FAQs
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
I’ve enjoyed answering reader questions on our blog since 2007. Click on any of the questions below– these are the ones that seem to be on a lot of bakers’ minds. If you’re having a problem with one of the recipes, breeze through these FAQs first. If you can’t find an answer there, click on any “Comments” field adjoining a “post” here on the website (doesn’t have to be related to the content underneath). Tell me which book you’re working from, and which recipe and page number, and ask your question. I’ll answer, right under your question (or maybe a few below), within a day or so. Please understand that I can’t write back directly to you–there’ve been tens of thousands of questions here on the site, and I want other readers to benefit from the conversation.
And please understand that my publisher would disown me if I put all our full-detail recipes here on the website or in the comment responses. This site is mainly a way of reaching out to readers, and supporting them as they work on recipes that appear in the published books.
If the list of FAQs below doesn’t get you the answer you need, try the Search Bar. On the Home Page, it’s right over the picture of the bread. In narrower displays, it sometimes appears right underneath the orange BreadIn5 logo. Type in the bread style, ingredient, or technique that you’re interested in, and the search engine will show you all the similar posts I’ve ever done on it, with recipes and answers to many questions. –Jeff
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- Convection oven: Any adjustment needed?
- Dense or gummy crumb: What am I doing wrong?
- Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?
- Freezing the dough: Can I do it?
- Fresh-ground grains: can I use them with this method?
- Gluten-Free Frequently Asked Questions (GF FAQs)
- Gray color on my dough: Is there something wrong? Is it mold?
- High-altitude baking: How do I adjust the recipes for high-altitude?
- Incorporating dried fruit, nuts, or herbs into stored dough: How do I do it?
- Larger loaves/multiple loaves: What adjustments are needed?
- Left the dough on the counter overnight! Can I still use it?
- The scoop-and-sweep method for measuring flour by volume: How it was done when testing these recipes
- Missing instructions and missing recipes: Some of the web-based recipes don’t have everything I need to make the bread, and others are missing from the website altogether
- Nutrition content: How can I calculate it?
- Photographs: Can I post pictures to this website?
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- Refrigerator rise trick: The formed loaves or rolls rise overnight and are ready for the oven the next day
- Rising: My shaped loaves don’t seem to rise much before it’s time for the oven. What am I doing wrong?
- Salt: Can I decrease the amount of salt in the recipes? How do I adjust for different kinds of salt?
- Sourdough starter: Can I use it with this method?
- Steam alternatives: How do I create a steam environment for a great crust when my oven doesn’t trap steam well?
- Stone broke! What did I do wrong?
- Storing bread: What’s the best way to do it?
- Traditional recipes: How can they be converted to the ABin5 method?
- Underbaked! My loaf didn’t bake through to the center. What am I doing wrong?
- Web or other uses: Can I use your recipes on my own website, in my class, or in a publication?
- Weighing ingredients instead of using cup measures: How do you do it?
- Whole grain flours and vital wheat gluten: How do you use them?
- Whole grain flours and doughs without vital wheat gluten: How do those work?
- Yeast: Can it be decreased in the recipes?
- Health questions posted here over the years
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Is it possible to sub out some apple cider for some of the water – or all of it – in the basic recipe? I want to recreate an apple cider bread sold by a local grocery store. Thank you!
Absolutely. I’ve put all kinds of acidic juices into the dough, up to half of the water. I wouldn’t try 100% or it’s going to be too acidic
Can you freeze bread after baking
Yes, as well as any other bread. Wrap it well to exclude air as best you can.
Have you experimented with using King Arthur’s Pizza Blend flour for your refrigerated dough method? If so, are there any adjustments, or can this blend be swapped out with one of your pizza-friendly recipes?
Thank you!
No, haven’t tried that particular flour. My guess is that it’s a relatively low protein blend compared to all purpose, so in the master recipe you’d have to slightly decrease the water. That’ll take some experimentation, maybe an eighth of a cup?
I’ve scoured through the book and can find no mention of Tuscan Pane bread. Can the master recipe be adapted to make Tuscan Pane?
I’m guessing you mean the Tuscan no-salt bread? If you leave out the salt from my Master recipe that may approximate it. Or do you mean some other Tuscan bread?
Thank you!
Why are different egg washes used on different loaves? I’ve seen whole egg, egg yolk, and egg white washes.
Thanks!
Each of those gives slightly different effects. The egg white just gives shine but doesn’t create a rich brown effect. The egg yolk is brownest, but then you have to figure out what to do with the whites! Whites! The whole egg is a middle ground. I’ve actually stopped deleting it with water as I used to because that takes away from the browning
I have been baking your breads for 10 years now. Love it!
It just occurred to me I could probably make mini boule loaves for soup/bread bowls. Duh! Do you have resting/baking times? Thanks!
It all depends on the size. Rolls, for example can all be done in 12 to 15 minutes. Resting time can be half
Have gone back to your book (bought about 17 years old). I have a little problem not answered in your FAQ. My crust is too hard. ? Can you advise. Thank you. Km
Are you using steam in the oven? Also, if you’re not doing it now, cover the loaf with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl, while it’s resting. Some people have found it dries out during the resting… Leading to a hard crust. If nothing else works, paint it with a well before it goes in the oven. Or melted butter.
Ok. It looks dry in container and when formed. I will add more water and cover. Your method is so easy to do. Thanks.
Hmmm. I wonder if you’re having some errors in measurements or something like that, and you just need more hydration in the initial mixture
If i proof yeast with sugar in the water can i use that proofed yeast, water and sugar in the master recipe?
Absolutely, you can. But I’ve found that this step isn’t necessary. It will start the process a little quicker.
I love your gf artisan bread book and have been using your master recipe for 7 years. My question is do you have a Portuguese Sweetbread recipe or scone recipe?
I haven’t seen Portuguese sweet bread, but I’m guessing it’s similar though to holla or brioche. And about scones, that’s not a yeasted product. I’m guessing you can use mixture number one with a good recipe that you find elsewhere.
Hi Jeff, I’m making my first recipe of bread from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day book. I’m using the master recipe for Brioche to make cloverleaf rolls and instead of melting 3 sticks of butter I misread and melted and incorporated 1 & 1/2 sticks of melted butter into dough. Dough looks okay but this is my first time making Brioche so what do I know. Lol. I will bake a few rolls tonight to see if they bake properly and if not, I will probably make biscuits or something. Is it possible to ìncorporate another stick and a half into dough? If so hoŵ, please?
Thank you Julia
I can’t think of a way to incorporate the butter other than melted. The whole thing back in the stand mixer, and use a little more flour to counter the extra liquid. But if the dough doesn’t look super dry, I think you can just use it as is. It won’t be as rich as brioche but it might still be good