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.
Am working from original Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day using King Arthur strong bread flour with wetter dough. I’m at 4,500 ft in Sparks, NV so must deal with high desert atmosphere.
Lately my master dough has been getting lumpy after storing in a plastic bucket with stretchy “shower” cap cover. I tossed the first defective batch thinking I was at fault. I have been diligent in thoroughly combining dry ingredients then adding water and mixing until shaggy while making sure everything wet.
Lumps are slightly drier than bulk portion, found throughout the dough and only seem to appear after a day or two. I believe the extended rest, dry environment and perhaps too much air reaches dough. Watched Zoe’s video on blueprint/Craftsy and have tried to follow steps. I have discovered that a tablespoon or two of extra water helps the final product.
Today I’m going to bake lumpy dough to see what happens.
Any help with high desert bread baking would be appreciated.
Hi Sharon,
The dough should be uniformly wet, so I am not sure what you mean by “shaggy” but it sounds like maybe you need to mix it together a bit more. If you are using a KAF strong bread flour, you will need 1/4 cup+ extra water to get the dough wet enough.
Thanks, Zoë
I have your new 5 min bread book and I have a question about sourdough. The directions in the book are clear enough but my question was about how long the dough can be stored after a batch of sourdough dough has been mixed. Your book says a lump “normal” lean dough can be stored in the fridge for 14 days. What about a lump of sourdough dough?
I have found that 7 days is about the max for that, some would say 5. At that point the flavor becomes too strong. our sourdough method is in the new version of our whole grain book (The new healthy bread in five minutes a day).
I’ve ordered your book but haven’t received it yet. I’ve purchased all ingredients and cake yeast was the only yeast available at the time. Does cake yeast need to be hydrated prior to adding to dry ingredients? On the product’s website it says cake yeast has high moisture content.
Hi, You just need to break up the yeast into the water from the recipe and let it dissolve, then proceed as instructed.
Thank you, Zoë
Is it possible to make dumplings – Chinese , empanadas, turnovers with your bread recipes? Which would work best. I have your book and have been baking bread, which is quite an accomplishment for me. Thanks
Hi Helen,
I have made steamed or baked pork buns with our olive oil dough. There is a recipe for it in our Pizza and flatbread book. Turnovers are basically just little calzones with different fillings so you can do that too.
Enjoy! Zoë
How do I keep my bread from splitting? I’m using the master recipe on pg 53 in The New Artisan Bread in 5 and even though I cut the slits, the bread still pops and shows a big split down the center or sides sometimes. I leave out 20 to 40 mins after forming into a ball. I’ve also tried ciabatta on pg 71 with same problem.
Thanks!!
Zach
Hi Zach,
You need to let it rest longer if your dough is splitting, it means it hasn’t rested long enough. Depending on the size of the loaf and how cold your refrigerator runs, you may need 60+ minutes.
Thanks, Zoë
I am working from GF Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. When you mix the Master Recipe, can you store this in the freezer? How long would it still be good? Does it need to sit on counter until it is room temperture before making dough?
Thank you,
Debbie Chandler
Check out p57-58!
Hello! I am the lucky owner of a steam oven! Well, kind of lucky as I bought this wonderfully expensive built in oven as a part of a kitchen remodel. Problem is, it’s not very intuitive and there is little information out there to learn about it. I am slowly getting more accustomed to it and doing more experimenting. I am just now getting back into doing artisan bread in 5, as I have loved it in the past! So now that I have this steam oven I am wondering if you have done any baking with one and what you would recommend for the settings. I own a Bosch steam oven and it does have variable steam settings as well as steam/convection. I searched the FAQ’s and only found references to adding steam manually with a broiler pan or spray bottle.
Fun opportunity! My recommendation: medium intensity, for the 1st ten min of baking.
Asking for recommendation for scale that measures in grams for measuring yeast.
We haven’t found them accurate to the “few grams” level that’d be needed to accurately measure yeast.
Jeff, I can understand how a regular-sized kitchen scale might not be accurate for measuring small amounts of yeast and salt, but have you tested a small scale such as the AWS-600 digital scale that measures up to 100 g? It’s reasonably priced.
We have not tested it, but in theory, you could be on the right track. Sorry to pull down the product link– our webmaster says those are a security risk for our website. Please see our policy on this: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/06/01/i-posted-a-comment-to-this-site-but-it-hasnt-appeared-what-happened/
No apology necessary, Jeff. I understand. Thanks for the heads-up. BTW, I have no affiliation with the AWS-600 digital scale company.
Hello, I am interested in making whole grain gluten free pasta. Do you think your Master Recipe #2 would be the best mixture for this??
Thanks!
My guess is that it won’t work, though that is a whole grain mixture. I think it might just fall apart when you went to shape it and then boil it. I mean would fall apart at one or both of those steps.
Can I make a gluten-free version of the giant pretzel and /or pretzel buns on pp 101-104 of the holiday book? I have some gf flat bread dough (pp 172-173 in the gf book) to use. I’m primarily interested in rest time, bake time and temperature.
Better idea… Just follow the directions for “Soft Pretzels” on page 166 of the GF book, which swaps a baking soda wash for the boiling step. I’m pretty sure that gluten free dough will not stand up to a water boil.
Hi! My whole family (extended included) loves the master recipe in your original book. I make a loaf-style for toast in the AM and (usually) a boule to accompany our evening meal. I wanted to share what might be a good tip for some: We love sourdough flavor, but keeping up with a starter was too much for me. Instead, I use KAF Instant Sourdough Flavor (3 tbsp) and one tsp Citric Acid – it’s delicious!
I also have a question: Do you have a recipe/suggestion for making a softer bread that would work more easily for sandwiches? Or, is there an adjustment I could make in the master recipe?
Thank you!
Have you tried the loaf bread recipes in the book?
I hadn’t even noticed the sandwich-style recipes in the Peasant Loaves section.
Will definitely give them a try. Thank you so much!
Hi, love your book and have made many tasty loaves—thank you!
My question is about making the olive bread. I want to know why the halved olives are not just added to the original “master dough” mix, instead of the current instruction which is to roll out the dough after the first rise and then add the olives and then roll up into a log and then roll into a ball. When I’ve done it this way, the bread seems to lose a lot of the irregular, large holes. Thoughts? Advice?
Both ways work, but the recipe you cite is intended to show the versatility of a basic dough–that it can be transformed this way. Your way will work nicely too, and as you suggest, might preserve hole structure (though the olives may interfere with that).
From the Holiday and Celebration book, when I made the 100% whole wheat bread I used the alternative free form/baking stone option but top burned. I followed the baking instructions (temp and time) for the baking stone…should I have used the time and temp from the original 100% whole wheat recipe? Instructions weren’t clear (to me) on how to do this successfully.
Sounds like your oven may be running hot. Test the temp with an oven thermometer…
A bit of a strange question, but: I’m playing around with ciabatta-ish recipes using approx 5lb of flour. I have a 36″ wide electric oven and no baking stone. I recently purchased two heavy duty 4-strap non-stick loaf pans (10x5x4). Putting aside for a moment how real ciabatta is supposed to be baked, what I want to know is: If I put one of the strap pans in the oven to preheat (say at 450) – and then rise/put the dough into the other pan, can I then put the pan with the dough INSIDE the other pre-heated pan (they nest pretty closely) and have a decent result? (I’ve already dabbled with using inverted baking sheets; I’m more looking for an opinion on whether a doubled-pan method might work, since I can’t seem to find anything online). Thank you!!!
Haven’t tried it but it should work. May not re-create the stone experience though.
I am referencing your new Holiday book. I have checked many of the recipes and your conversion per cup of flour to grams is 140 to 141 grams per cup.
I always weigh flour for bread and have always used King Arthur Flour conversion chart which is 120 grams per cup of flour.
In a large recipe using 7 cups of flour, the difference between your conversion and the King Arthur conversion is 140 grams – another cup!
Are your recipes tested on the 140 figure? Would I be short of flour if I used the 120?
The recipes were tested with Gold Medal All-Purpose, not King Arthur, which is higher in protein and accounts for part of this confusion. Zoe says on page 8 that this difference will result in a drier dough, but that it’ll work fine. The other confusion is that we use the scoop-and-sweep method for volume, and KAF uses spoon-and-sweep. If you’re weighing (always preferred), this won’t be a problem and you won’t be off by a cup. If you’re using volume, be sure to use scoop-and-sweep.
Recently a batch of granola bread I baked had a very strange flavor that I found quite off-putting. My husband describes it as sweet, but I thought it more like an alcohol. I used a different pot this time for my dough. The pot is a nonstick pot. The dough was only stored overnight before I baked it, and in every regard except the off-putting smell was perfect. Help?
Was it the first time you tried the granola bread? That’s a sweet one, and the sugar sounds like it super-charged yeast growth. Some of our readers are taste-sensitive to our relatively high yeast dose. If this one wasn’t to your liking, just try a low yeast version (it’s in our books, which one do you have)?
Hmm… maybe? I usually like yeast – beer etc. I haven’t has this problem with challah, nor brioche, and those are sweet. I have The New Artisan Bread in Five (and just discovered your one for celebrations exists!!! I am buying that soon!!). It does mention trying a lower yeast version. Thanks for the thoughts! I bought your book almost two years ago now and except when I was on bed rest while pregnant with our third I’ve baked virtually all our bread since! Minnesota allows for many months of no fears heating up the house! 🙂
I knew there was a reason I love living in Minnesota!
I love your whole grain Olive knots with parsley and garlic. My question is the recipe also calls for fresh Parmigiano-reggiano, but it doesn’t specify in the recipe when to use it. Can you clarify when I’m supposed to incorporate it into the recipe. Thanks, Kathy
Which book, recipe, and page number?
M’y book the new healthy break in five minutes a day.. I’m french canadian.(Quebec) And i use biologic flour, do you have a chart guidelines to help for the adjustement? If no, i will make my own expérience. oups, i forgot. The base master recipe is for one bread ?
Really thank you!
Organic, we’ve found, doesn’t make a difference with regard to hydration–same amount of water. But, Canadian flours tend to be higher in protein and take a little more water. Go to Questions/FAQs/5.Flour Varieties, for the adjustment level to try. All bets are off if you’re not using U.S. manufactured Gold Medal all-purpose or equivalent but it’s just a matter of a bit of experimentation.
Great book. is it ok to use table salt instead of kosher salt as long as its weighted out . to your specified Grams.
You didn’t say which book you have but in the Tips and Techniques chapter, all of our books have the adjustment you need if you’re measuring by volume (teaspoons/tablespoons etc.). If you’re confident your scale can weigh out this tiny amount accurately, by all means that’s a great way to go.
I’m curious. When you say 1-pound or 2-pound loaves, is that the weight of one portion of the dough before baking or the weight of the finished loaf?
Before baking. It does lose about 10% of its weight during baking.
Zoé and Jeff
Can you give a little more context to the Platinum Yeast? Is that available in bulk or can you only purchase in packets?
I will be looking for packets locally to try it but would like consider larger supplies. Are there other yeasts that would be equivalent.
I LOVE your recipes and I bake bread (and other goodies) every week and teach classes based on your recipes. I always show your books and give full credit to Artisan in 5 at all my classes.
Ken
Ken, it’s not available in bulk- only those packets, unfortunately. I don’t think any of Red Star’s competitors have a similar product. Thanks for the kind words, but our webmaster has barred links to product sites and definitely Google documents; these are major cyber-security risks. This website’s policy on this is at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/06/01/i-posted-a-comment-to-this-site-but-it-hasnt-appeared-what-happened/
Ken, not long ago I received something in my email I think, where I could ask for a sample. I received it in a nice brochure. You might try their website or contact them and ask for one.
I’m traveling across county (Boston-Seattle) and would love to take some of my dough with me to bake a loaf. Can it be packed for traveling?
It over-sours if you keep it longer than a day or too at room temperature, at least to most people’s tastes. If you can put it on ice, or it won’t be warm when you travel, may be able to get away with it for longer.
I have loved baking your breads from years from the original book, but a few years ago wanted to reduce my gluten intake. I have been baking with jovial’s einkorn flour for a few years now, and I am having difficulty getting a meaningful rise out of the bread when baking—have you all experimented with this flour and found the right combination of yeast and water with this product?
We have not, but I regret not testing it for the whole-grain book https://amzn.to/2fxaPa5. I’d have guessed it’d perform about like whole grain whole wheat flour but it sounds like that wasn’t your experience. I have a feeling it’ll work well for flatbread, but probably not for tall loaf breads. So pita, pizza, naan etc. Those are much more forgiving.
I am planning to use 8 ounces of Old Dough to add to a full 2-pound dough recipe. Once I get it all mixed together (old dough & water amount from the 2-lb dough) I’ll be pulling out and refrigerating 8 ounces of the resulting 2.25-lbs of dough to save for the next batch.
Question: Do I need to bring the 8 oz of Old Dough to room temperature or warm it up a bit before mixing it into the warm water? I’m sure it will cool the water before adding the flours, etc. for the new dough.
I never bother with that, but I’m very patient with the rising time.
Every time I make the Oatmeal bread from the original book, it crumbles and breaks apart when I try to slice it. It rises and looks good in the oven, but sometimes the top sinks a bit and it “craters”. I test it with a thermometer to make sure it gets above 200º and is thoroughly cooked. Any clues on what I am doing wrong? I cloak it before I put it in the pan after the first rise. And I use steam in the oven. Tastes good, but you can’t toast it or make a sandwich because the top half of the slice disintegrates.
Thanks
Hmmm, what brand of flour are you using?
Just remembered I asked about this. I use gold medal unbleached. I have photos if I can send you one. Thanks so much.
Merrie, I think there’s a missing thread here–can you re-state your question? There isn’t a way to get a photo through this website.
We love the European Peasant Bread (New Artisan Bread in 5, p. 94.) and would like to try baking it in a 9×3 loaf pan. I have all your books, original and revised. I searched for tips on the website and in your latest books but can’t find anything, but I thought I had seen some information somewhere here. Can you advise, please?
The instructions on page 78 will work for that. May have to adjust baking time but nothing major.
Thanks, Jeff. That’s exactly what I was looking for. Can you take a guess at how much dough I’d need and baking time for a 9×5″ loaf?
Maybe 2.25 pounds, and give it a 10 to 15% increase in baking time, but watch that it doesn’t over-brown. You may need to turn down the heat slightly. 25 degrees?
We need teenage boy-size sandwiches. Thank you!
Using the instructions in chapter 11 of “The New Healthy Bread in Five…”book I am making sourdough bread using white flour, but the dough craters or develops large areas that resemble a lunar surface during the resting period before baking. Extra stretching for cloaking before resting doesn’t seem to help.
Do you mean on the surface, or the inside? Do these craters resolve with baking? How’s the overall result?
And I assume that you adjusted the hydration level with white flour–the amount of water in this recipe would be too much for white flour–it was developed for whole wheat. If you didn’t adjust, that’s probably the problem–dough is too wet to support its own weight.
Hi there! I love, love, love your breads! However, we’ve just gone keto/low carb, and I REALLY miss them. Is there anything you can do to convert the recipes? Have you thought of tackling “lower carb” alternatives? No kidding… As you probably know, there’s plenty of recipes out there – but I haven’t found ANY that really approximate a good, artisan bread (or any other actual BREAD). If anyone can do it, you guys can! Are you up for the challenge?
We haven’t experimented in this direction, my guess is that Peter Reinhart’s book is your best reference for this, take a look at https://amzn.to/2uDenDq
I have been baking GF for over 10 years and these bread recipes are awesome. The taste is always great but about half the time my loaves shrink about 25% AFTER I’ve put them in the preheated oven to cook. Can you tell me why this happens and how to avoid it?
Thanks
In which of our GF recipes is this happening, which book, page number, and recipe-title?
I have the original A in 5 book I am referencing. I bought the newer one as well as the healthy one but I gave them away to newlyweds because they didn’t have weight measurements. I kept the old book because it had all my notes…and errata corrections already.
I find that converting to gms…is showing that the dough hydration is running in the 80’s. Problem is that not all gms converters are equal…and since I do not have the book (having given it away) that you posted a page of YOUR weight conversions…I have had to use internet sites to covert with MIXED results. For instance…just the weight of different salts…is dramatic and flours are not always the same weight. Can you please post YOUR conversions for those of us that prefer to weigh ingredients?? This issue is the main reason I was disappointed in the newer A in 5 and the Healthy Breads book.
Can you confirm the hydration % of the master boule and the buttermilk ?? I can’t be sure my conversions are not a bit light depending on how you scoop your flour. IF I scoop…then things seem less wet. IF I weigh…things are pretty wet and harder to get results I want.
I am certainly not interested in any more books from ya’ll if you don’t post each recipe IN the books with weight as well as volume cause I teach young bakers…and they should learn to weigh ingredients…for consistent results IMHO.
All our books after 2012 have weights for the flours and liquid. I’m afraid our publisher will be very upset with us if we post all our updated work here on the website–you are correct–that 2007 book doesn’t have weights, but the New Artisan Bread in 5 Min/Day–the one you gave away–that does have it.
The basic, white-flour (all-purpose) master boule is a 75% hydration dough. In other words, 750 grams of water to 1000 grams of flour. Buttermilk takes the same baker’s percentage on the hydration because the density of water and buttermilk are pretty much indistinguishable. In the recipe on page 207 of the book you still have, you can also see that we don’t use straight buttermilk (it’s 2:1 water to buttermilk).
As you’ve noted–volume measurement gives less consistent results.
Hi
Working from the new artisan bread in 5 min a day. Great book!!!
My rye bread has no shiny crust . I use the cornstarch wash. Otherwise it’s fantastic!
Yours looks better. How can I get the crust to be shiny?
Also my slashes close up. How do I get them to stay open ?
I have waited 40 min after forming before baking . Should I try waiting longer? 1hr? 1hr 20 min? Would that help the closing slashes? I live at 1600ft if that makes any difference.
Using King Arthur all purpose + bob’s dark rye flour.
Thanks for the kind words! Short answer–every condition has to be perfect to get the shiny crust–oven temp, stone temp, humidity in the room. Even shorter answer–my crust is usually not shiny.
It’s always worth trying a 90 minute rest, especially with larger loaves, or if your ambient temperature is low this time of year.
I have a question. I want to bake Gluten Free (master recipe) sandwich loaves. I have a stoneware bread pan. Do you think it will work? What should the cooking time be? I am concerned about the stoneware heating up well, since it will take longer and I can’t really preheat it if the bread needs to rest after forming in the pan.
Thanks
We have a lot of GF “Master” recipes, from multiple different books. Which of our books are you working from, and what recipe and page number?
I have often heard that salt kills yeast & shouldn’t be mixed together. Does mixing the yeast & salt together in the water hurt the yeast?
Hi Johnny,
The salt can slow the yeast from feeding, but it won’t kill it. They aren’t left alone long enough to have much of an impact and we use enough that the rise of the dough is still quite strong.
Thanks, Zoë
Hey, have you ever tried using any of your doughs in a waffle maker? I saw this recipe and wasn’t sure what enriched doughs would be comparable: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/05/liege-waffles/
Probably just a brioche dough, but I thought I’d ask.
Hi Liz,
Yes, in fact, we have that recipe in our Holiday and Celebration Book!
Enjoy, Zoë
Two questions please from the UK. Firstly we are having trouble sourcing a metal ovenproof bowl (to 450F), size about 30 to 34 cm. Any thoughts please? Secondly if using a Dutch Oven, can you make anything other than a normal shaped loaf? Looking forward to hearing from you shortly.
Hi Alan,
I am assuming you mean a metal pan for holding the steam? It can be any pan with sides, that will hold water. Here is a video that shows what we use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrrvcxLEo78
The Dutch Oven restricts the shape of the breads you can bake.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe, thanks for this. Unfortunately I wasn’t clear enough about the metal bowl. I meant to say a round metal bowl which covers the bread, traps the steam and allows the bread to rise. I can find any number which are oven proof to 425F but not 450F. I assume it needs to be the latter or am I wrong about that. Many thanks, Alan
Hi Alan,
Ah, that makes sense. I have used stainless steel mixing bowls to do that trick or even foil lasagna pans, so I am not sure why your bowl suggests only going to 425°F? I’ve never had any issue with it and can’t imagine it will be an issue for you either. If you are concerned, you can always use a Dutch Oven or a Cloche.
Thanks, Zoë
I thought that I had successfully posted a couple of questions last weekend, but since I don’t see my post, I guess I need to try again. 1) In “Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, etc”, on page 172, you list the ingredients for a basic Pizza and Flatbread Dough, which starts with the All-Purpose Flour Mix on page 60 and adds some stuff. Two of those items are potato starch and psyllium husk, which are already in the All-Purpose Mix. Should I indeed be adding more? 2) The footnote on page 172 about using psyllium husk says to use double the quantity of xanthan gum for psyllium husk. Should this doubling also apply to the All-Purpose Mix on page 60? (I’m on the AIP (Auto-Immune Protocol) and have been taught that xanthan gum is a gut irritant; hence the psyllium husk.) Thanks for any help; I’m loving your basic bread. (I’d been off ALL grains for something like 3 1/2 years.)
Hi Cecilia,
You had left a comment in another thread (Gluten-Free FAQs), here is the reply:
I am so thrilled you are enjoying the breads! The Pizza and flatbread recipe has additional flours, so it requires more psyllium. The recipe is correct as written, we just found it behaved better with the additional binder.
No need to change the recipe on page 60.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks, Zoe. I didn’t realize that there were two question threads!
–C
I have your GF Artisan Bread 5 Min book copyright 2014. Using master recipe no egg i finally have the wetness figured out and the initial rise is great in my bucket. But there is absolutely no rise at all in the oven. I am trying to make sandwich loaves pg 85. Preheat is 425. Bake for 55-60 min. Am i supposed to reduce heat for the actual bake? Is the yeast dying too early in the oven that there is no rise? The taste is fantastic but I want it to rise. Should i rise in my loaf pans and bake immediately after? Please help.
Hi Kelly,
On page 68 there is a way to bake straight after the initial rest, so that may get you the results you are looking for. Let me know if that works for you!
Cheers, Zoë
I’m getting very good results from master recipes B in 5 & H B in 5 but my crust is quite thick & hard. I do use steam. I rather like this result but would like to be able to have the choice of achieving both a soft crust & also a thinner crispy crust. I’m can’t work out if it’s about the ingredients, the temperature or painting the exterior before the dough goes into the oven.
Can you help me to progress further please. I love your no mess ,no fuss method. Thank you.
Hi Margaret,
Which recipe are you using and how are you baking? On a stone, in a Dutch oven? Give me some more details and I can try to help you achieve a thinner crust.
Cheers, Zoë
Hi Zoe
Thanks for your reply. At present I’m trying to perfect both master recipes from “ Bread in Five” & “ Healthy Bread in Five” & I’m getting very good results. I bake with & without a stone, always with steam, usually seed on top & temp 230 c ( 450f ). Both breads have a good crumb & although I personally don’t mind that thick crust I would like to be more in charge & be able to get my free form loaf thin & crispy instead of thick & crispy.
Thank you so much for you time.
Best wishes Margaret
Hi Margaret,
You may like the results baking in a Dutch Oven, if you are baking boules. It restricts the shape of the loaf, but the crust tends to be thinner. If you want a soft crust, you can brush the loaf with butter or olive oil and drape it with a kitchen towel when it comes out of the oven, to soften the crust.
Making sure the baking stone is really hot will reduce the amount of baking time and make a thinner, crisper crust.
Enjoy, Zoë
Questions regarding using ancient wheat grains with your recipes;
– any modification using unifine flour
– Khorasan flour
– Einkorn flour
– Emmer flour
– and or any combination thereof
I am seeking for a bread wheat flower before hybrids rules, in Germany my local baker mentioned that there is also a nutritional difference.
Gerhard
Hi Gerhard,
We address using some of these flours in our Healthy Bread Book. For the most part, they contain less gluten forming protein, so they absorb less water and develop less structure. You need to reduce the amount of water in the recipe. Given that you are using flour from Germany, you may have to do some experimenting, since it will behave differently from the flour I get here in the states.
Enjoy, Zoë
We had several expats from New York to our Super Bowl gathering here in the Bay Area and we served two big loaves of the deli rye baked just that morning .
I just wanted you to know that the first taste was described as ‘this is Brooklyn!”, which is about as high a rating as possible. They even took home whatever was remaining after the game. You can’t buy this rye bread in the Bay Area. Thanks to your instructions, my friends think I’m some kind of expert baker.
Hi Alan,
This is so fantastic, thank you for the note!
Enjoy all the bread! Zoë
I’m new to Bread in 5 and tried making the master recipe a couple days ago. It seemed very loose in the mixer but rose fine in the container. Today when I brought it from the fridge intending to bake with it for the first time, the dough was bubbly but still very loose. In fact when I reached in to pull out a ball, it felt like thick batter. I stirred in another 1/8 cup flour, let it rise an hour or so and returned it to the fridge. If it’s still too loose tomorrow, should I keep repeating this process? Thank you.
Hi Mitch,
Thanks for trying out our method. The short answer is yes, you can still add more flour. Tell me a bit about the flour you are using and how you measure it. What kind and brand flour? Cups or scale for measuring? These things can result in a wet dough, so I just want to know how to advise you.
Here is a video on working with wet dough, so you can see how wet it is supposed to be: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2017/04/16/new-video-shaping-the-ball-from-a-very-wet-dough/
Thanks, Zoë
I have trouble with the oatmeal bread from the first book. It rises in the pan, but after it bakes for a while the top sinks in spots. And then when you cut a slice, the slices crumble from the top down and fall apart. Any clues on what I am doing wrong? Tastes good, but you can’t get a whole slice.
Thanks
Hi Merrie,
Please tell me about the ingredients you are using. What is the type and brand of flour and oats that you are using? How are you measuring them, with a scale or cups?
Thanks, Zoë
Hi again,
Oops!! I went back to look at this recipe again to take notes and realized that I mistook the water amount for Bob’sRMWWF for the flour amount!! I started laughing out loud! Please delete my questions! Thanks and sorry! : D Thanks for the excellent books!
Hi Robin,
I am glad it worked out and you are enjoying the bread!
Cheers, Zoë
Have you ever baked with spent grain from the beer brewing process. We have several breweries in the neighborhood, and currently the spent grain is fed to cattle or horses. I have found some recipes on line that are German in origin. The results are delicious, but the recipe involves buttermilk,and eggs. Is it possible to just substitute spent grain for some of the flour in one of your whole grain recipes? Thank you for your time, Brad Williams
Hi Brad,
I have never baked with spent grains, but I’m sure you can add a small amount to a batch of dough, but you can’t replace the flour with them.
Thanks, Zoë
Can I substitute whole wheat 100% for all purpose flour in the master recipe?
Hi Stephanie,
whole wheat and all-purpose flours absorb water differently, so you can’t replace one with the other without changing the amount of liquid. What book are you working from? I can help lead you to a recipe that will work for you.
Thanks, Zoë
Hey guys. I’m curious about Dutch Oven baking with your master bread recipe from the original BI5 book. I have a really small hybrid oven that cooks smaller loafs just fine (I just made a fantastic looking and tasting 1/2 pound loaf for my home made French Onion soup). I don’t have a fire pit or anything like that. I just have an induction stove top that has two burners on it. This is a new kitchen, so I’ve been learning how to use Cast Iron cookware with an indoor set up. I’m thinking I should be able to get the dutch oven up to 325 / 350 and bake as I do in my hybrid oven but with a bigger loaf. What are your thoughts on using your Master Recipe inside a dutch oven?
Hi Audrey,
We baking in a Dutch oven often and it works beautifully. Here is a post on how to do it with our dough: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/03/11/baking-bread-in-a-dutch-oven/
Enjoy, Zoë
Hi, I am using bread in five, I am using the master recipe and every time it comes out perfect I would like to make the English Granary-Style Bread I am an exbritt and it was the only bread i ate never found here in Canada. I cant find Malted Wheat Flakes can you tell me what brands make it the Malt Powder I can get from Amazon.ca I can get from UK but they want $92 to ship Hope you can help. Also tried King Arthur Flours but they did not have ether.
Thanks
Shirley O’Connor
Nova Scotia, Canada
Hi Shirley,
When we wrote that recipe King Arthur sold the Malted Wheat Flakes, but they stopped selling them and we haven’t found a great replacement yet. I will update if I find something.
Thanks, Zoë
On the master recipe on page 26, could I use King Arthur artisan bread flour rather than unbleached all purpose white flour?
Hi Jim,
You sure can, but you’ll have to adjust the water since bread flour absorbs so much more water. This may help: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-flour-and-water/
Thanks, Zoë
Please advise re baking Gluten Free bread, most similar to a US generic Italian bread or baguette– BUT the crust must be *fairly soft*, as the recipient has no functional molars. I need to mail it,so anything that increases shelf life would be great. Egg and milk are fine.
1) Which is your currently most recommended basic GF recipe? And which of these might yield a softer crust? I have the master recipe w/ egg from GF Artisan Bread, p.73 I also have both your GF recipes from “Healthy Bread” (the original, not the new), called GF Crusty Boule & GF Olive Oil bread.
How to get a softer crust?
2) Would the addition of powdered or liquid milk make sense? Whole egg vs egg white? Oil or butter?
3) Should I skip the steam step? (I know firms the crust, which I want to avoid, but if this helps with oven spring, might make the loaf less dense.)
4) Should I wrap the bread in plastic once cooled?
5) Bake in a loaf pan? on a stone without a dutch oven? or in my dutch oven?
This is my first time baking GF bread, though I’ve become moderately good with high-hydration no-knead loaves with a chewy crust– which, ironically, I’m now trying to avoid.
Many thanks for any help you can give me, to help a very ill family member.
And thanks for your books, which got me started baking!
Hi Diana,
I would go with this recipe and use the egg white: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2014/11/03/master-recipe-from-gluten-free-abin5/ When you bake the bread, brush it with butter when it comes out of the oven and drape it in a clean dish towel to trap the steam, but not too tight or it will get soggy. Once it is cool, wrap and freeze until ready to send. The problem with gluten-free breads is that they have a very short shelf life, so it is not going to be as great after a day or two. You may want to do a practice run and see what you think.
Enjoy, Zoë
For the GF master recipe do you use the Bob’s Red Mill whole grain sorghum flour or sweet white sorghum flour?
Hi Anna,
Whole grain sorghum flour is what we tested with.
Thanks, Zoë