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.
Dear Jeff and Zoe,
RE: Ten-Grain Bread recipe on p 164-65 of “New Healthy Bread” book:
Can I replace the Ten-Grain hot cereal with Bob’s Seven-Grain Hot Cereal mix? If so, would the measurements be the same?
Thanks in advance for your time!
Hi Jen,
Yes, they will be so close that it shouldn’t matter in the least.
Enjoy, Zoë
Very much enjoy NAB and NHB. Even at 8500 feet, everything works without adjustment. Using a cloche.
I’d like to vital wheat gluten to the master recipe for NAB. What adjustments do you recommend?
Hi Mike,
So glad you are enjoying the bread and good to know you don’t need any adjustments.
When you add vital wheat gluten, it will absorb some of the water, so you may have to add more to the recipe so your dough isn’t too dry.
Thanks, Zoe
I put my remaining sourdough starter in the refrigerator. Is it normal for it to separate?
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, it is totally normal for it to separate. If you are not going to use it for a while, you can dry it out as we suggest in the book.
Cheers, Zoë
I’m trying to make steamed bun dough ( like steamed bbq pork bun dough)my recipe included milk,sugar,salt,cake flour,oil, and baking powder I left it to rise it’s been over an hour but nothing.. do I leave it on the counter longer? Or is there some way to fix it
Hi Jessica,
This website is to support our yeasted bread books and the recipes we have developed, so I am sorry not to have a satisfying response for you. Good luck and if you ever give our recipes a try, we’re happy to help.
Cheers, Zoë
Greetings
I have baked bread from your first book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for some years and love the technique. It works for me. However, as I live in New Zealand, some trial and error was necessary initially. Why? Because NZ (and British) cup measures are different from US cup measures and because NZ flour is very absorbent so UK and US recipes need to be adjusted with either more liquid or less flour to work here.
You might want to note somewhere that people in other countries will need to make adjustments and concentrate on final texture rather than exact measures. I can see that is tricky for you but could prevent some early failures. I found the advice that the mix should be lose enough to spread itself to fit the container to be a good guide.
Hi Nicky,
We have since added weights to all of our books, which is more common around the world, other than the US. It still doesn’t help the issue of flour varieties, which really do change wildly around the world.
Thanks for the suggestion and for trying out the bread!
Cheers, Zoë
I would like to use my bread machine for gluten free bread. I have the gluten free artisanal bread cookbook and made up master recipe#2. Any suggestions?
Hi Rosanne,
Are you intending to mix and bake or just bake? I’ve never made our recipes in a bread machine, so I don’t know how it will work, but I do think the recipe is too large, so You’ll have to cut it down to fit the capacity of your machine.
Thanks, Zoë
I recently purchased a Lekus Artisan Bread device and also you book. Now I am wondering whether I can use your dough recipe with that item.
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, you certainly can. I’ve never baked in it, but my understanding is that it would be used just like a cloche.
Thanks, Zoë
Oops — sorry. I neglected to mention that the book I purchased is The New Artisan Bread in FIve Minutes a Day.
The book looks incredible, but are there a lot of vegan recipes? I know the majority of GF store bought items I buy have eggs so I wanted to figure that out before purchasing the book.
Thank you!
Hi Lauren,
We tried to make most of them vegan and many of our readers have had good luck using an egg substitute when a small amount of egg is called for.
Thanks, Zoë
I said I buy but I meant available to buy. Just to be clear. I’m trying to avoid the eggs lol. But great! I’m excited to get the book!
Many of the yeast breads that I make seem to crumble when I slice the bread for sandwiches. I especially see this with the top crust crumbling. Any suggestions?
Hi Sylvia,
Please let me know which of our recipes you are having this issue with and I can try to help you.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi there, have just purchased your book The New Artisan in 5 minutes a day. My husband asked me to make a meat filled dough like the Turkish bread and I was wondering which dough to use please. I was so impressed with this book I bought one for my friend.
Thankyou Jackie
Hi Jackie,
I am so thrilled you are enjoying the book. I would try that style bread with the olive oil dough, but you could also use the master recipe.
Cheers, Zoe
Hi Zoe
I tried the master recipe dough but the top came out really crisp also puffed big time, so I will try the olive oil dough and put slashes on the top. How do I stop the top from being crisp as we need it to be soft.
Have just bought your pizzas and flatbreads can’t wait for that to get here.
Thankyou.
Jackie.
Hi Jackie,
If you want a soft crust, you will want to use an enriched dough. The olive oil dough will be better, but the challah will be even softer.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi,
I’d like to try baking your Master Whole Grain Recipe in a Dutch Oven. What quart size Dutch Oven should I use to make a one pound loaf (grapefruit-sized ball of dough) as per your recipe? I am reading your HEALTHY bread baking book and would like to try making whole wheat and spelt breads. Thanks!
Hi Laurie,
I typically use my 5 quart, but have also used a smaller and larger one. If you go with a smaller one, it may touch the sides and that will change the shape of the loaf, which isn’t bad, just something to consider. You could bake a 2-pound loaf in the 5-quart as well, but that may touch the sides.
Thanks, Zoë
I’m about to bake my first loaf, using your #1 All-Purpose Flour. The book is great, with lots of photos, but I’m wondering if I need to preheat the lid to my Dutch Oven along with the pot? I also have the same question with regard to baking a larger loaf in my large clay baker. Do the lids need to be preheated ??
It’s rising in my pantry, can’t wait to bake!
We preheat the whole thing.
Hi there, I am on my 3rd day of the sourdough starter and everything was looking great…I added some whole wheat flour (started with white) and now while it has a lot of bubbles and is expanding, it has about 1/4″ of liquid at the bottom. Also, beginning on day 2 it started to develop what I would call a cheesy smell. Am I doing something wrong? Reading a few other places it seemed like people either said the liquid at the bottom was bad…or fine.
Hi Shannon,
That all sounds like it’s going just as it should. If you have our book, you’ll notice that we describe that smell and it is totally normal. The liquid on the bottom is because the mixture is so wet that the flour and water separate a bit and that’s normal. If it is still bubbly and active, then it is going as planned.
Thanks, Zoë
Hello Jeff and Zoe, this is the first time I am baking from your
I just recently purchased. I will be selling my breads at the local Farmer’s Market.
I would like to know how many loaves I can bake at the same time with the recipes.
I would like to bake at least 8 loaves at a time.
Thank you, Beverley.
Hi Beverly,
You can bake as many loaves as will comfortably fit into the oven. This will depend on your oven, the shape and size of the breads.
Cheers and enjoy! Zoë
Hi, Jeff and Zoe. I just made pizza with your half wheat/hald white recipe from the original Artisan in Five book and realized, once it was in the oven, that I was so preoccupied while preparing it that i forgot to make the gluten cloak before rolling it out. (I have been using your books for a couple of years and never did that before!). I just measured the dough, made a rough flour-covered ball, and rolled it. It came out of the oven looking beautiful, but haven’t tasted it yet (waiting for my guests to arrive). Should I be nervous? Thanks!
Hi Laurie,
The gluten cloak only effects your ability to roll it out into a neat round, so it will still taste just as great.
Hope you enjoyed it! Cheers, Zoë
That is really good to know, and it did taste great! Thank you so much, Zoe! I love your books. I never had the confidence before to make bread or pizza, and now, thanks to your books, I do it all the time.
Hi, In any of the recipes in any of the books (I have the earlier 2), can I use sprouted wheat flour 1:1 when it calls for whole wheat flour? Thanks!!
We tested with the Arrowhead Mills brand of sprouted whole wheat, and found that it took about a quarter cup more water in the master recipe in the second book (Healthy Bread in 5 Min/Day, or the new edition that book at https://amzn.to/1NdVkgj. More details in that second edition.
I asked this earlier in June but never saw it posted here, so here goes again….
I would like to purchase the book IF it includes (or has a recipe that I can substitute for) Einkorn wheat flour. Can you let me know if I would be able to use Einkorn with any of the recipes?
Thank you
we’ve never tested with einkorn so I just don’t know how it’s going to behave. It’s going to be something like whole wheat flour and you can probably swap it but I bet it’s going to need a water adjustment.
Thanks Jeff, and there are recipes that use whole wheat flour? Do you think more water will ne needed possibly? (I am not a baker! lol)
in the new healthy bread in five minutes a day there is lots of whole-wheat! In our first book the new artisan bread in five minutes a day much less so. in general my guess is it’s going to take more water, but again I haven’t tested with it so you’re on your own. Maybe tricky since you haven’t baked before
Is there a NEW “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day”/. I have had another one by that name since 2014.
Phil
There is a new edition with weights and explanations of how to use different whole grain flours. There is also about 30% new material in the book, it’s significantly larger than the original. The new healthy bread in five minutes a day came out in 2016.
Hi, would the peasant recipe from your “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” be the same as the one in your first book? If so, I was wondering if you could tell me how to reduce the whole grains to about 10-15% . I am math challenged and don’t have an idea of how to do this. I’ve purchased many bread books and am looking for a lighter version of whole grain bread. Thank you for any help that you can provide….math challenged and new to bread making.
It is the same recipe. Just decrease the Rye and whole wheat to 1/4 cup each. then increase the all-purpose white flour to 6 cups.
Can you discuss European bread flours vs US flours ??…. A family member could eat bread in France but not in the USA. Is there any equivalent available in the USA
I’ve read things like this on the web and haven’t seen a legitimate medical explanation, so I’m afraid I can’t help here. Other than ordering from France, I can’t think of a way to get this.
Hi:
I think the problem with the wheat we are growing is that it has far to many chemicals
associated with it. In fact it is said that they spray the wheat with roundup when it is
ready so that the plant dies and puts more production into the wheat seeds.
I have heard of people who can eat the bread etc. in Italy. I know of “00” (Farina) flour
and it is low in gluten but not gluten free. I have found on the internet that in Spain
they have invented a flour that is in the confines of gluten free ratio. The patent has
been sold but i have not heard of the flour being produced yet. I am anxiously waiting !
The ’00’ flour can be usually found in Italian stores & in Canada now – Superstore carries
some. I believe alot of people use this flour for pizza dough.
ATI’s of hybridised wheats different from older varieties. Makes a difference to those with histamine issues. This is why some tolerate European better… (but also may be due to baking – no baking improvers perhaps?)
Probably the ATI’s in the modern wheat. There are differences between modern hybridised wheat and older wheats. The ATI’s are different and this will affect those with histamine or mast cell type issues. The easy solution is to use older grains – spelt, khorasan wheat, kamut… May be worth the person involved finding a medical practitioner with experience in this area to work through possibilities and/or elimination diet. (Won’t show on standard allergy tests as not a true allergy)… the mast cell issues – well you need to find someone who understands the newer wider scope mast cell problems not reading the text book from when they qualified that describes only pretty extreme variants. There are allergy centres that work on this in my country – but USA tends to run a different medical care system. Look around.
I have Gluten- Free Artisan bread in 5 Minutes a day.
the only question I have is can i substitute cassava flour for the tapioca flour.
we haven’t tried that. It might work, but it’s probably going to take a lot of experimentation. We found that even slight substitutes created major changes in the way that Dough behaved so we really can’t make any promises here.
Can cassava flour be substituted for regular flour?
… in which of our recipes, from which of our books (what recipe and page number)?
Working from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”, The Master Recipe on page 26, my dough rose beautifully. But, when I placed it in the refrigerator it collapsed and didn’t rise when baked and the “crumb” was very wet. Any idea what went wrong? Thank you!
when do you say “didn’t rise” do you mean that the bread was solid without any air holes? Or did it simply spread sideways with reasonable air holes? One thing you should know is that our dough is wetter and our bread is denser than commercial breads. Also what flour did you use and how did you measure it?
also, the collapse is normal with our method but you should get a decent oven spring. one other thing I thought of is that your oven is the wrong temperature. did you check the temperature with an oven thermometer?
I just made the Pumpernickel bread yesterday. I followed the recipe tasted great, the rise was good. My question is how can I make it darker? The bread baked to a light chocolate color, but I would like it darker. Thank you in advance for your response.
Did you use a commercial Pumpernickel powder? Or did you use our liquid equivalent? Either way, you can simply increase the Pumpernickel coloring / Carmel but it’ll be easier to get it darker with the powder.
I have a great recipe for a grain bread. However it rises in the mixing bowl and rises again in the bread pans. However when I take it out of the oven after baking the centre falls. Am I doing something wrong??
Ron
Which of our recipes are you using (from which book and page number)? We have many “grain” recipes, from many of our books and they’re all a little different.
I’m not getting any oven spring. I’m using the New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day book, Betsy’s Seeded Oat Bread, pg 208. I am using vital wheat gluten, King Arthur WW flour, Gold Metal AP flour, and Red Star yeast. I half the recipe, use a heating pad on low for the initial rest of two hours (with a good rise), then refrigerate for at least four hours. Next, I form the loaf and put it in a greased 8.5×4.5″ loaf pan and let it rise on the low temperature heating pad for 90 minutes (with a good rise, filling the pan and just coming up over the top in the middle). When I move the pan to put it in the preheated oven (at 450 degrees, verified by two thermometers), the dough deflates some so now it is flat and about a half inch below the top edge. I bake it for about 45 minutes. Tastes good but a little dense. How do I get it to rise in the oven?
Oh, and I measure the flours by weight in grams.
First off– this particular recipe is a denser bread than our typical ones. Our stuff is in general a little denser than what most people expect in comparison to commercial bread. So no matter what you do, it may not be to your liking. That said, a couple of suggestions:
1. Try a slightly lower-protein flour for the whole wheat component… like Gold Medal. KAF is a little higher and that can add to density.
2. We don’t use heating pads–what may be happening is that it’s over-rising, and then collapsing a bit. See what happens when you skip that.
Thank you for your reply. Good to know it is a denser bread. I really like the taste so want to keep trying.
Made the bread yesterday without using the heating pad, and did get some oven spring. Previous time without heating pad didn’t rise much so I thought the room temperature in my kitchen was too cool, hence the heating pad. When I run lower on the KA flour I’ll replace it with GM.
Baked bread is still about 2.5″ high. Thinking of getting either a smaller pan (a true 8×4″) or making a full batch and using 3/4 of the dough in the existing pan. Which would work better to get a taller loaf?
Both should accomplish the same thing…
HI there,
I just bought your “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” book and am getting all of the things I need together. I plan to use my mixer to make the dough, however in your recipes you mention to use the paddle in the mixer. My mixer has a dough hook to make dough, is this what you are referring to when you say “paddle”?
Thanks so much…. this is just for the master recipe.
No, the paddle is different. In the Tips/Techniques chapter, we talk about the difference. Or was that in the Equipment chapter. But… either will work, the hook works better in the very large mixers (6.5 quarts or larger). The paddle in the smaller ones (our book has a picture of the paddle so you’re clear on what we mean).
I am using your newest book and my question is this. Although baking at a high altitude, 7000 feet, I have used the adaptations you recommend for altitude. I have had consistently delicious rye breads but the last several rye breads and peasant breads remain heavy and very doughy on the inside, enough so they aren’t edible.
I have tried both a normal bake and a convection bake, at the temperatures recommended and my breads haven’t been edible. I have used only fresh yeast and have halved it as you recommend as well as using colder water . I have left it at least 24 hours in the refrigerator and the rise is not as it was. Hoping you can send me your advice and some magic! Thanks
Marilyn Seymann
Hmmm… something changed, since you say you had “consistently delicious rye breads…” until recently. What are you now doing differently? Did you switch from granulated yeast to (as you say) “fresh” yeast? Did you mean fresh cake yeast?
I love using the recipies from your cooks books. I have been wondering could I use the rise and bake functions on my bread maker with your dough?
We haven’t tested our recipes with bread makers, though it probably works. The only concern I might have in the closed environment of the bread-baker is that our relatively wet doughs might not dissipate their extra moisture well, and you might end up with a gummy loaf. Could dry out the mixture a bit (a couple tablespoons extra flour, maybe). It’d take some experimentation.
Can you do a recipe for a dough for Brioche hamburger buns?
We have! Type “lamb burger” into the Search Bar…
This question applies to all the various recipes I’ve made, but I will cite the specific one I used today; original book, Buttermilk Bread, pages 207-208. The recipe says it makes three 1 1/2 pound loaves. I only got two and one very small mini loaf pan size. Same thing the last time I used this recipe and also when I make the Master Recipe. When I take the dough out of the container to begin the bake process, I always weigh it on the scale to be sure I have weight called for in the recipe (either 1# or 1 1/2# as in the buttermilk bread recipe.) Am I doing this wrong? Should I just eyeball it by the cantaloupe or grapefruit size mentioned in the book instead? I do use the scoop and sweep method of measuring the flour so I don’t think that is the issue. Love the bread, it always tastes great. Hate it when I have to resort to store bought!
My guess is that your loaf pans are just a little larger than the ones we tested with. So… you just need to scale up the recipes a bit so that you have more dough. The easiest way to do the math would be just to double everything, but then, you may have more than you want and it might over-age in the fridge (though it freezes pretty well; see https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2011/01/03/freezing-the-dough-can-i-do-it/).
Or, multiply everything by 1.5. Then the Buttermilk Bread would call for 3c water, 1.5c buttermilk, etc…
Bottom line is that a lot of folks find our loaf breads skimpy if you fill the pan less than 3/4-full, and that uses more dough than we tested with in a lot of the roomier loaf pans on the market.
Question: What vegan option can I substitute eggs with?
Book: The New Healthy Bread in 5 mins/ Day
Recipes: Hamburger (or hot dog) Buns/ Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread/ Enriched Breads
Page Numbers: (var)
Hello,
I am familiar with lots of egg substitution options for vegans, but I’d like to know if you/ any of your readers have had success with any one in particular.
Flax “eggs” in particular seem like they might work in both taste and consistency?
Kat
We’ve tried the flax swap for eggs at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/06/01/gluten-free-baguettes-egg-free-and-a-king-arthur-gluten-free-flour-giveaway/
… just ignore everything about gluten-free!
I wish I had known before i bought your book that the technique required a couple of cubic feet of precious refrigerator space. I don’t know about other folks, but space for a large dough container in our home is just not possible.
Hi Ross,
You can put the dough in any shape container that fits your refrigerator or break it up into separate containers. You can also make a half batch if you don’t want quite so much dough. The time savings comes from mixing up a large batch of dough, but the method still works with smaller batches. Enjoy all the bread!
Thanks, Zoë
Hello Jeff and Zoe:
I am a great fan of your “New Healthy Bread” book, and has become my go-to book in my bread journey. I am now starting to branch into sourdough leaven and wonder if there is a formula for using a levain starter rather than yeast? I have one experiment fermenting in the fridge with levain now using your master recipe, but just wondered if there is a more precise way to work this out than my guesswork of total percentages.
Looking forward to the Celebration bread book! Hope to see more recipes that can be vegan as well.
All the best,
Lesli
Hi Lesli,
Thanks for the lovely note. There is a sourdough chapter at the end of the New Healthy Bread book, have you already tried that recipe?
Thanks, Zoë
No, I haven’t as yet…just trying to see if I can adapt some of my favorite recipes from your book to use a sourdough levain. I am trying to find a formula or other way to use other recipes and replace with the levain. We love your flaxseed bread and the rye, though haven’t gone there yet with the levain. Went back to the master recipe and replaced the yeast with levain and decreased water and flour to compensate. It’s proofing right now. Will let you know how it turns out…
Zoe:
The master loaf just came out of the oven, and it looks fairly good! Good spring, good color and it smells lovely! I would send a picture, but can’t figure out how to do that in comments.
Thanks again for your book. I will try your recommendation about using a starter as you mentioned at the end of the book..not sure how I missed that! I am working with a 100% hydration starter so may still need some trial and error. Thanks again!!
Lesli
Hi Lesli,
So fun, please keep me posted on your progress, I hope you enjoy the journey!
Cheers, Zoë
Hello, I have just started using your book “Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” I have a question about mixing my gluten free dough. I have a hand mixer which has standard beaters (the kind you would use to make frosting or mix ingredients for a cake). Your book specifies that for a stand mixer bakers should use a “paddle attachment” or a “flat beater” (42). On the same page it says a “hand mixer will also work.” My hand mixer does not have a flat beater or paddle. Is it okay to use the standard beaters? It seems that it’s important to mix everything very well until it is smooth, but I’m also worried that my standard beater could negatively affect the dough since it is not the “flat beater” that you specify in the descriptions about equipment.
Thank you for your help!
Heather Meehan – Baking from Maine!
Hi Heather,
A hand mixer doesn’t have a paddle, so you’ll just use the attachment it came with. If there is a only a whisk attachment, then you may want to be careful that the dough doesn’t put too much pressure on the machine.
Thanks, Zoë
Hello. If this is a repeat I apologize. I tried posting a question and it seemed to disappear. Yikes!!! My children purchased your Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day for me recently. I love chewy nutty bread and am very excited at the thought of making my own baguettes. I have several questions. If I use a lot of add-ins like pumpkin/sunflower seeds, uncooked oats and wheat berries and exchange some of the flour for flax seed meal do I need to add extra water? Also, is there a maximum amount of add-ins that I should be considering? Also, should I probably be soaking the wheat berries before adding them?
I can hardly wait to for the nippy New England Fall weather and the smell of bread baking.
Thank you again
Hi Jodie,
How wonderful, I’m very excited you’ll be baking the breads. I would start with Betsy’s seeded bread, which sounds like it is very close to the breads you described. If you are going to adjusting and experimenting with the recipes, I suggest you start with a half batch, just until you have the loaf you love.
Cheers, Zoë
Thank you sooo much. Re-read the recipe, Betsey’s Seeded Oat Bread, that you referenced. My mouth is watering already.
Hi Jodie,
I am so glad it suits you, enjoy!
Cheers, Zoe
I am trying to make a glutten free white cheddar boule that I used to buy in Napa, CA, until they dissolved their retail store.
So, I went and looked for a crusty glutten free white cheddar boule recipe and found your site with a glutten free crusty boule, but no white cheddar.
I don’t know what they used to make their glutten free white cheddar boule, but would like to know what you think they put in to make the cheddar flavor and browned so nicely when I toasted it.
Any ideas? Do you think they could have used fresh grated white cheddar or is there some other powder cheddar product they could have used?
I would appreciate your experienced ideas on this subject and question of “how and what” I could add to your glutten free crusty boule recipe to make it a white cheddar crusty boule.
Thank you so much!
Lora Blaine
Hi Lora,
Without trying the bread, it is hard to know what they put in it, but we do have a cheddar bread in our gluten free artisan bread book. It has grated cheddar in the dough.
Thanks, Zoë
The new healthy bread in five minutes a day, page 81 and page 91. Master recipes.
Thank you, Jeff and Zoe, for the great book. Is it possible to scale down the master receipt on page 81 and the 100% whole wheat master recipe on page 91? E.g., if I want half of the dough, should I simply reduce all the ingredients by half?
Hi Alice,
Yes, you can make a half batch of any of our recipes. It is easier to do when working with weights, but you can also do it with cup measures.
Thanks, Zoë
In your Artisan Pizza and Flat Bread, page 61, using the Olive Oil dough variation. I would like to add a bit of sugar to my dough, what amount would you recommend?
Hi Colleen,
Tell me what you are going for? You can add 2 tablespoons without changing the flavor much or 1/4 cup and you’ll notice the sweetness.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe, I am planning on making pizza dough. Would you recommend 1 or 2 Tablespoons? I usually add a bit of sugar to my basic pizza dough recipe that I have made in the past using my food processor.
Hi Colleen,
Either is fine. You won’t notice it in the flavor much. Some recipes suggest adding it to activate the yeast, but it isn’t necessary, so if you aren’t doing it for flavor, then there is no need. The starch in the flour is plenty to feed the yeast. If you are doing it for flavor, then I would add two tablespoons or just may not notice it at all.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi there, I have four of your books but can’t seem to find a recipe for gluten free whole meal bread. Do you have one please.
Thankyou Jackie
Hi Jackie,
Which books do you have and I can try to lead you to a recipe that works. The most are in our Gluten-Free Artisan bread book.
Thanks, Zoe
Hi, I halved your recipie for 00 flour (page 73) for pizza. I weighed the ingredients except for the water. I measured the water. The dough had a rise of 4 hours. It sat over the night in the frig.
The dough was hardly dough, very watery. What did I do wrong? I think I could have doubled the flour or halved the water.
Hi Christine,
Is it possible that you didn’t do a half measure of the water? That dough should be the consistency of our other doughs when mixed. Is there something unusual about the brand of flour that you were using? You can always add more flour now.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi
I’m using the New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day book, and want to make the Cracked Wheat Bread, pg 161, but can’t find cracked wheat in the stores. Can bulgur be used instead, and if yes, do I need to make any changes to the Cracked Wheat Bread recipe? What “grind” of the bulger should I use – fine, medium, or coarse?
Thanks, Sue
Hi Sue,
Yes, it should work just fine and I would go with the coarse ground, since the cracked wheat is quite coarse. I always suggest starting with a half batch when you are experimenting with the recipes, just to make sure you love the results.
Cheers, Zoë
Hi. I recently purchased the New Artisan Bread in 5 and have been exploring recipes. It seems I cook and eat nothing but bread these days!
Your book refers to the wonderful artisan breads made in New York in the mid-20th Century. I grew up in that time and place, and my family ate New York Cornbread every week. It was more a rye bread than what other Americans call cornbread. I have never been able to find a recipe for it, and I understand it isn’t available in New York anymore. Do you know what I’m talking about, or can you point me to a recipe for it?
Hi Katie,
The bread I think you are referring to is Vollkornbrot or Kornbread, which is a German rye bread. It is a very dense bread made with mostly, if not all, rye flour.
Thanks, Zoë
Have to jump in here as the former New Yorker! So-called “Corn Bread” as it used to be commonly made in Jewish New York bakeries, was only slightly related to the German-style Vollkornbrot in our books. Neither have any corn in them. As Zoe says, it was just a heavy sourdough rye, with more rye than our basic Deli-Style Rye Bread in our books. The recipes I’ve seen used about 60% rye flour, and the rest a type of white flour called Common Flour (aka First Clear flour). Common is a less refined version of all-purpose white flour, with less gluten–all that rye, plus the Common make for a dense result.
I found recipes for this, but found that I could recreate it by making our Deli-Style Rye with more rye, and letting it age before using–on the order of 7 days or so–result was dense and sour like I remember. And I skipped the Common Flour–wasn’t worth the expense and hassle. Jeff
Hi.
I’m wondering if in your gluten free bread book it will be easy for me to swap yeast for a starter?
Thank you for your time!
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
I have never made our gluten-free doughs with a sour starter, but some of our readers have and report it is successful.
Thanks, Zoe
A 6 quart container cannot fit in my refrigerator (suggested Amazon one is approx 10 by 18 inches). What are my alternatives? Can I halve the recipe? Can I split the dough into smaller containers – if so what is a good size?
Thank you for your help.
You can halve the recipe, definitely. Or just use 3 quart containers. Some fridges do better with the square containers, which are shorter.
My oven takes more than 20 minutes to come up to 450 degrees, and more with the baking stone in it. All your recipes in the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day (the book I have) call for preheating only 20 minutes. Should I actually wait to put the loaf in until my oven is at 450? and so wouldn’t that mean to start preheating on baking day earlier, in order to allow time for the oven to come up to temperature?
How are you gauging the oven temperature?
Oven thermometer hung from a rack in the oven, and also the temperature on the oven controls. My oven is well calibrated, they are consistent.
Short answer–if you want a really crisp crust, wait for the temp to normalize. I typically don’t do it. How long is the oven and stone taking to come to temp?
Hello, in Your Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book (BEST GIFT EVER), your pizza crust recipe calls for baking the dough and the toppings at the same time. How might I bake the dough in advance for my son to have gluten free pizza “Lunchables” at school? Thank you. You’re book is amazing.
Thanks for the kind words…
You should be able to pre-bake GF crusts and freeze them (wrap well). They may be less than optimal done this way. Though I do thin bagels this way and they’re pretty good (with wheat, though). I bet using GF won’t be a major problem.
Do you have any recipes that use fresh plums? My Italian Prune tree is loaded!
Have you put “plum” in the Search Bar above?
Nope. I will try that. Thanks
Hello Jeff and Zoe,
I am all set; bought your latest book (The New Artisan Bread in 5 min a Day) and other basic gadgets listed in the book and all excited to make my first ever bread following the recipe on page 53. Only difference I have is the oven. We have one of the latest builtin Steam Ovens by Wolf. They have a auto steam mode for bread and comes up with 410F as the temperature but I can go only up to 440F max. Any suggestions as how to handle this situation? I just made the dough and set aside for the 1st two hours.
Really enjoying everything I see and read on your website and the book. I will be a longtime follower, member and customer!!
Many thanks for exciting many people like me!!
Gamini
I think it’ll work fine at 440F, see what you think…
Hello Zoe and Jeff, I would like to know if you have developed a recipe for break with chickpea flour. I tried many recipes but it always comes out flat and dense. How would you tra to make it work? Thanks, Teresa/Dulcistella
We found the same, so we didn’t include recipes with chickpea flour in any of our books…