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.

6,641 thoughts to “Ask a Question”

  1. I am using the new holiday book. I made the Challah dough but I can’t figure out if I should punch it down before putting it in the fridge?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jerry,

      No, we never punch down the dough. Just not necessary with our dough. If you did, it won’t hurt it, just not needed.

      Thanks so much! Zoë

      Reply

  2. My Dil and I both made our first batch of dough today. Her dough raised to the top of her container. After 4 hours mine has not raised much. My yeast was a new jar. Her kitchen is probably warmer than mine. I will refrigerate my batch at 5 hours and bake tomorrow. Just hoping it will be ok. Is it a problem if it doesn’t raise much? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Debbie,

      That sounds like a temperature issue. Your kitchen may be cooler, but you may have also used cooler water to make the dough, which will slow down the yeast. As long as the dough does eventually rise, it will not be an issue at all.

      Enjoy! Zoë

      Reply

  3. Hi – I have your artisan bread book and have been making great sourdough (thanks!!) BUT just found out I am borderline diabetic. Do you have any low-carb loaves?? Just when I started loving bread again…

    Reply

  4. I do not have a question but LOVE and Thanks for both of you! My sister pestered me for 2 years to try baking your breads. I’m a super busy homeschooling mom of 3 busy teens with severe food allergies or sensitivities. I finally tried bread baking and I am so hooked!! I’m happy to learn techniques for baking in the heat of the summer, too. Thank you for your wonderful books and recipes!!! My whole family loves you and I’m always telling people about your book, website, and wonderful recipes!

    Reply

    1. Hi Debbie,

      Thank you so much for the lovely note, I am so thrilled you are baking from the books and enjoying all the bread!

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  5. New ABn5 – 2013 – Spinach Feta Bread p. 182. – “1 cup cooked chopped spinach”. Does that mean 1 cup of fresh spinach BEFORE being chopped, cooked, and used or 1 cup spinach AFTER being cooked? Can store bought packaged frozen spinach be used? Sorry if I am overthinking this.

    Reply

  6. Have you tried making zeppole with any of your recipes? My husband makes anchovy zeppole but I’d prefer he not use store bought frozen bread dough. I’d like a tasty (& prefer easy) alternative. Thank you so much!

    Reply

      1. Thank you. We’ll give it a try. I enjoy making & eating the breads from your books–especially the panettone, stollen, sticky buns, & the basic recipe. Merry Christmas!

  7. Hello,
    I just subscribed to your web site but now am wondering if there is a charge for this.If so please delete me from your list.

    Thank you ,
    Sandy

    Reply

  8. Once the dough has been made, refrigerated and ready to bake, can it be placed in a breadmaker instead of an oven?

    Reply

  9. In your 100% Whole Grain Levain-Risen Bread recipe (p. 389 of “The New Healthy Bread…”), I’m puzzled by the huge quantity of levain as compared with traditional sourdough recipes. Couldn’t you just use a smaller amount of levain and increase the water and flour? I’m not being argumentative, I’m just trying to better understand the bread science here.

    Reply

    1. Hi Steve,

      I am not sure the kind of starter you are using, but you have to keep in mind that you are creating enough dough to make 4 loaves with each batch of our dough, so that may be the explanation for why we use so much in comparison.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  11. Does using the cloche change baking time? Assuming your master recipe and a 2 or 3 lb. loaf, what would be the respective baking times. In one of your comments u baked a roughly 3 lb. Italian Peasant loaf about an hour. In another place u baked a 2 lb. master recipe loaf about 45-50 minutes. These were not in a cloche. Assuming a 2 lb. loaf – in a cloche – is the 45-50 minutes about right? Or are there adjustments to make? Your books are great.

    Reply

  12. Just a note of thanks. I purchased Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day on the last Amazon prime day, whenever that was. I have never been much of a cook, certainly not a baker (I’m a divorced guy in Austin TX by the way, not that it’s relevant.) At any rate, since opening the cookbook I have not purchased a single loaf of bread. And I am a bread lover. It’s great, and I love knowing how few ingredients are in the bread I am eating.

    My loaves also seem to be actually fairly good. Many cooks probably think their cooking is pretty good (like our driving,) so my usual benchmark for my cooking is that I am not dead or sick after eating it. In this case, however, people with no vested interest in making me feel better love the bread. Several have purchased the book!

    So thank you for changing my life!

    Dennis Gross

    Reply

    1. Hi Dennis,

      This is so amazing, thank you for the lovely note and I am absolutely thrilled that you are enjoying all the bread you are baking.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  13. A biochemical question re sugars in dough (e.g. your recipe for pretzels in the Holiday baking book):

    that recipe calls for a small amount of malt syrup, or alternatively, honey. I assume this is to promote fermentation.

    My recollection is that the sugars in a dough will be processed before the starches, and the end-products of sugar fermentation are CO2, H2), and alcohol (amounts etc depending on aerobic vs. anerobic). If that is true, is there really any difference (particularly taste) in the sugars used?

    Reply

    1. Honey and malt syrup contain mostly dimeric sugars, as opposed to glucose, which is a monomer. Yeast can use any of those quite well and that’s not the issue here, though you’re right, the simplest sugars will be used first, assuming that yeast follow my usual assumptions about metabolism and biology. And then the starches (polymeric) get used. Either sweetener works nicely in this recipe; there’s a slight difference in flavor, though most people won’t detect the difference. If you have a preference, go with the one you prefer, but it won’t matter to the overall appearance and success of the recipe. Small amounts of sweetener aid in browning and help create a more tender crumb, which can be nice in a high-protein dough recipe like this one (protein can promote toughness).

      Reply

  14. I’m wondering if the rectangular baking stone you use is cast iron or steel. Do you prefer one material over the other?

    Reply

    1. Hi Carole,

      I have both and love them both. The rectangular one is steel and I use it constantly. My cast iron is round and it just doesn’t fit as well for my every day needs.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  15. I just received “The New Artisan Bread” book for the holidays, my cousin has wowed our family with his bread from the first edition so I wanted to join the fun.

    My Pampered Chef stoneware specifically says “Do not preheat our stone or it will break”. I just started reading your book but it says to preheat baking stones. Can I put a loaf on a room temperature stone and then add the stone/bread to the oven? Will I not get that “oven spring”?

    Reply

    1. Hi Luke,

      The Pampered chef stone is one that does crack, so you need to be careful with it. Here is a post about the various stones we’ve tried: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/08/24/pizza-stones-which-creates-the-best-crust/

      You can try the pampered chef stone as it is intended to be used, but it is counter to what a stone is meant to do, which is conduct and radiate heat to the bread. I will be very curious if it produces a nice crust for you.

      Thanks and enjoy all the bread! Zoë

      Reply

  16. HELP! My gluten free bread does not rise. At all. Ever. My daughter gave my Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for my birthday. I have done Mixture #1 on page 60 four times. I’ve bought all new fresh ingredients twice. Not one of them has ever risen a bit. I’ve had doughy insides and thick, hard crusts. I’ve followed the recipe exactly. I weigh the ingredients. I’ve checked out FAQ and videos. I’ve not had one loaf come out good. Some are more edible than others. None of them were actually good. If I put it in there flat as a crepe it will come out flat as a crepe. I promise. I measured a loaf with a ruler before and after baking. It didn’t rise even a little bit. I don’t get “oven spring.” They are so dense that I have to saw through them.

    I’m a good cook and a good baker. I don’t get it. I’ve been at this bread in 5 thing since Dec 8 and I’m so frustrated. This is getting expensive. I’ve never finished a loaf. I throw it away and try again.
    Please help me.
    Cindi

    Reply

  17. Help! I just mixed a batch of starter dough but used 6 cups of flour instead of the 6-1/2 recommended. I used King Arthur, which is 11-1/2% protein content. I also increased the water by 1/4 cup. will my dough be too wet to use?

    Reply

    1. Hi Helen,

      If your dough feels too wet, you can always mix in more flour and just let it sit for a bit to absorb the new flour.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  18. 1) The 1 cup of water dissipates before the end of baking, leaving a dry broiler tray. Is that adequate water, i.e. water is not needed for the whole 35 minutes of baking time?
    Thank you!
    Mary

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary,

      The steam only does its work in the first 10 minutes of baking, so no more than a cup is required.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  20. Hi.. I bought the gf artisan brd in 5 book…first loaf failed miserably..I’m assuming either mix is too wet…didn’t rise at all &,really smdense or the hand mixing wasnt long enough. I’ve put it on my kitchen aid (I didn’t do it to start with bc I wasn’t sure it was strong enough) I’ll keep going & trying with the rest of the mix in the fridge. ..is it absolutely necessary to use a pizza stone?? Can I just put it on a heavy baking sheet?

    Reply

  21. Hi! For frozen dough, do you just leave it in the fridge overnight and then proceed as normal? I just got the book for Christmas (yay!) and am just trying to map out everything in my head.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jenn,

      Yay, enjoy all the bread! You can either put the frozen dough in the refrigeration (overnight) to thaw or you can leave it on the counter (2-3 hours), which ever works best for your schedule.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  22. New Healthy Bread, p. 388, bringing a “dried out” culture back to life: “Starting with 1 cup of dried-out sourdough culture … blend in 2 cups water and 2 cups flour, then a little more to bring the mixture to the consistency of thick pancake batter.”

    A little more what? Flour? Flour+water? Does “thick pancake batter” mean batter that, if it were in a measuring cup with a spout, it’d be thin enough to pour out of the cup but thick enough to make a thick pancake?

    Reply

    1. Flour+water, varying the proportion so you end up with, yes, “thick” pancake batter, and what you describe is exactly what we mean. There is leeway and adjustment required here–it’s not an exact science so we always recommend that folks get proficient with our basic loaves before they try this–so they know what the final dough should look like.

      Reply

  23. Have you considered expanding the flatbread recipes to include crackers. I would be interested in an approach that allowed for making crackers from a generic dough that would allow for flavor options at baking time like salt & pepper, sea salt, rosemary and olives, and roasted garlic. There could also be dough options for rye, whole wheat and other flours plus gluten free doughs.

    Reply

  24. I am making Gluten Free Brioche, and as we pulled it out of the oven it collpased from one side, and the interior is gummy.
    What can it be?

    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Have you changed anything in the recipe, anything at all? Most importantly, are you using Bob’s Red Mill flours in the mixtures we specified in the book? Any substitutions completely throw off the recipes.

      And have you confimred your oven temp with a thermometer?

      Reply

  25. On p. 389 of “The New Healthy…” book, in the recipe for 100% Whole Grain Levain-Risen Bread, the quantity of lukewarm water is given as 1 1/2 cups or 12 ounces or 340 grams. If the 12 ounces were units of weight, 340 grams would be correct. But — based on 1 1/2 cups — the 12 ounces are units of volume, i.e., fluid ounces. One fluid ounce of water, at temperatures that concern us, weighs 1.043 ounces. So the quantity should be 355 grams.

    In the Master Recipe on p. 81, the same error leads to a printing of 910 grams of water, which I assume is a rounding of 907 to the nearest multiple of 5. If 4 cups is correct for the volume measurement, it should be 946 grams (or 945 if you prefer nearest 5). Note that the difference of 39 grams (946-907) is 1.3 fl. oz. Not significant, you might say. But on the next page there is a table of adjustments for various brands of flour; most of the adjustments are variations of 2 fl. oz. from the base value.

    Reply

  26. Help! I pulled out a portion of dough to make a loaf and it was about an hour into its resting period, when the event that I was making it for got cancelled. Can I just wrap up the chunk of dough and put it back in the fridge and continue the process next week? Or is there another way to preserve the dough?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  27. Zoe – A little while back I asked you about baking steels vs. cast iron. I had decided to buy the rectangular baking steel by Stoughton Steel and was reading the reviews on Amazon. Several complained about the steel rusting when the pan of water was put in the oven to aid in steam rise when baking bread. I called the company to ask about this and they said the additional water in the pan method wasn’t necessary because the steel got so hot it wasn’t needed. What do you think about this and did yours rust? Are you able to tell me which ones you like?

    Reply

  28. I have been making and enjoying all of your wonderful breads and especially the rye. Recently I have gotten both First Clear flour and Rye Bread improver as a gift from King Arthur’s Flour. Could you advise me on how much of each to use and how best to adjust your wonderful recipe. Thanks for your help

    Reply

    1. I experimented with those exact flours in my rye recipe years ago, but I found that they didn’t really improve over using all purpose and supermarket or co-op bought rye flour. The bread was fine but since it was no better I didn’t keep a record of my experiments, so I’m not sure what to tell you. Just try swapping them out with various liquid proportions in our rye recipe from the books.

      Reply

  29. You mentioned liquid proportional substitution but both are flours. Do you recommend adding them to flour amounts or substituting them in equal proportion to regular flours used in the recipe? Thanks for any guidance ?

    Reply

    1. What I meant was that First Clear will absorb water differently than all-purpose flour and so the recipe require a little more water. If I had to guess, you’ll have to slightly increase the water but try it first as written, then add water if needed based on how it looks, assuming you’ve made the regular recipe and know what to look for.

      Reply

  30. Hello,

    I was so thrilled to try the GF bread and tried making the Gluten Free Master recipe pg 268 (Artisan Bread in 5 min a day). I followed the instructions, however the bread cooked on the outside and was completely uncooked on the inside. What am I doing wrong?? I have a convection oven that only goes up to 435 degrees. Can I make the ball flatter? Would that help it cook all the way through. I make non-gf bread all the time with no problem. I am really struggling making GF bread! Thanks!

    Reply

    1. First off, skip convection, we didn’t test these that way and convection will always promote browning. That means you might be using crust color as your cue, and taking the loaves out before they’re baked through. Then…

      Are you making any substitutions at all? Leaving out psyllium or xanthan? And most importantly, are you using flours of a different brand than what we tested with (Bob’s Red Mill in our blend, not a commericial blend of any kind–including Bob’s)? If so, the liquid amount will be off–possibly way off, and that’d account for what you saw.

      If none of those are the explanation, and your oven temp’s been checked with something like https://ow.ly/8CVPU, then try your idea–it’ll definitely help.

      Reply

  31. Hello! I am a huge fan of all your books. I was hoping to get some tips for making the Lentil Curry Bread (page 229 of The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day). I have tried to make it a few times and find that the dough is too wet. Is there a specific type of lentil you would recommend using? Also, what should be the total weight of the lentils and water be once cooked? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. I’ve never weighed that one, but it can be tricky–just add additional flour if it looks much wetter than our basic dough from that book. Go in 2-tablespoon increments. Hopefully you’re experienced with our basic method…

      Reply

    1. No, but there is in The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, click on the book image above (takes you to Amazon site).

      Reply

  33. Is there an egg substitute or reduction that can be used in the enriched breads? I received the new holiday cookbook for Christmas and many of the recipes call for eggs, but I try to reduce/minimize the amount of eggs I cook with. Love your cookbook! Thanks for considering my question.

    Reply

    1. Well… we haven’t tested for egg swaps in these very egg-heavy recipes. That’s the nature of the traditional enriched holiday loaf, I’m afraid. It might work–but you’ll have to do some testing with it. As you suggest, partial swaps may be the way to go.

      Reply

  34. I live in Salt Lake City, UT at 4,400-4,500 feet elevation. Do I need to make any adjustments in the amount of water/liquid and/or yeast for successful bread?
    Thank you.

    Reply

  35. Hi! I’m working out of your gluten free artisan bread in 5 minutes per day book, and can only find 3 recipes that use the 2nd whole grain mixture. Can I use it in all the recipes?

    Reply

  36. I just made my first loaf out of Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day – the Master Recipe, cut in half, made in a stoneware (Pampered Chef) loaf pan. The dough rose and leveled off last night, then I put it in the fridge overnight. When I took the dough out, I weighed out 2 pounds, cloaked and shaped it, then put it in the pan to rest for 90 minutes. Baked it in the stoneware loaf pan on top of a baking stone with 1 cup of water put in a foil pan underneath (don’t have a broiler pan). It didn’t rise very high, not even to the top of the pan. It’s delicious, but dense and low. What can I do to make it rise higher?

    By the way, it’s winter in Wisconsin, so my room temperature is around 68 degrees. I don’t know if that’s too chilly to get a good rise.

    Reply

    1. What brand of flour are you using, for the WW and the AP? How are you measuring it?
      If we don’t get anywhere with this, I think you’ll be happier with a 1-pound loaf (less weight pushing down on the loaf). But be aware–this kind of bread is denser than storebought WW.

      Reply

      1. I’m using brand-new Gold Medal WW and AP, brand-new Red Star yeast in the jar. I weighed everything on my food scale.

        Does the material of the pan make a difference?

      2. Those are our brands–if you’re already doing a 90 min rest, try 120. But you may be happier in a loaf pan–which constrains sideways spread. Or just use more dough.

      3. I used a loaf pan. That was the one that didn’t give me much of a rise. In one response, you suggested I make a 1-lb loaf instead of a 2-lb loaf, and then in your last reply, you suggested using more dough. I guess it’s just trials and error, eh?

        Have you tried the new Red Star Platinum yeast? Does it make a difference?

      4. Yes–it works great, but I can’t say it works better.

        And yes–it’s trial and error. Is the crumb of the bread over-dense, or is there good hole structure?

  37. I am enjoying the book “The new artisan bread in five minutes a day”, and I am trying to “master” the master recipe starting on page 53.

    When you guys bake this bread according to that recipe (1-pound worth of dough, 40 minutes rest time, etc.), what are roughly the dimensions of the bread when you take it out of the oven?

    Reply

  38. Do you have a yeasted banana bread recipe? I dislike the taste of baking soda and powder in quick breads.

    Reply

  39. Background: after casting about for a 100% whole-grain go-to bread, I’ve settled — at least for a while! — on the 100% Whole Grain Levain-Risen Bread from “The New Healthy Bread…” book, p. 389, with the vital wheat gluten “option.”

    I’m having trouble gauging when to stop resting and start baking. I don’t see much change over the guideline 90 minute rest — just a little spreading. I see from the sidebar on p. 391 that longer may be needed and I’m looking for “relaxed and ‘jiggly’,” but I’m not sure what that means in practice. Can you be more specific about how to test? My dough is resting on parchment on a peel, under a (glass) bowl. Of course I can remove the bowl for any hands-on testing.

    Reply

    1. have you seen our videos of the dough? The parchment makes the “jiggle” hard to see, because the parchment actually will move back and forth.

      About the spreading–consider more “gluten-cloaking” and if that doesn’t help, just make your dough a little drier and that should do it.

      Reply

      1. I’m not concerned about the spreading — it’s not excessive; the basic shape is retained. I just mentioned it because it’s the only change I observe over 90 minutes — or today, 110 minutes. Also, I have no complaint about the finished, baked, loaf. I just don’t know how long to wait to bake. Today’s extra 20 minutes didn’t seem to make a difference.

        I’ve seen Zoe’s “How to Shape Wet Dough” video. Is there another you had in mind?

      2. No that’s the one–think about cloaking a little more. But you’ve said the magic words–that the result is to your liking. Just go with 90 minutes, and don’t worry about the observed changes (or lack of that) in the unbaked dough ball.

      3. Sorry — “cloaking”?

        Meanwhile, a report in lieu of a question. I noticed in Zoe’s ““How to Shape Wet Dough” video that the loaf after scoring appeared round, but that after baking it was elongated in the direction perpendicular to the slashes.

        Yesterday I shaped an elongated loaf, with two slashes parallel to the long axis, and it baked up round. Today I shaped an elongated loaf, with three slashes perpendicular to the long axis, and it baked up elongated.

        So, Steve’s Law: in the oven, a loaf will expand horizontally in a direction perpendicular to parallel scoring.

  40. So I just tried the mazanec in the newest book, and the directions on p.286 say so mix all the wet ingredients, including “the water”. But there’s no water in the list of ingredients on p.285 – just milk. So I’m hoping that my bread will come out ok… So is there water missing from the ingredient list? Or should the “with the water” read “with the milk”?

    Thanks!
    April

    Reply

  41. Hi,

    I just made the Saint Lucia Saffron Buns in your new book, HOLIDAY AND CELEBRATION BREAD, pages 261-264. The buns were delicious! Question: In the list of ingredients you call for bread flour, but in the instructions #2 you say to whisk together the all-purpose flour with the potato flour. I used the bread flour, but which is correct? Keep the books coming!

    Jeanne

    Reply

    2. Sorry about that–it’s an error, which we’ve now posted to our corrections page. It’s bread flour that should be referenced in the instructions.

      Reply

  42. In my previous life, baking for my family with wheat, I made caramel sticky rolls the night before. I rolled, cut and placed the rolls over the caramel and left them to rise overnight in the fridge. Can I do this with the gluten free callah dough, will it rise enough? Should I let the rolls rise first and then place into the refrigerator or just let rise all night?

    Reply

  43. Book artisan bread in five minutes, pages 26 30, small loaf, upper crust perfect brown and crisp, bottom cust soft with small unrison layer, crumb perfect on top decreases to bottom.

    Reply

    1. Consider a longer resting time–go 90 minutes and see what you think. You’re bottom crust will be better if you use a pre-heated baking stone, and make sure you have correct oven temp– use something like https://ow.ly/8CVPU

      Reply

  44. I AM SO UNBELIEVABLY IMPRESSED with this bread. You two have nailed it! Thank you for sharing your hard work and love of great food. My husband purchased your latest book for me for Christmas: Gluten Free Artisan Bread. We live in Oregon about 15 minutes from Bob’s Red Mill (lucky us). So far, we did a side by side experiment trying the Master Recipe using the #1 batch with xanthan gum and the #2 batch with psyllium husk powder. The baguettes we made were not only beautiful and crispy on the outside, the crumb tasted amazing, was springy, airy and wonderful. We are both leaning toward the psyllium husk because of aroma and the darker color. Can’t wait to see how it “ferments” this week. THANK YOU so much. And if you are ever touring our area (or coming to Bob’s Red Mill) come out to our studio and we’ll make YOU LUNCH! All our best. Carrie & Jeff Moore

    Reply

    1. THanks for all the kind words, Carrie. I agree–I think the psyllium husk is slightly better. We’ve been on one of the Portland TV stations many times, and if we write another book, we’ll do it again, I’m sure.

      Reply

  45. Hi Zoe,
    Just bought your book (The New Artisan Bread in 5 Min a Day) and when I brought it home my mom exclaims “Zoe is Craig Neal’s daughter!” I’m Jim Higgins’ niece, my mom is Jimmy’s twin sister Kathleen. Anyway, she made me promise I would start my question with that info.
    Now, onto my question. I just made my first loaf of Boule from the master recipe which I started yesterday. Everything looked great, perfectly browned and hard crust. I double checked that it was done with my trusted thermometer (it was at 210) and I let it cool for 2 hours. But when I finally cut into it, it was definitely under baked. Despite all signs indicating that it was done. This has happened before as well with other recipes. Any suggestions as to how it could be under even though the internal temp is right? Perhaps I’m misreading another problem as ‘under baked’? I’d love your thoughts!! Thanks,
    Jill

    Reply

    1. Jill, I’ll let Zoe know you’re here-I’m on duty for the Comments this month. But meanwhile…

      Hmmm. When you say “… this has happened before as well with other recipes,” do you mean OUR recipes, or just any old recipe. If so, it sounds like something with your oven. To get the rich dark crust color like on our book cover, did you need to extend the baking-time? That would suggest oven temp is running low. Have you checked your oven temp with something like https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000095RC5/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000095RC5&linkCode=as2&tag=arbrinfimiada2-20&linkId=6d81888942f207ea023ba52569c7eb2c ?

      Reply

  46. I love Wheat Montana Prairie Gold flour – finely ground from white spring wheat. It has 15 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein per 100 gram serving. How would I adjust recipes to use this in place of Gold Medal Whole Wheat flour. I am using the Master Recipe on page 81 of “The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day” Book. I am not using the vital wheat gluten either, so I need to adjust for that as well. Love your book. My family marvels at the bread I am able to bake using your simple methods!

    Reply

    1. Assuming you are doing the standard version, the one with some white flour, and you are omitting the vital wheat gluten, you need to use the table on page 82, the second column. But the question is which of the flours is most closely approximating Montana Prairie. I’m guessing it’s going to take the maximum water requirement, so 3 3/4 cups, and experiment from there. Since we’ve never used this particular flour, no way for me to advise you other than that.

      Reply

  47. What is it about the Bread in Five method that makes kneading unnecessary? If we’re OK with the greater difficulty of handling unrefrigerated dough, we can mix, let rise, shape, rest, and bake. What happened to the kneading of traditional breadmaking?

    Reply

    1. Our dough is basically a water-based gel that’s dilute enough so the long, string-like molecules of gluten can mobilize on their own, and because of electrostatic attraction between charged portions of the long molecule, align with neighboring strands. They “find” each other. It just takes a little time.

      You can knead our stuff, it’ll be fine, but you don’t need to.

      Reply

    1. Well, it won’t be as good as if you bake it tomorrow, because our dough has no preservatives or dough conditioners. How about first thing in the morning. The basic boule is on page 53 of The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250018285/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250018285&linkCode=as2&tag=arbrinfimiada-20%22%3EThe%20New%20Artisan%20Bread%20in%20Five%20Minutes%20a%20Day:%20The%20Discovery%20That%20Revolutionizes%20Home%20Baking%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir

      Reply

  49. Hello,
    I am a physician in the state of Rhode Island and have celiac disease. I opened a gluten free bakery and use the recipes from the Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in 5 a day and love it. I love french cooking and pastries and wanted to know if you will be coming out with gluten free recipes for pastry dough and croissants or is there a way to use the recipes in the book to make something similar. So far everything that I have made has come out fabulous.

    Reply

    1. Fantastic Leah! The closest we come is chapter 9 in the book you have. Could try rolled-up crescents with the brioche from that chapter, but frankly, we were afraid the result would be too dense. It’d take a lot of experimentation–might be worth a try? No matter what–it’s only going to be an approximation of croissant or pastry. But it might be terrific!

      Reply

  50. LOVE your newest book, “Holiday & Celebration Bread”! But just want to point out 1 erratum: on page 340, recipe calls for 1 cup Almond Cream (page 359). However, that recipe is on page 357 instead. Just thought you’d want to know for future editions.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Maria, for the kind words and the heads-up–we’ll add an entry to the Corrections page here on the website.

      Reply

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