Ask a Question

Questions? Start with our Search Bar: We’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 our Search Bar. On our Home Page, it’s right over our pictures. In narrower laptop or desktop displays, it sometimes appears right underneath our 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 all the similar posts we’ve ever done on it, with recipes and answers to many questions.

Another place to look: our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page (we 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 we 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 of our posts (it doesn’t have to be here on “Ask a Question”) and scroll down to the bottom; then enter your question or comment. Tell me which book you’re working from, and which recipe and page number–we need that in order to answer your question, Which we will do, right here on the website either right under your question, or a few down if a lot of people had the same question. Don’t look for the response in your personal email… Come back here to the side 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 we’ve read and approved it; this can take 24 hours.

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6,572 thoughts on “Ask a Question

  1. I want to try some of the gluten-free recipes in a breadmaker. I have the GF book and it is wonderful, but it could be fun to try hacking the time in a different way via a bread maker too. Any advice?

    1. The mixing function of a bread machine should work fine in emulsifying the ingredients the way a stand mixer does, so that might be worthwhile. But you’ll have to scale down my recipes in order for it to fit into the machine’s receptacle. Halve it? Quarter? Not sure. That’s the mixing phase. The question is whether the closed environment of the bread machine will allow this kind of high-moisture dough to dissipate its moisture. If it doesn’t, the result will be gummy. Could be worth a try though…

  2. How can your wheat bread recipes be adapted to include more grains and seeds? We’re wishing to make whole grain bread that would include whole wheat flower, sunflower seeds, wheat berries and small amounts of oats, pearled barley, rye, buckwheat, millet flour, amaranth flour, flaxseed meal, brown rice meal, whole quinoa, sorghum flour and spelt flour.

      1. We have your 2007 Artisan Bread in 5 Min a Day and I’m going to get your newer Healthy Bread in 5 Min a Day.

      2. NHBin5 has a bunch of recipes with seeds. You can always get away with additions like that if you keep it modest, like maybe, a quarter cup or less in a four-pound batch–really no adjustment needed. But the place to start is in the book you already have–on page 217. That recipe calls for a whole cup of sunflower seeds. The eggs and bread flour really help with rising and “dough strength,” which keeps the seed content from weighing down the whole thing. That’s a white-flour recipe, with whole wheat you’ll probably need vital wheat gluten, which is featured in the NHBin5 book–again, helps keep it from weighing down.

  3. Good evening,

    In your “the new artisan bread in five minutes a day book”, in the colored pictures, there are multiple rolls that are “black/white” rolls. I was wondering how to make the “black” rolls. I couldn’t find the recipe in the book (on page 88).

    Thank you,

    1. Those are made from the dough used in the Pumpernickel Bread on page 123. You can use that dough in place of the white dough called for on page 88. Turn the heat down to 425F and bake a little longer to be sure they’re baked through (the pumpernickel can over-caramelize). In some ovens, you might need 400F, as called for in the recipe on p.123.

    1. It is not. Feel free to use Google translate on any of the recipes here on the website, for your personal use only, of course.

  4. I think I have a correction for the Pizza and Flatbread book. On page 91, the chart states 1.5 cups is equal to 13 oz or 365 grams of corn masa flour. (AS written, the recipe is an extremely dry mixture, which I added an extra cup of water to and it worked out.) On page 37,it states that 1 cup of masa is 4 oz or 115 grams.
    I would prefer a higher amount of masa, so how much would I need to reduce the AP flour to get a good dough… Or is adding more water (like I did on my first try) the better solution?
    Thank you! I have been using your bread books for many years and my friends and family always enjoy!

    1. Yes, I’d caught this correction a long time ago, and put it up here on the website, under:
      About/Corrections… then choose the pizza book and look for the correction on page 90/91.

      I wouldn’t increase the masa; the bread won’t rise nicely. If you try this, you’ll need to increase the water by some amount– my guess would be to start with a quarter-cup extra.

  5. Good evening! I am a fan and have been to a cooking class you gave in Key Largo several years ago,. Do you have a cauliflower pizza dough recipe you like and/or where could i locate it?

  6. I recently realized that, as a consequence of my situation, I was doing something similar to your technique, but unnecessarily more involved. I live in Hawaii and in my son and daughter-in-law’s house. I build breads and give them away at Church. To avoid heating up her kitchen, I bake in the garage, in a former smoker. It will reach 400 and so is fine for the pan loaves I bake. Realizing that your method was so much easier and made better bread without having to maintain a starter, knead, or deflate, I have begun converting my favorite breads to your method. The results are amazing. Since I build six loaves a week for Church, I adapted your recipes using percentages. I borrowed (stole, actually) the method used by Andrew Whitley of setting the total weight at 100%. The amount of dough needed may be changed and (using Excell) ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted. If this is not interesting to you, please feel free to ignore it.

    1. It’s all interesting to me! I use Baker’s percentages as well though I kept the books simpler than that given widespread math anxiety. Glad the method is working for you

  7. Hi. I just got The New Artisan book and I see you have the grams listed. I always use King Arthur which is 120g per cup. Your recipe with 6 1/2 cups is listed as 920 grams. At 120 per cup I got 780. Curious why the difference. Thanks!

    1. Take a look at page 10 of the book, about adjustments needed when using KAF all-purpose flour–for the full recipe on page 51, you need that much adjustment. You can skip it, but the dough will be stiffer and probably won’t store as well (see what you think). About the weight per cup question, KAF uses the spoon-and-sweep method, which gives you a lighter cup than using the scoop-and-sweep method I specify in the book. For details on scoop-and-sweep, see page 54, and view my video here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/04/28/how-we-measure-our-flour-using-the-scoop-and-sweep-method

  8. Hi there
    I just purchased “The New Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day “ revised & updated with new recipes and excited to get busy making bread !
    I made a batch of the Master recipe on page 53
    I left it to rise for the 2 hours, with the cover open very slightly, I then refrigerated it over night and most of the next day.
    Baking day, the dough is VERY sticky,my hands are covered in dough even after dusting the top of the dough with flour and my hands, do I need to add less water ? .it is impossible to form a loaf, it is very gooey.. I followed the recipe to a T ?.. please help ! 🙂

  9. Help. My daughter used Gold Medal bleached flour and her dough mixed well and rose beautifully. I used Gold Medal unbleached flour and my dough didn’t blend well, is lumpy, took longer to double.in the room. Both are now in the refrigerator. Hers looks lighter than mine. Mine seems more dense. Can you tell me why?

  10. Hi there! Trying out your book as recommended by a friend.

    I’ve tried to make 2 batches of the master recipe. The first one, I cut in half bc I live alone and just don’t need much. I thought I measured everything correctly, but it turned into a soupy mess. It was not possible to grab any and pick it up as you all show in your videos.

    So I tried again. This time with the full recipe. I put it in the KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. Let it rise for 2 hours. Even though it’s still looked really really soupy, I put it in the fridge with high hopes.
    Nope. It still wasn’t possible to pick up, just spoon up, or anything else.. just soup.

    I’ve been letting it rise right in the metal bowl of the kitchenaid and putting it in the fridge in the same metal bowl.

    I noticed that you seem to always use plastic.

    Two specific questions – – Is a metal bowl ok to use? Could this be causing my problem?

    Thanks so much! I just don’t want to throw out another batch!

    1. I use a metal but bowl all the time with my kitchen aid for mixing rising and sometimes even for storing, so that’s not the problem. It seems very clear to me that your problem is in measurement. Are you using the scoop and sweep method that I specify in the books? The spoon and sweep method will not work because it measures in two little flour. Also, what brand of flour are you using?

  11. I allowed my dough to sit in the refrigerator for 5 days before making bread. The resulting bread tastes like beer. What happened?

  12. Hi Zoe, two questions on your savory pie crust for handmade curry pies. What can I use for a substitute for the shortening? What should the temperature of the 3/4 cup of water be?
    Thank you

      1. It streaming on MAX, the show “Zoe Bakes” season 2 episode 10- Hand pies.
        It is not from her bread cookbook.

  13. The link you have in the pullman loaf pan equipment section takes me to a large which is 13 x 4. The book I have calls for a 9 x 4 pullman loaf pan for a 2.5 lb bread loaf (the New Artisan Bread…). Can you tell me which pan should I be using for 2.5 lb. And how much by weight should I be using for the other pan since I have both. Thanks.

    1. Go with the book’s specification, but keep in mind that you really are going to gauge it by how high it is in the pan. These are just estimates

  14. Can I use a metal container for storage of the dough? I’m using The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

  15. Hello Jeff, I was wondering if you could create (or have) a no knead version of the Brown Bread they serve at the cheesecake factory?

    1. I haven’t had that, so maybe can you describe the flavor and texture? I don’t have a recipe for that currently.

      1. Hello Jeff,
        They are a soft whole wheat dinner roll with oats on top. The online copycat versions online use cocoa and espresso powder as ingredients but here is the list of ingredients on the retail package: Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Oats, Yeast, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Rye, Contains 2% Or Less Of Each Of: Dried Molasses, Wheat Bran, Vegetable Oil, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Caramel Color, Cultured Wheat, Malted Barley Extract, Malted Barley Flour, Guar Gum, Mono And Diglycerides, Dextrose.

      2. The closest in my books would be either the rye pumpernickel or whole wheat dough. The whole wheat in various of the books is at the 25, 50 and 100% whole grain versions. Which of the books do you have? Plus a little sweetener, whether it was molasses, honey, or something else

  16. The top of dough in the refrigerator has developed a hard crust. Should i discard, knead into crust or what should i do?

    1. Yep, it happens with stored dough sometimes. Please type “Reviewing the Master Recipe” into the Search Bar above, I address this in that post.

  17. I have “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a day ” book
    and am trying to make the Soft American Style white bread. I am 100% sure I used the correct amount of the ingredients but the dough is runny! I can’t picture it rising and being able to handle it to even move to a loaf pan. I even added a little extra flour but it still seems unmanagable. Is that normal because it’s supposed to be soft? I am going to go ahead with it but I am worried it will be a disappointment. What should I have done or what do you think I did wrong?
    Thank you for helping

    1. Any chance you used a low protein flour like White Lily? Other than that, you can always add more flour until it’s manageable. But let it sit on the counter for another couple of hours after adding and flour. To re-ferment.

  18. I’ve been using the master and oil based doughs for a couple of years now and my question has to do with a small amount of the oil based dough I have left. Can I use it as a sponge for a bigger loaf of bread?

      1. Flatbread and pizza; olive oil dough.
        Page 214 in The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.
        It worked really well; I just needed to get the base up to room temperature before I started the main dough.

      2. Got it, thanks for elaborating. You can definitely use some of the leftover dough as a sponge for the next batch. The oil doesn’t hurt anything in this regard

  19. Hi, Jeff–I’m a writer starting a ministry to help families. I love the five-minute bread and would like to share the recipe with the families I hope to serve. I’d credit you and Zoe, of course, and point them towards the book and website. Would that be ok?

    1. Thanks so much for your enthusiasm for the books! Please refer to my “Frequently Asked Questions” page (https://artisanbreadinfive.com/faqs/), and scroll down to number 29:
      Web or other uses: Can I use your recipes on my own website, in my class, or in a publication?
      That talks through my publisher’s policy (and mine), regarding your question… Thanks, Jeff

  20. I’m trying the Brioche recipe on page 195 of “The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”, and have a question about when to knead. The sidebar on page 197 says “before the first rise, and not when you shape the loaves” – is that after mixing the dough and before refrigerating it, or after you take it out of the refrigerator and before you shape the oval and let it rest for 90 minutes?

    1. It’s intended to be done after mixing the dough and before refrigerating it. It’s not crucial but it does give the brioche a little more texture. One thing a lot of people have asked about is slow rising. Be sure to use the eggs at room temperature to prevent the problem.

      1. Thanks, that’s helpful! I wasn’t sure and went ahead took a guess and tried kneading it after taking it out of the refrigerator before forming and resting it, and it still turned out pretty amazing (family was raving about it!) – I’ll try it just after mixing in the next batch.

        Quick follow up question though: I found the dough very sticky and wet just after mixing it. I know I should knead on a floured surface, but should I also flour the mixed dough a bit to keep it from sticking to my hands?

        Thanks for your help!

  21. Greetings! I found your updated NEW Artisan Break in Five Minutes a Day and was so excited because of the gluten free options. Thank you! My question is: have you done any research with ancient grains, specifically Einkorn flour. Because it hasn’t been manipulated by science, its properties are quite different than our modern day fluffy stuff. Ancient grains are much more easily digested and compatible with our bodies and so I was wondering if this is an area that you’ve maybe looked into or might want to in the future.

    Looking forward to your response, and thank you so much for your great work so far!

    1. Wild, wild coincidence. For the first time I’ve bought some einkorn flour, and I’m going to test with it in the next two weeks. Please check back… It will be a post on the homepage. Preliminary is that the dough looks beautiful, but the proof’s in the baking, which hasn’t happened yet. Are you signed up for the newsletter? If so, you’ll get an email when this post is up.

      1. Thank you for that quick response! And no, I’m not signed up for your newsletter, so I’ll do that now.

        I do use einkorn for quick breads but because of its completely different makeup, I’ve seen warnings about using it in yeast/sourdough breads because the moisture levels are so hard to get right. So, I’m really excited about what you come up with!!

      2. Great. Just want to be clear on something: einkorn is not gluten free, it’s a wheat variety so there’s gluten in it. If anyone has celiac disease, they shouldn’t eat einkorn. As for people in whom wheat doesn’t agree with them, there’s no clear answer on whether einkorn will be better, or whether non-hybridization makes a difference. Probably very individual.

  22. I just left a message on the Corrections page, but perhaps this will get me a faster answer.
    I made the dough from The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, p. 132, Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. I measured using the metric weights listed, as well as consulting and using the chart on p. 82 as instructed when not using Gold Medal or Pillsbury flours. I was using Bob’s Red Mill. Disaster!! Way too much liquid. The dough was unusable. I was super disappointed in not having bread to enjoy when looking forward to it – as well as the not happy event of throwing out the dough. Please advise. This is the first time I’ve had an issue with any of the recipes.
    Thank you.

    1. So sorry for the confusion. I’m hoping you haven’t really thrown out the dough, because you can salvage it just by adding in more flour now. But aside from that, the corrections charts apply to what is labeled in the chart as “THIS MASTER RECIPE.” That’s based on the higher amount of water that appears in the master recipe in the first place. The recipe you’re working with calls for much less water, so the correction is proportionally much less. That book became very complicated because of the variation in water absorptive qualities seen in the various whole wheat products. But the really confusing part is that if you look at page 81 and 82 you can see that the line you’re looking at is actually a decrease in the water, not an increase. So by increasing the water for the recipe on page 132, that went in the completely wrong direction. You could try this recipe again with a very slight decrease in the amount of water, about an eighth of a cup.

  23. I sent a message a couple days ago – and I see no posting nor reply. Concerning the adding of extra water when using Bob’s Red Mill flour – resulting in a disaster – with way-too much liquid in the dough and throwing into the compost.

    1. It’s there, in 2 places. Are you still not seeing? If not, here it is again…

      sorry for the confusion. I’m hoping you haven’t really thrown out the dough, because you can salvage it just by adding in more flour now. But aside from that, the corrections charts apply to what is labeled in the chart as “THIS MASTER RECIPE.” That’s based on the higher amount of water that appears in the master recipe in the first place. The recipe you’re working with calls for much less water, so the correction is proportionally much less. That book became very complicated because of the variation in water absorptive qualities seen in the various whole wheat products. But the really confusing part is that if you look at page 81 and 82 you can see that the line you’re looking at is actually a decrease in the water, not an increase. So by increasing the water for the recipe on page 132, that went in the completely wrong direction. You could try this recipe again with a very slight decrease in the amount of water, about an eighth of a cup.

      1. I apologize – I guess I looked too soon. I now see your reply and appreciate it! I did add it to compost so “the cycle of life” wasn’t too hard for me to accept. But, certainly would like to have success next time. Thanks so much for your explanation!!
        I appreciate that you and Zoe are still connected to these great books – and the whole bread baking world. When working at Gustavus Adolphus College, we hosted you in one of our best and “most favorite” author events. Congrats to you both for continued success!

  24. On page 69 of gluten free artisan bread in 5 minutes, step 5 of the Master Recipe states “if you’d like to avoid sliding the load off a pizza peel, you can also bake it on a heavy gauge baking sheet….”. Does that baking sheet go on top of the baking stone that we preheat in step 6 or does it replace the baking stone?

    1. The baking stone is nice in conjunction with the baking sheet, to even out the heat (especially ovens with hot spots or uneven baking), but if you use a heavy gauge baking sheet (something like this on Amazon–http://amzn.to/1UF9YmI), you can skip the stone in most ovens. Thin baking sheets–you may not be so lucky, could get burning on the bottom.

  25. I love your book but I want to buy a countertop convection/toaster oven. Can you recommend any brand/model that you know can bake bread your recipes adequately? Thank you

    1. I’ve tried quite a number of these, and they all work decently well, but they have trouble browning the loaf. They make small stones that you can put in the toaster oven to even out the heat, which helps a lot. When I say I’ve tried a lot of these, I mean when I’m visiting friends out of town in their homes, and I never take note of the brands, so I can’t really help you directionally. My guess is the cheap ones have the least even heat. And the reason that they don’t brown so well is that you can’t really get steam in these. I’m guessing if it was a large enough one you could cover it with an overturned steel ball or something that will concentrate the steam. I have a post on that, if you can’t find it right back

  26. Re: Five Minute soft American Sandwich bread. Does this make 3 or 2 loaves? And when using refrigerated dough, how much longer does it take to rest 90 mins. did not do it. One more question if possible. Why was the top of my dough dried, almost hard knobs of dough? Trying to see which sandwich bread is best for my bread stuffing. Thank you.

    1. This recipe makes 4 lb of dough, so if you’re putting 2 lb of dough into each loaf pan then you make 2. But it all depends on your loaf pan size. Just fill it about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If you’re not liking the results at 90 minutes, try 2 hours or even two and a half hours. If your dough is drying out on top as you use up the batch, it’s probably the result of the expanding airspace above the dough. Try switching to smaller containers as you use it up.

  27. Gluten -Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. Pizza & Flatbread Dough. Pg. 172. Question- when making instructions are to use Mixture#1 then more of the same ingredients – such as potato starch, xanthum gum….this is confusing- are these ingredients to be added.
    Thank you.

    1. They are… I was going for a more tender pizza crust. The additions lighten it up. You can also make pizza from the basic dough in chapter 5. That’s clear if you take a look at page 174, in the Ingredients list (“6 ounces… or any dough other than those in chapter 9).

  28. First, thank you for providing this service!
    I’m making 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, pgs. 134-135 from “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”.
    Step 3 says to add the remaining dry ingredients, but there was only one, the whole wheat flour.
    I used my stand mixer for this step. It was very gloppy. I took it out of the bowl and decided to add more flour, and ended up with probably about 1-1/2 to 2 more cups which I lightly kneaded in.
    It now seems to be rising and should be okay.
    Was there possibly a line missing at the bottom of pg. 134?
    Also, I halved the amounts but triple-checked my measurements and used a digital scale. The flour was 425 grams and total liquid (water and milk) was 12 ozs.
    Thank you for this help.

    1. Thanks for your question. Converting this to “Baker’s Percentage”, 12 oz. of liquid weighs about 340 g, and given that there are 425 g. flour, that gives a hydration ratio of 80%. That’s not unusual for my doughs, but higher than what many people are used to, and might give you the perception that it’s too wet. I’m guessing that you added enough flour so that it’s at the hydration of traditional dough, which isn’t what I’m going for to enable dough storage. Have you made my recipes before? I’m guessing that there was some sort of a measurement error, or that this just isn’t your expectation of how dough should look.

      1. I completely missed your answer, I’m sorry! I was looking in FAQ. Your answer is detailed and gives me lots to work with. I am new to this method. It will be great now to try the recipe again and allow more time for the dough to develop. It was my expectation that I will correct. Many thanks, Ruth

  29. the new Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

    Hi, I love the idea that the recipes are so easy to make but I have found the crust is
    ( Temp is correct inside)
    has been tough not crispy?

    1. I like using the cast iron pot with cover, I spray the dough with water a couple of times at the beginning .
    2. I do have a pizza stone with a tin of water underneath would that help make a crispy dough?

    I am thinking maybe I work the dough a little too much after I take out of the refrig.? I’m used to using the old fashioned dough.

    1. How are you measuring the flour and water (weighing is best). If not, be sure you’re using scoop and sweep (see video at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/scoopandsweep). Both of the methods you describe should give you a crisp crust, but why don’t you try the stone and water approach if the Dutch oven’s not giving you the result you’d like (see that video: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/12/27/three-ways-to-get-steam-into-your-oven-for-a-great-crust-new-video). I don’t think it’s because of working the dough too much, unless you’re finding the crumb to be dense, in which case… that’s the problem. Minimal shaping is what I call for. One other thing– if using the Dutch oven method, you don’t need to spray w/water because the steaming happens from the inside of the loaf. That could be causing your problem.

  30. Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, pgs. 60 & 61- Teff flour substitute not listed. Have searched for answer but have not found anything.
    Please advise.
    Thank you,
    Martha

    1. You’re right, it’s not there. The reason is that I didn’t discover a swap for teff that worked in the recipes; the ones listed are the only ones that work. GF recipes turn out to be much more temperamental to switches than wheat-based ones. Sorry!

  31. Do you having any suggestions for rolls that can be shaped and baked in 40 minutes? I planned to bring the pre-mixed dough for a homeschool teen cooking class, but I forgot about the resting time! The class is only an hour long. I have scheduled one class session for lean dough and another for enriched dough.
    I have the Best of, the New, and the Holidays books.

    1. The timing for the rolls in New is 45 minutes. You can shave a little time by making the rolls a little smaller, and they’ll bake quicker. Also making them on the flat side will help in that direction too. You can also just try a shorter resting time.

  32. I have the Holiday and Celebration bread book (kindle version). The recipe directions for stollen mentions cardamom and dried fruit, but the ingredient includes neither. Woukd you send me a complete recipe?
    Thanks,
    Carolyn

    1. Sorry about that, it’s 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, and 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces or 255 grams) of mixed dried or candied fruit. The mixture could include raisins (golden or not), dried pineapple, dried apricots, dried cherries, and candied citrus peel. In whatever proportions you’d like.

  33. Haven’t seen a response to my question and it’s been longer than 24 hours. Not even seeing if after moderated that it’s showing.
    I asked about bread recipe (Oatmeal) from the earlier version of Bread in Five…recipe said it would make 3/ 1.5 lb loaves.
    When I baked the first I weighed it exactly to 1.5 lbs but the remaining dough my loaves came out soooo small! I just split the dough in half and never rose to even fill a smaller pan. Please see previous post.
    Caryn / Seattle

    1. You posted it to the “Errors in the 1st printings of Artisan Bread,” so that’s where I answered your question. It’s right there. But I’ll re-post my answer here:

      My experience is that there’s a lot of variability in pan volumes even when marked identically for length and width. Plus, your pan-dimensions are similar but not identical to what I tested with in the recipe on page 94 of the 2007 book (assume that’s what you have). Bottom line: probably, all you have to do is use a little more dough, 1.75 pounds for starters? Also, that recipe didn’t call for raisins, which can weigh down loaves and result in a lower-rising loaf (still delicious!). Could try leaving those out. Second thing to try if you’re set on a raisin variation: mix them in with the water at the beginning. There’ll be less manipulation, which can impede the rise. This might not be the dough where I’d favor incorporating raisins after the fact–it’s a heavy-ish dough and will be less tolerant of the roll-out/incorporation.

      And if you’re needing more dough, because you’d like bigger loaves, just scale up the recipe ingredients. 25 % to 50% more of each ingredient? Double it? All depends on how many loaves you want to make, and how big for each loaf.

  34. Can there be too much dough strength? To compensate for omitting vital wheat gluten, I beat the dough for five minutes or so with a hand mixer’s dough beaters (using 1/4 of Master Recipe in The New Healthy Bread). Turned out fine; just wondering. Would more be better?

    1. People in traditional baking talk about being able to break down gluten that’s been developed if you overdo the kneading. But 5 to 10 minutes is fine; with my method do that before the initial rise, not after storage or you’ll knock all the gas out of the dough. Sounds like the 5 min knead you did wasn’t detrimental. Personally, I don’t think there’s much value in it to justify the time (maybe I’m just lazy!).

  35. Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving…
    I am using my favorite book the gltuen free five in a day!
    QUestion on the oatbran enriched bread.
    Page 134 from your book
    It calls for the gluten free #1 mixutre – I have a lot of the mixture number 2 – I was wondering if I could swap that out for each other – wanted to use that for tukey day..

    1. I haven’t tested with that, and in general 100% breads made from mixture number two are tricky. I think it would take a lot of experimentation to get it to work. The problem might be extreme density with the oats. You could consider using a recipe like the one on page 102, with the oats instead of the millet, but it’s going to require a water adjustments and in which direction I cannot say. Same for the recipe on page 106 where you can think of the oatmeal in place of the flax. Or just skip the oats and make one of those two recipes?

  36. Hello, I’ve noticed that you released new versions of 2 of your books. Could you also update the “ Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Sweet and Decadent Baking for Every Occasion” book? At present it is only available on Amazon for 60 USD, which is just too much for a book. However, there are some mistakes in the book (like the basic stollen which doesn’t tell you how much almond paste or cardamom and dried fruit). I think there are other errors mentioned in Amazon reviews. The book doesn’t display well in e-book so I prefer to have a hard copy. Perhaps you also find things yourselves which you could or should update. For these reasons I think this book could use some attention and a chance for update and for people to purchase at an adequate price. Thanks for considering this and happy holidays.

    1. Hi Lisa, thanks for your interest and enthusiasm for that “Holiday”. The reason Amazon has a ridiculous price is… that the book is out of print; the publisher won’t be printing any more copies after the original run of books–so as supply dwindles, they raise the price (excess doesn’t go to Authors). So there won’t be an updated edition. I’m not sure I understood your exact question. Do you need a copy of the first printing of that book (as I say, the only printing)? If so, I can arrange for some copies at the list price of that book ($35.00), including shipping to U.S. addresses only.

      1. Hi Jeff, thank you so much for your reply. Sorry if I wasn’t completely clear in my question. It looks like you and Zoe actually updated and re-released 2 of your earlier books. I was wondering if you would consider the same for your “Holiday” book? If that isn’t something you see happening, I would very much like to order a copy for 35 USD. I live in the Netherlands so I think then I would need to have it shipped to family in Texas. Unless you can ship directly to me for additional cost?

    1. Ah yes, Italian breads with pork product in the loaf… On page 227 of my book The New Artisan Bread in 5…” (link to https://artisanbreadinfive.com/artisan if interested)… I have a recipe loosely based on a recipe from a friend’s Neapolitan mother: Pane di Lardo. Well sort of, her original called for pork fatback and I used prosciutto. In the book I shape it like a flatbread/focaccia but you can do any shape you like. Pieces of sausage would also work beautifully. It’s based on one pound of my olive oil dough, with 2 ounces of the meat product of your choice. You could use more, and you don’t have to use the olive oil dough, you could use my basic recipe. If you don’t have one of my books, that basic recipe is at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2023/01/27/11510/ . The pork product provides its own fat to the loaf, so the olive oil dough is very much optional here.

  37. Well…this place seems to be unattended! What a waste! No answers!! Why bother to send…I wait to get the questions “approved” or whatever the term is and wait, and wait…I’ve sent more than one request about your book recipes and get NO reply!! Why have this site up if you’re not going to answer! Guess you’re too busy attending to all of your other ventures.
    Disappointed in Seattle. Bet this doesn’t get a reply either! (Not is spam either btw!!)

  38. Caryn: Scroll up on this page and you’ll find that I answered multiple times, and you’ll see your original posting of the question. I think the confusion may be that you’re expecting an email from me? That’s not the case.

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