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Good day! I have followed Bn5 since its first publication and have successfully made most recipes in your books. I would like to inquire whether the whole wheat recipes could possibly be made using ‘Heritage Wheat (eg Red Fife) while omitting the Vital Wheat Gluten. My husband is some cases due to its pure form of wheat. Thank you! Julie
Hi Julie,
Wow, thanks for baking your way through the book, that is terrific. If you make the whole wheat recipe without the vital wheat gluten, you will need to increase the amount of flour, it will be a bit denser and it may not store for as long, but it will still be a great loaf.
Thanks, Zoë
A faithful Bin5 follower for years but have run into an issue with a recent new flour purchase. Bought non-hybridized organic flour (brand name: Jovial.), an “Einkorn” flour and it doesn’t work with any of the recipes. The dough comes out unmanageable sticky and doesn’t raise as well. Any suggestions?
Hi Gail,
Einkorn is very low in the protein that forms gluten, so it won’t create the same kind of structure in the dough that regular wheat flour will. Did you buy it for the low gluten content? If so, you will just have to use much more of it, until the dough resembles the batches you’ve made in the past.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you Zoe for your reply. The non-hybridized flour actually has 1g more protein than modern flour (4g/cup vs 3g/cup)but the protein IS different. I’m trying this flour based upon the book “Wheat Belly,” by Dr. Wm. Davis. Will use your suggestion, however, and increase the amount of flour until it works with the Bin5 recipes.
Hi Gail,
Let me know how it goes.
Thanks, Zoe
When will you be making your book available in an eBook format? Currently not in the US so can’t buy a paperback copy of your book.
Hi OJ,
If you go to the Amazon page, you will find a link to the Kindle version. The same is true at B&N for the Nook. Enjoy!
Thanks! Zoë
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, pg. 81 100% Whole Wheat Bread w. Olive Oil. I made this bread from your recipe (did not do the refrigration part) and it turned out beautifully. I was wondering if I can use this same rise time that you use for this bread for my regular loaf bread recipe?
Hi Peggy,
Yes, in our new book we talk about increased rising time and how it can improve your loaf.
Enjoy! Zoë
So if I allow it to collaspe (flatten on top) in that 2 hr. period, what are the chances of my bread collasping in the oven after I do the second rise? The reason I ask is because when I do my regular loaf recipe, I usually let it rise for 1 hr. and I check it to see if it is double in bulk. If it has doubled for the 1 hr. is done, then I punch down and make into loaves and place in loaf pans. Then I set up my second rise time for 20 mins. (or when the bread rises to the edge of the loaf pan) then 10 mins. on top of stove while oven preheats and usually my loaves turn out beautifully. If something distracts me as I am a busy mom of five and I homeschool, I will place in oven and they will collaspe. They are not hard, the bread is still soft and tastes wonderful, it just looks ugly. I appreciate you help w. this.
Hi Peggy,
Our dough is really very different than traditional bread recipes, so our method often seems odd for experienced bakers like yourself. The two hour rise in the beginning will not effect the final rise time for the shaped loaf, especially if you’ve refrigerated the dough. The resting time for dough that is not refrigerated is shorter, for the same reason you suggested.
Which recipe are you baking?
Thank you, Zoe
I’ve bought your books and taken your class. But, I cannot find a big plastic dough keeper.
Could you help with locating that?
Thank you
Hi Kathy,
If you look on the left hand side of our site you will see an Amazon store link. All of the equipment we recommend is located there. Please let me know if you can’t find exactly what you are looking for.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I have the new book and am very impressed!
1) Which white and whole-grain recipes would you recommend to make burger buns?
2) How much dough per bun (for a 4- to 6-ounce burger patty?? 3 oz (85 g)?
3) Resting times & Baking temp and times?
I don’t recall ever seeing authors who take so much pride in updating, precision, and corrections as you two do. And a website to support the education process. Kudos to you both!
Hi Rita,
Thank you for the lovely note! We’re so glad you like the book. Here is a post on burger buns, you can use the brioche dough, challah, master recipe or whole wheat doughs from the new book: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/03/16/suvirs-lamb-burger-on-a-sesame-seed-bun
Thanks, Zoe
Thank you, Zoe! So many good choices! And Suvir’s Lamb Burger sounds delicious. I had my eye on the Buttermilk Bread (page 135, NAB) but I’ll try the others first. No reason I can’t try 2 at a time. Thank goodness I’m lucky enough to have a second refrigerator!
The NAB Master Dough, using Gold Medal flour, weighs 3.58 pounds (57.2 oz, 1622 g).
Last night, I used a 30-hour dough and weighed and shaped it into 3 boules (1.2 lbs, 19.1 oz, 540 g each). I put them, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.
This morning, after 12 hours of refrigeration, I rested the shaped loaves at room temperature (70-75°) for about 45 minutes while I preheated my oven and stone. They were still fairly cold when I put them into the oven.
The loaves have a nice hole distribution (largest about 3/4” in longest direction). The flavor is surprisingly good for a scant 2-day-old dough. I would have liked a little more height in the loaves, though.
I see that you call for a resting time of 40 to 90 minutes for shaped loaves that have NOT been retarded, but am unclear about a longer rest than 40 minutes for cold, retarded loaves. Could I have rested/proofed them longer than 45 minutes until they warmed up a little more?
For information, the loaves (each made from 1/3 of the Master Dough) weighed 15 ounces each after baking.
An aside: This morning my daughter walked into the kitchen just as I was slashing the boules. She was shocked. “Mom, shouldn’t you be slicing the bread AFTER you baked it?”
Hi Rita,
The times we give are for chilled dough, so you can let your cold loaves rest up to 90 minutes. That will help the rise.
Thanks! Zoe
I did increase the proofing time and there wasn’t much, if any, difference in the height of my loaves, but I’m not complaining — they were more than acceptable, actually very good.
I might try swapping bread flour for the all-purpose just to see what happens. I’ve taken notes on doing that from elsewhere on the site. You sure do have some good reading on the site!
Hi Rita,
If the resting time didn’t help, it may be a matter of how it is shaped, so this video may help: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/03/08/new-video-shaping-the-ball-from-a-very-wet-dough
Thanks! Zoë
This is great! Today, Oct, 29, I emptied out the flour into my container and looked on the back for recipes. I started to the dough which is in the resting two hour process now. I am sooooo excited! My husband likes bread and I usually have been cutting my old bread recipe in half to cut down on storage. I will be getting your books soon. Oh, how much dough do I pull off at a time for baking more bread? Is that a preference? THANK YOU both so much. In appreciation, would bake you a loaf of bread, but….. 🙂 I will spread this around to my friends here in my area.
Again, Thank you.
Have a wonderful week!
Julie Marr
Hi Julie,
If you’re interested in baking a larger loaf, here is a post that may help: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2012/03/20/how-to-make-a-2-pound-loaf
Thanks for trying the bread, Enjoy! Zoe
Hi Zoe, the recipe that I am using is a friend’s that I have added a couple of ingredients over the years. The original recipe called for flour, hot water, wheat sprouts, oil, honey, salt, yeast & potato flakes. I have since then used freshly ground hard red (since the recipe did not specifically say what was used), eggs, sour dough starter, ginger and vital wheat gluten (when I have it). I have never added the wheat sprouts to my recipe and if I have potato water, I use that in the place of the hot water and I leave out the potato flakes.
Hi Peggy,
This bread sounds great, but are you asking questions about one of our doughs? If so, which recipe?
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe this message had to do w. our previous discussion on the 26th and 29th October, when I went to reply to your last message on the 29th Oct. it would not attach it to our prev. messages. Sorry, I was the lady discussing about her dough collaspsing and whether my recipe would work well w. your rising technique that you use in your 100% whole wheat w olive oil.
Hi Peggy,
Our rising times are developed for our dough, which is chilled, so you will have to experiment a bit to see if it will work with your friend’s recipe. Each recipe and bread baking method are so different, so it may just take some trial and error.
Good luck! Zoë
Question about 2-level baking:
I scaled up the Master Recipe in NewABin5 to 4 pounds of dough and baked off two (2-lb) elongated loaves at once. I set the oven racks and stones to 1/3 and 2/3 levels of the oven and baked at 425° convection for 45 minutes total, switching racks and rotating the loaves after 25 minutes with good results, although some of the edges of one of the loaves was a bit darker than dark brown. My foil steam pan (half-chafer size) was on the floor of my oven (I have hidden coils) and I used 1 1/2 cups hot water instead of 1 cup to hope-fully take care of the extra amount of dough.
I searched the site but might not have used the best search words and could not find any information. Might you have some tips on baking on 2 oven racks? I am aiming toward some volume baking.
You have a fantastic site. It’s hard to believe that authors will do so much to help neophytes and experienced bakers as well to get the most out of your approach to bread baking. I’m old and having so much fun with it! Many thanks for your generosity of spirit.
Hi Rita,
If I am baking two loaves, I tend to bake them side by side, which eliminates the need to move the loaves around. The one cup of water is enough to create steam, but 1 1/2 sure won’t hurt anything. If you are baking more loaves than will fit on a single rack, then your method is the way to go. The heat is not always even from top to bottom and front to back, so moving the loaves is the only way to get an even bake.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks, Zoë. I didn’t think there was enough space for 2 elongated 2-pound loaves on one stone, so I used 2 stones. I thought by using 425 degrees convection I would get better heat distribution, but I’m not sure that I actually did. I’ve always switched and rotated loaves when using 2 oven racks. I think I’ll give 450 degrees without convection a try to see if there is any difference. I appreciate your input.
Rita: The advantage of same-rack is that you can skip the switching, but if there just isn’t room, you can’t do it.
Thanks,Jeff. I hear ya. I’d love to eliminate the switching but two 11-12″ long loaves (2-pounds each) would touch each other after the oven spring. Also my 13-year-old Thermador oven, even with convection, doesn’t seem to heat very evenly, so I wind up having to rotate the loaves anyway.
Hi there!
My husband and I own and operate a general store in upstate New York. Sadly, our local baker has just decided to retire – and as we are rural and a bit out of the way, we have had no luck finding a new baker who will deliver fresh hard rolls, sub rolls and danishes to our deli. I was wondering if you thought I could amend some of your recipes so that we could bake our own. My biggest problem so far seems to be that while we can reproduce some of your amazing artisan bread, our customers are used to a softer kaiser roll, and I haven’t really managed to do that, even if I follow the soft white bread recipe from the original Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.
I follow you on Facebook, and I know you are both incredibly busy these days, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks!
Things that make the crust softer:
1. Fat in the mixture–try the olive oil dough (or use other liquid fat or melted butter). Can also brush with this at the end.
2. Skip the steam in the oven.
3. Use a little whole grain in the mix– it doesn’t crisp as well.
4. Bake on a silpat or parchment which won’t wick moisture away from bottom
5. Try egg white in the dough. Did you see the Kaiser roll post at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/03/03/free-book-giveaway-who-can-fix-my-kaiser-rolls … or it’s in our new book that came out last week.
6. Buttermilk bread– from the first or most recent books.
See what you think…
Great – thanks! Getting the buttermilk batch into the oven now – we’ve made ots of you cinnamon bread! – and have a batch of olive oil mixed up for later. Fingers crossed.
Zoë, that is some spread of your beautiful kitchen in December’s Fine Cooking! Awesome is an understatement. A wonderful article. I’m looking forward to viewing the video, which isn’t up on the FC site just yet. Congratulations too on your and Jeff’s full-page ad for the Red Star Platinum yeast inside the back cover. Do I recall correctly that you did all of your testing with that yeast?
Would it be okay to just use sugar rather than honey or other liquid sweeteners that are called for in your recipes? If so, would it be an even swap?
In most cases, that works just fine. To be absolutely accurate, you’d correct for the fact that honey is about 13% water (or at least it behaves so in bread dough, according to my guru on this, Rose Levy Beranbaum). So if a cup of honey has about 87% of the sweetening power of a cup of sugar. You’d slightly decrease the water if you were being a stickler, and just accept the sweetening difference? Or correct if you don’t mind working with a calculator. The sugar version will be a little sweeter than our standard if you don’t correct.
I find this absolutely fascinating and has given me hope! I was so impressed by this concept that I decided to cross my fingers that you had gluten free adaptations — and you did not disappoint. I have missed fresh baked bread, pizza, and especially Naan! I love that it can be even easier to make gluten free bread as it used to be with just a different mix of ingredients. I have always preferred from scratch recipies so I am very excited to find your books.
I am having trouble figuring out which book(s) to get. Which book has the most gluten free recipes? How many recipe’s are there? Do you have a gluten free book compiled?
Holly: All our current books have a gluten-free chapter, and we’re happy with all three of them. Probably the current book is the way to go (click on the book image of “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” above). The only one that has no GF at all is our first book, from 2007, “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”). For the smattering of recipes here on the website, scroll down, in the right gutter, and click on “Gluten-free.” Click on the links that look like post-titles.
We will someday come out with a completely gluten-free book, just can’t say when…
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
My house temperature is about 66 deg. F. I wear a lot of sweaters. It may be too cool for the dough to rise. I can heat up my utility room. What is the ideal temperature for getting the bread to raise before putting in the oven. Thanks,
BobF
Central Oregon
Big fan of your new book
Thanks! At 66, it’ll just take more time. When we say 45 to 90 minutes, go with the longer time. There’s really no ideal time from my perspective (though some people like the taste better at lower temps). It’s mostly a matter of time, I think–personally I can’t tell the difference.
Bob,
Just put the dough in your oven and turn on the oven light. I can maintain 81 – 85 degrees all day long with no problems despite the room temperature.
Art
I have both of your books, but I would like to know how to add grains to a recipe (seeded loaf) Thank you for your help.
Linda.
Can you clarify, I’m a little confused. You mean you want to make some changes in Betsy’s Seeded Loaf (page 147 of Healthy Bread in 5 Min/Day)? Or some other loaf in that book, or did you mean the 1st book. Easiest would be to tell me the recipe and page number and exactly what you like to add or substitute.
Betsy’s already has whole wheat, oats, and flax, so not sure what you mean.
Just bought your new book on Artisan Bread Making and I can’t find anywhere where it says how long to bake a one-pound, grapefruit-size loaf. I am new to this so is it 30 minutes? An hour? I don’t have a stone so I am trying a cast iron Dutch Oven with a lid. Maybe next time, I will try a flat sheet with a water pan underneath. Anyway, I like your book but it would be great if you would give instructions from start to finish all in one chapter rather than having us jump around the chapters looking for what to do next. Thanks.
That’s very surprising, what page are you working from where there’s no baking time? For the basic artisan loaf (chapter 5), that baking time is given on page 61, in step 9, just after the bold-faced type below the photograph. Or you on a different recipe and something’s missing?
Thank you for your reply. I did find it under the heading:”Baking with Steam-slide the loaf onto the pre-heated stone”. Since I did not use steam or a stone, I did not read this part. I was looking for a time-table which I did not find and the index was not helpful. The loaf came out fine. I used a thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Hi, first id like to say how much I love your book.I have the first one and I need your help. When I make the brioche or the main bread…they always seen to split and blow out the top…Help!!
1st things to try– a longer rest (try 90 min) and slash deeply, maybe 1/2-inch rather than 1/4.
I have tried many times to bake bread but am left with very sticky dough that falls when baked. Could this be because my hands are to warm or some other reason
Not the hands. Which of our recipes are you using, which book and page number?
Hi,
My husband and I love your books. We give them as gifts and have now gotten several of our friends addicted to bread making just as we are.
We are most likely moving to the Netherlands and although they have great bakeries with fresh bread there, we would still like to make bread. I can’t go through the holidays without making brioche!
My question is about the flour, since it is so different there. I have lived there in the past and when I used my American recipes, it was disastrous! Do you have any recommended adjustments?
It will depend mostly on the protein content of Dutch flour, which I’m not familiar with. The more protein, the more liquid is needed. US all-purpose flour is about 10% protein, so you can use that as a comparison point, but it gets confusing. I believe that all Euro-zone countries measure flour protein “anhydrously,” meaning that they measure it after driving off all the water. In the U.S., we don’t do that. So Euro flours may (and I do say may, since I’m not certain of this) read higher protein for the exact same flour.
Bottom line– you’ll have to experiment. Just adjust the water until the dough feels and looks like what you’re used to.
Thank you! We will try it and as you said, “experiment.” I wish I could give your book to our Dutch friends and family, (a Dutch version) because they are such a, “bread culture.”
Hi, I have been making your Artisan Bread 5 minutes a day for well over a year. I have a lot of trouble with the second rising. The initial rising works out beautifully. I refrigerate (one or two days) it overnight and make the boule shape and it takes 2 1/2 hours plus to rise and it never really grows much and doesn’t rise at all in the oven. I make the cheddar a lot and the garlic potato and the boules are not as big as I would expect or desire. I have tried so many tricks with no luck. I follow the recipe. I have even tried a heating blanket on top of my kitchen table. The taste is good.
Thank you, Tammy V
Have you done everything in the FAQs page, esp the “Dense crumb…” entry? Checked oven temp with something like https://ow.ly/8CVPU ? IF it’s too cool, you won’t get proper oven spring.
What is the crumb structure like? Is it over-dense? If it’s not, and the structure’s nice and open, what you’re getting is sideways spread, which you can combat with better shaping technique; see videos:
• Gluten-cloaking/shaping: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/03/08/new-video-shaping-the-ball-from-a-very-wet-dough
• Gluten-cloaking/shaping with whole-grain dough: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/02/16/new-video-how-to-shape-a-loaf-using-whole-grain-dough
Or consider baking in a loaf pan that will contain sideways spread.
But one warning– this kind of bread doesn’t rise as much as traditional, and the result is a little denser. It’s the trade-off for being able to store the dough.
Hi! I’m a Minneapolis mom who just bought the new artisan bread in 5 in hopes of finding a recipe for whole wheat bread for my 4 year old son who eats ALOT of bread! I tried the recipe for 100% whole wheat bread on p. 134 and it turned out great– plus it’s given my little guy something to ask about non stop– “mom, how’s our bread doing? Is it rising?” My loaf was a little short though and I would like to know if the vital wheat gluten can help with that? Is there a recipe that includes that ingredient? Thanks so much!
We use VWG in our 2nd book (https://bit.ly/3wYSSN), here are some sample recipes from that book:
HB5 Master Recipe: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1087, or https://tinyurl.com/yfafxk7
100% WW with honey from Hbin5: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1984
And also the FAQ (click above) on “Whole grain flours and vital wheat gluten: How do you use them?…”
See what you think. You can see that you need more water with VWG. And mix it in with the dry ingreds or it forms lumps.
I have been making the bread but it hasn’t been perfect. So I decided to mix up another batch to use for pizza/flatbread. I took a small large lemon size lump of dough, set my oven to the highest temp 525 and did the gluten cloak. I smashed the ball down as much as I could and threw it on the baking stone, no steam. It puffed up incredibly but I let it bake about 20 minutes turning the oven down to 450 after about 10 minutes. I cut it hot and it was the most incredible French style hard roll. The inside was perfect, I ate the whole thing. Why did I not need the steam to make such an incredible crust? Could a whole loaf be made that way?
My guess is that the high temp is what did it– and this might not work for a big loaf because the outside would over-brown before the inside was done. Rolls are much easier in this regard. If you try a full pound of dough this way, try it as flattened ball. Or as a very skinny, long baguette. We’ve experimented with those at 475 and like the result.
Go for a 90 min rest on the flattened ball. Don’t need that much for the skinny baguette.
I will try that at 475 and see what happens. Thanks
Hi Z&J:
Funny thing happened yesterday. I forgot I had half a bucket of bread dough in the fridge downstairs since Oct. 28th~!! Brought it up — the top was ‘firm’ the bottom was ‘goopy’. Used lots of flour and got it into an oval. Rushed for time. After rising (or not,) after 45 minutes it flattened out like a latke~!! O.K. I’ll just have ‘flatbread’. Put it into my Breville convention toaster oven (luvvit), set the timer and after 40 minutes, my flatbread blew up almost 6″ high~! Talk about ‘oven spring’~!! Yummy loaf is more than half gone~!! Oh wait~! I’ll find it on my scale~!! Loved your class~! Lotsa luck~!
Wow, fantastic. I’ve found it’s very forgiving. Thanks for coming to the class.
I love baking yet bread but am looking for adaptation to make Hawaiian Sweet Bread. Help
You’d have to tell me more about what kind of dough this is made from, we’re not familiar with it. I’m guessing it’s like Challah or Brioche dough. Then tell me which book you have and I’ll suggest a page number.
Here is an example: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/portuguese-sweet-bread-recipe
The bread would be similar to the challah or brioche but uses milk. Would adding dry milk to the water in the challah or brioche recipe work or would it change the recipe flour/water ratio?
Ah! Very similar to our challah, which does not use milk and I don’t think that’s a big deal either way. You can use the dry milk, sure, doubt you’ll need adjustments, but experiment,.
For your gluten-free breads in Healthy Artisan book, what flour can you use to substitute for brown rice flour if you don’t have it. I have soy, teff, etc.
All bets are off if you swap rice flour, those others are much heavier, you’d have to experiment.
Can I use ghee instead of butter in brioche recipe (first book)? And do I need to adjust liquids if i substitute it? There some water in butter, but there is no water in ghee.
Yes, it may need a slight adjustment but I doubt it. First just try 1:1.
I did search for parbaking breads but could not find the following information:
If I were to parbake (to freeze and later “finish” the bread for serving) a white loaf that requires a 210 degree internal temp to finish, should I take it out of the oven at 200 degrees or what temp would you suggest? And to parbake a whole-grain bread, what temp should I remove it from the oven?
I am having so much fun playing with your doughs that I don’t want to do anything else! Will someone please come and clean my house?
We’ve never tested this by temp, we just do a rough estimate, that you initially bake till it just starts to color, about 90% of the baking. Then defrost and bake at original temp until browned.
Thanks, Jeff. Visual reference is probably best after all.
In your first book, there was a lot about baking in a dutch oven, I lost that book moving and sent for the new edition of the book. It doesn’t mention this method of baking at all, why??? Can you use a non enameled dutch oven rather than an enameled one?
new book indexed it under “steam” starting on page 19 to 21, with a picture on page 22, sorry! Non-enameled is just fine.
I have been trying to replicate an Ethiopian spice bread whose flavor and texture intrigues me. It isn’t really a cinnamon flavor, but that is what comes to mind. Nor is it cardamom. The texture is very light and airy. Are you familiar with this product, and how can I get a real airy and light crumb? There’s often large bubbles in it. It is a yeast bread, not injera, a whole loaf. Thank you.
Hi Carter,
I’ve never heard of it, so we’ll have to do a little investigating! If you come across a name we can try to figure out how best to replicate.
Sounds interesting! Zoë
Hi Zoe-
I have made the whole wheat stollen recipe in your fantastic ‘Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day’ and was wondering how I could modify the recipe to use mostly unbleached white flour? Your help would be greatly appreciated!!
Many Thanks!
Michel
Hi Michel,
Here is a link to our Panettone, which is quite similar, but you’d replace the zest with cardamom and replace 1/4 of the water with brandy. Then follow the Stollen directions for adding the almond paste and folding the dough.
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/12/20/panettone-the-sweet-fruit-studded-christmas-bread
Cheers, Zoë
Hello and thank you both for sharing your method!
I would like the flavor of my bread to be closer to that of a sourdough. I was wondering if this could be achieved with adding a bit of yogurt to the dough, just to quickly introduce some bacteria. Have either of you tried this before?
Hi Paris,
Yes, we have a naan dough recipe in our pizza and flatbread book that calls for yogurt and it is delicious. It does add a bit of tang to the dough. If you give the dough a couple of days to mature the flavor will improve as well.
Cheers and enjoy! Zoë
I will get emails now and then of readers’ questions and answers from you, but I don’t think I’m receiving all of them.
I subscribe to your feed and receive your articles but no comments/answers. I do not do Facebook & Twitter. I find the questions and answers very informative and they have prompted me to look deeper into the discussion or to try making the bread being discussed myself. How can I subscribe to them all? I don’t want to miss anything! I have all of your books including the New AB in 5. Thanks so much for being there for all of us!
Hi Rita,
That is a very good question. I am not entirely sure if there is a way to receive all the comments as emails, and I’m not sure you’d actually want that, since we had over 300 in the past 24 hours. You may receive emails about a comment you left and any follow up, but I’ll have to check on that.
Thank you! Zoë
Oh, my! 300 comments in 24 hours! The price of your huge success, huh? I see that WordPress allows me to sign up to receive posts that are made to specific threads to which I have posted. It would be nice to be able to sign up for emails from other individual threads to which I have not posted a meaningless post just to be able to subscribe though.
What can be substituted for the sorghum flour? Our family has to have GF, and while sorghum gives a nice texture, 3 out of 4 of us have unfortunate reactions to eating it. We’d love to know what could be a good substitute since we all miss artisan breads!
Hi NA,
You can try using oat flour or a combination of oat and brown rice.
Thanks, Zoë
I am a huge fan of your method and absolutely love your books. I wonder if you ever tried to make mustard bread using your method. Mustard bread is one of my fondest childhood memories. It was so yellow and delicious! I never had a recipe, because we use to buy it in a store (and it was not always available). If you have any recommendations regarding creating/recreating recipe for mustard bread it would be awesome! Thank you.
Hi Yulia,
It sounds interesting, but I’ve never had it before, so I’m not sure how to recreate it. If you find a recipe, I may be able to help you adapt to our method.
Cheers, Zoë
There are couple recipes I found on internet:
https://www.breadworld.com/Recipe.aspx?id=620 and https://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2009/01/mustard-bread-for-mustard-lovers.html First seems to be a healthy version, but the second one might be the closest to one I am looking for.
Hi Yulia,
I think this could be made with our master recipe. Do you have any of our books? If so, use the master recipe, but you’ll want to make these changes to the full batch of dough:
Replace 1/4 cup of the water with vegetable oil
and add the following to the dough when you’re mixing:
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup mustard powder (I used Coleman’s English)
2 tsp ground turmeric
Then brush the top with the following right before baking:
1 egg, whisked, for brushing
2 Tbsp brown mustard seeds, for topping
The amounts I’ve given you would be for a full batch of dough, but you may want to make a half batch to make sure you like it.
Let me know how it goes if you try it! Zoë
I have a question. I use the same amount of yeast as the original book suggests, why would you want to cut down on the amount of yeast you use? I love the taste of yeasty bread.
Hi Janelle,
That’s great, don’t change it if that is what you like! As we tested and retested we noticed that we got really similar results with less yeast. Since yeast is the most expensive ingredient, we figured we’d give the option to reduce it. Some people also like the flavor with less, so now both can have their prefered way!
Thanks and enjoy! Zoë
Thanks, I get my yeast from Costco, the big block of Red Star granulated yeast. It’s cheap at either $3.99 or $4.99. I keep a 12 oz jar in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer. It’s very inexpensive this way, has many times the amount of the jars in a regular grocery store. Some grocery stores also have it this way. I also got an 8 quart bucket w/lid at the local brewer supply for $4. Have you ever used the device they stick in the lid to remove the gas from beer without letting the outside air in?
Hi Janelle,
That is the very same yeast I always buy. I have used a brewer’s bucket, with the hole at the top and it is perfect for making our dough. I’ve never used the device, but you don’t need it, as long as there is a hole, the gas will find its way out.
Enjoy, Zoë
Thank you, making this bread is one of my greatest joys.
Janelle
Thank you, Zoe! I have your books and will definitely try mustard bread with your suggestions after I am done with Christmas Stollen. I’ll report results.
I made a trial run for mustard bread. It looks good, crust is great, but bread is too salty and too mustardy. Should be very good for sandwiches. It’s not the one I was craving though.
I dug for more mustard bread recipes and want try a different approach – to use mustard oil and some sugar. I think I use Soft American-Style White Bread recipe (from the original book). Thank you for inspiration!
Wow– haven’t even heard of mustard bread, where does it originate from?
I have been baking all kinds of bread for 20 years with bread machines, KitchenAid stand mixers, and kneading with my hands. So I must admit I was a bit skeptical when I read about this technique. I decided to give the basic recipe a try tonight and make some French style bread. I made a small load of dough this morning let it rise on the countertop for two hours and put it in the refrigerator as directed. While my wife was cooking dinner tonight I took out my French bread pan, let the dough rise, and baked it as directed. The results were outstanding. This may be one of the best loaves of French bread I have ever made. I am now a believer. Off to buy the new book!
Hi Frank,
Thank you so much for taking the time to send a note, we are thrilled you tried the method and enjoyed the bread!
Cheers, Zoë
Question,
My book arrived, the bread comes out great but the crumb (air holes in the bread) are larger then a kneaded bread and bread is slightly chewier. I am going to try to knead the bread for a few minutes before the final rise. I was wondering if you have tried a small amount of kneading with your process and does it make any difference on the final product? And, if this question is addressed in the book please guide me to the page.
You can knead, but I’d do it right after your initial mix, before the first rise, not when you propose. In stored dough, I think you’ll end up with a dense loaf if you do it your way.
But what you’re describing is the typical crumb and chew of artisan bread– exactly what we were going for.
Thanks for the response Jeff. My bread is coming out great and I am having fun using your method. It gives the bread a different and wonderful “personality”. I will still do bread the conventional way but your method is another tool in my bread making passion. I love learning new things in bread making. Thanks to both of you for this book.
Great, thanks for the kind words.
Hi Z & J:
As luck would have it, the electronic board for my two convection ovens went out a few weeks ago and they won’t be able to fix it before Christmas~!! I need to make a Challah for a brunch dish. I have a Breville Convection oven that takes a 9×13 pan. Do you think there is enough claerance and should I not ‘convect’ it~? Thanx so much for your help~!! Happiest New Year~!! ;+}
Hi Mickie,
What a shame. I think it is worth a try to bake the challah in the Breville. Is it possible to give it a practice run? If it is possible to bake without the covection setting, I’d do it without.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Mickie,
Please let me know how it goes!
Thanks, Zoë
Zoe: My hubby would LUV a trial run(s)~! The finished product doesn’t have to look perfect as I will cut it into pieces. I will give it some tries.
Thanx so much Zoe~!! ;+}
I just made the gluten-free “Rye” bread from your Healthy Bread book. It tasted great but was a little gummy. Is this what gluten-free bread is like, or do I just bake it longer?
Thanks.
No question, GF breads are wetter and denser, but they shouldn’t be gummy. First, and most important question, are you letting it cool completely before eating? Otherwise, they’re definitely gummy.
Jeff, mustard bread is one of my childhood memories. I grew up in Soviet Union, so checking out Russian websites helped to narrow down the recipes to try. I hope the one with mustard oil will be the winner!
thanks, will look into it myself…
Hi Z & J:
Did two loaves in the Breville. Had to cover with foil after 15 mins. Great~! Jeff: I have to thank you for your helpful hint in class about cutting the braids almost in half~! Sooooo much easier~!!! Great~!! Thank you~!! Happiest Holidays~!!
Terrific Mickie!
I just made my first loaf of bread and it did not rise a lot in baking and got really brown. I use the Saf Instant Yeast and store in my refrigerator. How long is the yeast shelf life, could that be my problem and should I not store in the refrigerator? Also at 25 minutes it was really brown so I took it out of the oven. Hopefully it is done in the middle, should I turn my oven down? I cooked on a stone with a metal pan of water below. Thanks it is fun to make this and trying to get perfected
Which of our books/recipes are you using? (which page number and recipe?) Use a thermometer like https://ow.ly/8CVPU — probably explains the overbrowning. Go through our FAQs tab above for more tips
SAF yeast is a good product, and it’s fine to store yeast (and our dough) in the fridge.
I used the recipe from the New Artesian Bread in Five Minutes a Day, page 52. My dough was not real wet like the book says so maybe that was a factor but used the same ingredient amounts. I will try the thermometer and read more in the book and FAQ online. Thanks.
Hmm. What brand and variety of flour are you using? Canadian flour? Some flours absorb more water and the dough will seem drier if you don’t make an adjustment (see the FAQ entitled “Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?”
What’s the texture of the inside of the loaves you’ve already baked? Are they dense? You may be getting more sideways spread (with good hole structure) than “rise,” and often you can fix this by more careful shaping (or using a loaf pan). See the shaping videos, and while you’re at it, the flour-measuring video:
Gluten-cloaking/shaping: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/03/08/new-video-shaping-the-ball-from-a-very-wet-dough
Gluten-cloaking/shaping with whole-grain dough: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/02/16/new-video-how-to-shape-a-loaf-using-whole-grain-dough
The Scoop-And-Sweep Technique: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/04/28/how-we-measure-our-flour-using-the-scoop-and-sweep-method