot?
Hi Paula,
I love my Instant Pot, but I haven’t baked bread in it yet. It is on my list of things to try, ASAP! I’ll report back as soon as I’ve got something to share.
Cheers, Zoë
Every time I bake the bread as a boule in my dutch oven or on a regular baking sheet, the bottom is very dark, almost burnt, and I have to cut it off. How can I fix this? Lower temp? I have tried higher oven rack position but it’s the same.
Hi Lisa,
Do you use an oven thermometer? I wonder if your oven tends to run a bit hot. It can also be that you have a smaller oven, which creates a more intense baking environment. No matter the reason, you will want to reduce the heat slightly. In your DO you can even create a cushion of foil that the parchment sling will sit on, so there is a bit of insulation between the bread and the hot pot.
Thanks, Zoë