Q&A MISC. Bread Questions
Until we can figure out a more sophisticated way to handle your feedback, your praise and your questions, we hope the following series of Q&A posts will help. Our goal is to get a conversation going about a particular topic in one location. Hoping that it will be easier for you to follow and get the information you need to bake gorgeous bread.
If we haven’t started a thread on the subject you are interested in then leave it here and we can create another post!
Thank you so much for all of the conversation. We enjoy it immensely and are learning so much from you all!
Zoë and Jeff
Hi, Zoe,
Thanks for the advice about letting the dough rest longer. I have tried that and I no longer have a “nose,” but the loaf comes out oval shaped rather than round!
Hi Susan,
I’m glad that worked out! Is your dough sticking to the peel as it goes in the oven, is that why it is turning into an oval?
I have not used a Cuisinart stone lined oven, but I’ll investigate and see if I can help you find a steam option. Maybe others who have this oven will chime in too?
Thanks, Zoë
Also, I wonder if you have found anything out about using the Cuisinart stone lined oven (which has no space for a tray of water). Thanks!
How long can I leave the dough in the fridge? Is there a recommended time frame for getting full flavor?
Thanks for helping us all become better bread bakers!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
There is no official time, it is really a matter of your taste. Some people like a milder flavor and only like the dough up to day 5 or 6. Other folks wait until day 7 before even dipping into the bucket, for a much more intense flavor. I’ve heard from people who freeze the dough at their favorite day to lock in the flavor they like the best.
You will just have to play with a couple of batches to learn what is your favorite. I hope this is somewhat helpful!
Enjoy! Zoë
I have great Kitchenaid oven with all the gadgets.. even a “sabbeth” mode if you can believe….
Ialso have a bread proofing setting which shows a temp. of 100 degrees.
My question is there any advantage to proofing for perhaps a shorter time than when leaving it on the kitchen counter… my kitchen at this time of the year is about 68-70 degrees with no oven or stove on.
I also have a convection oven… Would you reccomend baking in the bake mode or baking in convection adjusting for the temp. difference from bake…ie. 25 degrees lower on convection bake…thanks for your help…
Tomorrow is your big day with the new book coming out… I have ordered 2 copies..
Mike
Mike: Depends on how much whole grain’s in your recipe. If there’s a lot (more than about 35 to 40%), you’re going to find the short proof (I assume you mean after shaping) leads to a dense loaf.
We like the crust with convection— drop heat by 25 degrees, continue to use a thermometer (my thermostat get s fooled by convection).
Thanks for placing your order! Jeff
I was wondering if anyone has used a Biga in any of your recipes. I know that it is not necessary, but was wondering how to incorporate it into some of your breads! I love love the book, it has given me something to do while I have some time away from work.
Ned
Ned: pre-ferments and sours can be used in our recipes. Assuming that yours is about half water and half flour, you can swap in about 1 1/2 cups of pre-ferment in place of 3/4 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water. Adjust flour to get the final moisture to what you see on our Video tab. I don’t try to get the yeast to zero or you end up too dense, but could try decreasing in this situation, see https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85 Jeff
I love to make sourdough – I always have a starter in my fridge waiting to be feed and used. Can you tell me how I can incorporate 1c starter into any of your recipes I.E. how much flour and water (liquid) to take out, and how much yeast to use (if any)
Thanks ! I look forward to your reply!
Hi Kim,
Our sourdough starter is about equal parts water and flour, so you will need to reduce both by 1/2 cup in order to add your 1 cup of starter. The amount of yeast you add depends on your taste. You can read a bit about this here: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85.
I hope this helps! Zoë
hi – i’ve looked around everywhere and online for a 3/4 TB. can’t find it anywhere. help!
Hello!
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and am excited about your new book. I am curious to know how many and which recipes in your book are gluten-free. Could you please let me know?
Do all the recipes have yeast. My husband is allergic to yeast and I am trying to find yeast free bread recipes.
Debbie: Yes, all the recipes have yeast, so can’t help you here. You want “quick-breads,” those risen with baking powder and/or baking soda. James Beard has a great recipe for Irish Soda Bread. Was the first bread I ever made. Jeff
Hi! I have just taken out your first book from the library to try a few recipes and it is fantastic!! I would love to purchase your new book, but I am vegan and I’m wondering what percentages of recipes are animal-product free or easily converted? It’s easy to substitute for non-dairy milks, but butter and eggs are harder especially in something as finicky as bread. Thanks so much!
Melanie
Pre-ordered new book and love it. A diabetic friend would love to get into it to. You know the next question.
When you have the time and resources do you think you could come up with a carbohydrate rating for the breads in the new book? I’m quite sure their are many people thinking/asking the same thing.
Love your book (s) and promote them when I have an interested person-have sold at least 6 copies for you.
Thanks for the great method.
Cheryl
I have been using your first book and just got your second book – I love them both. I have 2 questions:
when you say wheat germ – do you mean raw or toasted?
I have converted a 16 hour no knead recipe to your method but have found that I get a little bit denser loaf than I prefer (it has red pepper, garlic and parsley and corn grits) plus the normal 3 cups of water. If I add vital wheat gluten should I add more water and if so how much?
Jeff and Zoe…we just returned from a month in Europe and my family became bread crazy snobs as a result. I sought out books to learn to make bread at home and have been thrilled to find your book and bake the so delicious loaves that we have enjoyed. BUT…I have a problem. I made a batch of the light whole wheat bread, baked 2-3 loaves on my Pampered Chef Baking Stones. My next batch was the European Peasant Bread. My first two bakings on two different days resulted in my Baking Stones completely splitting apart? We’re wondering if they are unable to handle the moisture as a result of the water in the oven? Anyway, how do I make sure that I purchase Baking Stones that won’t split?
Lynn: About baking stones, there’s no rhyme or reason to exactly when they decide to crack, but none of them last forever. I’ve found that thin ones (less than 1/2-inch thick) don’t stand up to repeated use, regardless of brand– it’s not from the bread or oven moisture. The 1/2-inch stones seem to last forever– my last Williams-Sonoma lasted 11 years (I use it ever day). It cracked in the end, but is the only product I know of that offered a lifetime guaratee– check to be sure that they still do that before buying. Another option, very similar product, is the Old Stone product through Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Old-Stone-Oven-14-Inch-16-Inch/dp/B0000E1FDA?&camp=212361&linkCode=wey&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&creative=380725). No lifetime guarantee on that; I own one that’s about a year old and it’s doing well.
Melanie: Most of the recipes can be converted to vegan— all the butter can be swapped for vegetable fats. We didn’t try egg substitute so the brioche and challah can’t be reproduced. Actually most of our recipes are already vegan! I’d guess 65% of the recipes are vegan or are easily converted . Jeff
Cheryl: The publisher didn’t fund a professional nutritional analysis but I will informally be posting something on the website so stay tuned. Thanks for the promo!
Jeff
Donna: They really don’t make a 3/4 tablespoon measure. It’s a little more than 2 teaspoons.
Amy: Either raw or toasted works fine in the recipes. See this post about adjusting for VWG—https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=142. I’m guessing that you’ll need 1/4 cup extra water, but it all depends on the actual measurements. Jeff
I love the book and the recipes – my problem is slicing the bread for sandwiches for my kids. I have searched for bread slicers online and it seems they are either over $1,000. or are $10 and seem inadequate. Any advice??
My family loves the bread – but misses the old-fashioned aroma of bread baking. Would you recommend any of your recipes especially for the aroma? Thanks so much for your book – and for this Q&A site!
Judy: For some reason, I find that the pita breads are very, very aromatic. My kneejerk answer is that they all are. I’m betting that any of the egg-enriched breads are more aromatic than the ones that aren’t egg-enriched. And from the first book (or even the second, to an extent), the butter-enriched breads (eat in moderation).
Amy: A bakery-quality slicer is out of cost-range for me, and as you note, cheap ones aren’t going to do it. We use a good-quality bread knife (wait until completely cool). Try this inexpensive one on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Henckels-International-Eversharp-8-Inch-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00004RFNU?&camp=212361&linkCode=wey&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&creative=380725
Hello! Thank you for writing these books! I have them both and have made one recipe so far…Perfect!
I have a question about the Tapenade Bread: Maybe I missed something, but I’m not clear when /where to mix in the tapenade to the dough.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Jami: The truth is, it doesn’t much matter. Easiest time is to mix it into the water. You will love it! Jeff
I’ve been making the master recipe for others for some time now. Since I am allergic to gluten, I quickly bought the new book. What a dissappointment. Every GF recipe includes eggs. I am also allergic to eggs – but even if I weren’t, I was expecting a recipe like the master one without eggs or oil. Do you have a GF recipe without eggs?
Jeanne: As you’ve noticed, eggs are the typical means to lightening up a gluten free loaf. We don’t have any recipes for GF without them, I’m afraid. Jeff
Dear Jeff and Zoe, Wow, I finally got the book from UPS on Friday! After soooo many months, the book is finally in my home! I spent my Saturday eve (between handing out Halloween candy) reading up to the master dough recipe. Love your explanations about the ingredients. I look forward to baking the baguette shape and the cinnamon raisin bagels!
I have a question about substituting for the milk. I saw another person writing about vegan ingredients about a week ago on this blog. How can I substitute for the milk? Milk helps make the baked breads more tender. Soy milk just doesn’t do the same thing. I want all of my breads to be vegan. I use Fleishman’s unsalted margarine and it is a good butter substitute if I add a bit extra sweetness. I make sure to add some honey to my challah to help the texture, in absence of the milk. But what about the milk in the recipes in this book?
Also, a question about the deli rye recipe in the first book. I wish it would rise more. I have used vital wheat gluten in the past in my bread machine recipes, so decided to try it a few weeks ago. I had heard that I should use about 1tsp vital wheat gluten for 1 Cup of whole grain flour. So I added 1 tsp vital wheat gluten to the deli rye bread batch (only 1 cup rye, the rest was all purpose). I don’t think it helped it rise that much more. Should I experiment and add more next time? What’s the limit I could add of vital wheat gluten for this recipe?
Being that I’m in nowhere’sville for delis, your rye bread recipe is a real important thing for us in NE TN!
Thanks for answering my questions, during your especially busy book tour.
Judy L, TN
Judy: Try increasing the fat and sugar, those are also tenderizers.
And go ahead and increase the VWG to 1/4-cup, see what you think. Jeff
If I wanted to make a much smaller loaf than the 1 to 1 1/2 lb. round loaf (say closer to 1/2 lb.), would I need to adjust the baking time at all?
MommaBlogger: In most ovens, the baking time goes down for small loaves. Just check it earlier, like maybe at 20 minutes. It’s not a dramatic decrease, you still want to get it nice and brown. Jeff
Jeff, thanks for the response. I am new to GF baking, so I will start experimenting. I have still enjoyed the new book, and will make the other healthy recipes for my non-GF family.
When are you coming to Denver, CO???
Love BOTH books,
Thanks,
Carla Harlan
Carla: Unfortunately, no trips to Denver planned, which is too bad since I have a good friend there. Eventually?
Hello! I just purchased your ABin5 book..
Does anyone know the High Altitude adjustments needed? My breads up here at 6500 feet just aren’t the same. Thank you kindly
Penny– search in the SearchBar for “high altitude” on our site (not google) and you’ll get to our post on the subject.
It would be great if you could post some videos that teach how to shape different types of loaves besides the boule.
Tami: Eventually…
FYI- Electric meat slicer’s sold to cut meat, like they use at a deli, are sold for home use too. You can adjust the thickness of the slices and they work great on loaves of bread. Check them out on Amazon.com
Cool idea Tami…
OK, Jeff, I’ll get back to you on my experiment with 1/4Cup VWG on the deli rye!
Oh, my appliance guy told me that I should be able to calibrate my Thermador oven by myself, easily. I found my manual, and have increased the temperature 25degrees, based on my oven thermometer. This saves me a service call of over $100 by the Thermador rep! Can’t wait to see what happens. If someone has this type of oven (or similar built in), suggest they check their manual for calibration info!!!
Yippee! 🙂
Hi Judy,
That is really great to know! I always assumed it required a professional to calibrate my oven. I’m going to read the manual when I get home! 😉
Thanks, Zoë
Love the book and the bread. Sort of. The first loaf that I made was the perfect loaf. Texture and taste. Since then I have not reproduced that initial experience ever though I have made it the same way 12-15 times. Now my bread is too doughy and nothing I have tried has helped. I have added less water, more flour, longer cooking time, higher temp, lower temp. I am at my wits end. Please give me some ideas. I have been a baker at home for years. I am using the same ingredients and oven. I am becoming frustrated and want the first batch back. Thanks
Hi Richard,
Has the weather changed from the first batch to now? In Minnesota we have gone from 80% humidity to about 5%. This will change the way the flour is measured if using the cups. I wonder if your dough is now too dry from adding more flour? If your house is also a touch cooler from the change of weather you may need to let the dough rest longer before going in the oven to allow it to have its full oven spring.
Let me know if this sounds plausible. If not, we’ll figure out what is going on.
Thanks, Zoë
I was hoping for a whole grain cracker recipe. Any chance there is one?
Hi Linda,
Yes, we have a few different crackers and crunchy bread sticks. I don’t have a copy of the book in my hotel room, but if you look up cracker in the index you will easily find them!
Thanks and enjoy! Zoë
Thanks! I will keep working on it. The humidity has varied as well as the temps. I have been trying to repplicate the first batch for quite a while so there have been many varibles. I use an unbleached all purpose store brand flour. Could that be a factor?
Searching.
Richard: Unbleached store-brand AP should be fine, I doubt that’s the explanation for any problems you’re having. Jeff
Hi Zoe,
Check the self maintenance section of your oven manual. It will be really great if you cn do it yourself and save $$$! Let me know!
Zoe,
I have some whole wheat pastry flour in the cupboard for awhile. Should I use that to sub for all-purpose? I’d like to use it up. I’m guessing it’s too fine a grind for whole wheat.
Thanks for keeping up on our questions, even while you are in hotel rooms! HUGS!
Judy L, TN
Judy: Greetings from San Franciso. I’m guessing that you MIGHT be able to get away with a WW pastry swap for AP, but no promises. WW absorbs a lot of water, even a low-protein version like “pastry.” All bets are off. Jeff
Hi Jeff, Greetings from Charlotte, NC! A few days off, we are on a shopping trip to see a Trader Joe’s!
Well, if it might not be good to swap WW pastry flour for all purpose, how about if I use the WW pastry flour to sub for WW White flour in the pumpkin pie brioche recipe that just got posted? I just want to find a way to use up the WW pastry flour. I want to use that container for WW White flour, and don’t want to toss the pastry flour.
Oh, I we stopped off at a Walmart in Shelby,NC. They had King Arthur flour! First time I ever saw KA in Walmart. AND they had the All Purpose and Whole Wheat for $3.17 each! That’s the cheapest I’ve ever seen–Earthfare has the next cheapest, at $3.70!
THANKS and enjoy SF!
Judy L, TN
Hi,
Can all the recipes that require unbleached all-purpose flour be substituted with light spelt flour? I have done this in the past with various other non-bread related recipes with success. I have an aversion to white flour esp. here in Canada mainly because they are sold with additives and are enriched (I think all-purpose spelt exists as well??).
Thank you.
Sandra: Light spelt (as opposed to standard spelt) is lower in bran, so you’re in the right direction. But, in general, I think this is going to absorb more water than AP, so you may need to increase water in the recipe. And of course, you generally will need to make major adjustments if AP was a major constitutent of the recipe. Our second book uses lots of spelt so you’ll find adjusted recipes there. Jeff
Hi,
I’ve just purchased your new “Healthy Breads” book and prepared the recipe for Beer bread. Usually my dough rises great, even wheat recipes without VWG. But this dough has been sitting for 4 hours now and barely risen. Could it be the order which your recipe combines elements? I’m accustomed to adding yeast to tepid water first, then adding dry ingredients. This recipe combines dry ingredients first, then combines wet ones together before adding to the dry mixture as a last step.
Also, I read a correction on this website to the last books’ Boule recipe– saying to use 2 tbs. yeast instead of 1.5 tbs. This has worked out great for me. But the new book keeps referencing the original 1.5 tbs. amount. Can you clarify?
Thank you,
Lisa
Dear Breadmaker friends,
Do you have a recipe for Irish Soda Bread? My friend (a Tibetan lama, actually) loves it and I want to try it using your technique.
Oh yes, we’ll be at 6000 feet. Any high-altitude instructions?
Thanks,
Laura
Laura: We didn’t include an Irish Soda Bread because I’m pretty sure it couldn’t be stored, and that’s our thing. For high-altitude, check out https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=144
I followed the whole wheat master recipe exactly. I covered it, lifted lid edge and let it rest for 2 hours, then refrigerated. After refrigerating for a day and a half, I pulled out some dough to form a loaf and mine didn’t look anything like yours from the Amazon video. Yours was elastic and needed to be cut. Mine was was not elastic at all; no need to cut. I formed the loaf and left it to rise. It doesn’t seem to be rising. I used instant yeast. What did I do wrong?? I wonder if there is any point to even baking it.
Trouble with olive oil bread recipe.
I love all the recipes and can’t wait to start working with the whole grain bread..as a mother of 3 (one 2 yrs) I have wowed my family and friends…how do I still find time to bake! and give! I have made most of your basic recipes with different types of flours. I am now having trouble with the Olive Oil dough for pizza, that I make every week for Friday pizza night…the results vary and now the dough will not double when it should rise, what would cause this? I have used King Arthur, Trader Joe’s, Gold Medal and Stop and Shop unbleached flours….I always use Shaw’s yeast because it is the only jar I can find locally. I did change from using my ceramic crock pot insert for rising to using a 5 gallon plastic container… the boule recipe rises fine in the container. Sometimes the olive oil recipe is sticky, sometimes it is OK to handle at room temp. I’m puzzled….it is now Fall so my kitchen temp has changed, could that be it? or wondering could I have simply purchased a bum jar of Shaws yeast? What would stop a dough to rise? (same issue with making King Arthurs eng muffins..2nd batch were more like hockey pucks..something is off….) Any ideas?
Kathy: I can’t think of what must have changed, but obviously something has. If you’ve experimented with the same batch of yeast in different recipes and had no problem, I really can’t figure it out. Things that prevent a successful initial rise are:
1. Expired or otherwise spoiled yeast
2. Water too hot or too cold
3. New flour too coarse
4. Too much salt (can decrease to 1 T)
5. Something else contaminating the water
It doesn’t have to absolutely double, by the way, especially if you’re using this dough for pizza. You didn’t mention whether it’s working well for the pizza or not. If it makes good pizza, we could chalk this up to the heaviness of olive oil, giving us a little less rise than typical. If the pizza’s no good, have to go back to the drawing board. Jeff
Merty: First question— are you using a very coarse whole wheat flour? You may prefer the result with a more commercial-style product.
But for sure, bake from what you have, you’ll get “oven spring,” which accounts for a greater proportion of the total rise in our method. Jeff
Hi,
I’ve just purchased your new “Healthy Breads” book and prepared the recipe for Beer bread. Usually my dough rises great, even wheat recipes without VWG. But this dough has been sitting for 4 hours now and barely risen. Could it be the order which your recipe combines elements? I’m accustomed to adding yeast to tepid water first, then adding dry ingredients. This recipe combines dry ingredients first, then combines wet ones together before adding to the dry mixture as a last step.
Also, I read a correction on this website to the last books’ Boule recipe– saying to use 2 tbs. yeast instead of 1.5 tbs. This has worked out great for me. But the new book keeps referencing the original 1.5 tbs. amount. Can you clarify?
Thank you,
Lisa
Lisa: You really need VWG for the new recipes, we just aren’t happy with the results without it. One thing with VWG: you need to whisk it into the dry ingredients first in order to prevent the formation of firm lumps of gluten in the final result. That’s how we tested– just as written and we never had this problem with the Beer Bread. Wait longer and see what happens, may need longer, especially if water was cooler than you thought.
Take another look at our Errors page– the correction for the yeast was to use 2 envelopes, which is equal to 1.5T. All the recipes will work nicely with less yeast too, it just takes longer, so this isn’t the source of your problem. Take a look at our post on this at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85.
Hi-
your book has added so much to our family. Thank you.
I am planning on expanding it to Thanksgiving. I would love to do the delicious pecan stick buns my family loves.
Is there a way to make the dough ahead of time and freeze it? Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then bake?
Thanks so much !!!!
Terry: May be easiest to form the rolls the night before and then immediately refrigerate. By AM they’ll have slowly risen and can be baked after a very short rest, maybe 30 minutes while the oven’s heating.
Freezing will also work, no question, thaw overnight and then give the standard rise in the morning. Jeff
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
Well, I am happy to report that the deli rye bread was MUCH better with the 1/4cup VWG! It had a better rise, and more OOMPH! My husband was in absolute heaven with the deli rye bread and some thinly-sliced salami!
It seemed to take much longer to bake, even in my newly calibrated and correct oven temperature. Is it because the bread is less dense?
I might trying baking the loaf with bread flour next time, instead of VWF. Wouldn’t that also give it more rise?
I think I’ll try using up my Whole Wheat pastry flour by substituting half of the white flour in a recipe for it. Maybe I will do that in the Whole Wheat Boule.
Thanks,
Judy L, TN
Hi Judy,
As you already know the whole wheat pastry flour has less gluten than AP or whole wheat so you will have to compensate for that with VWG or a portion of bread flour. Sounds like some good experimenting going on! Glad you are enjoying the bread.
Thanks, Zoë
Dear Jeff and Zoe,
I hope you can help me with another problem. I’ve been baking with your method for almost a year now, and I still get blotches of unbaked flour throughout the loaves.
I know that it’s due to the flour added during shaping. I know your second book talks about that. I just don’t know how to avoid that.
I plop the ball of dough into a bowl, with flour in it, after cutting a piece off. Then I dust the top with flour and shape it. But, unless I add enough flour, the dough is sticky. If I pull the sides down, the top gets sticky also.
I think what is happening is that the dough on the bottom of the ball is getting bunched under en masse. But I don’t know how to change it. I’ve watched your videos again lately, but it doesn’t help. And it shows up more with the whole grain breads.
Can you help me? Thanks. Judy
PS. Consider coming down South to promote your book, when it gets colder. I’d drive to Nashville, even though it’s 5 hours away! 🙂
Hi Judy,
We’d love to come to TN this winter! When you dip the dough into the bowl of flour you need to shake some of the excess off before you start to shape, to prevent too much from getting folded up in the bottom of the loaf. You can dust more on the top as you shape, but use just a bit at a time. The quicker you can shape the dough, the less it will get sticky. The more you pull and stretch the more the dough is worked and it starts to get sticky again.
Hope that helps!?
Zoë
I would like to give loaves of bread as gifts. I am not sure how to package them or store them until I can hand them out. Any suggestion greatly appreciated.
Hi Dawn,
What kind of bread are you thinking of giving away? How far in advance are you wanting to bake them? Are you hand delivering or wanting to ship? If they are to sit for more than 24 hours, in some cases less, you may be best off to parbake and freeze the loaves and then crisp them up right before delivering them.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe and Jeff,
I wanted you to know that I have been using your bread baking method and have been selling bread at a local CSA for the past 2 summers. People order baguette, boules, or ciabatta, and I make enough dough to make about 26 loaves of bread at a time. I have two young children and I find that I’m able to use your baking method and still be a stay-at- home mom. The bread has been such a hit that I’m going to be teaching a class to a group of 9 people this weekend (and there’s a waitlist!) I will mention this website as well as your new book. My mother in law plans to get a copy for me and have it signed by you. She lives in Minneapolis.
Thanks so much for this fabulous method. I’m sharing it with everyone!
The new book looks great!
Question about the Gluten-Free Olive Oil bread on page 238: Does it REALLY call for 3 1/2 cups of corn starch? That seems like a lot… Thanks!
I just purchased “Artisan Bread in fjive minutes a Day”. Which recipe is on the cover?
Kristin: Yes, that’s correct on the GF Olive Oil bread. It makes a very light-textured, delicate crumb because of all that cornstarch. If you want a more robust, chewy GF bread, try the Gluten-Free Crusty Boule, but swap olive oil for the neutral-flavored oil we specify in that one, and you’ll have a different sort of olive oil GF result.
Beth: That’s the European Peasant Bread.
I’m having trouble with this and can’t figure out what I am doing wrong. I hope you can help.
First I tried the Master Recipe for Boules. A day later, it was so soupy, there was no way to “pull up and cut off a grapefruit size piece.” It just ran through my fingers and made a mess.
Next, assuming that I had miss-measured the flour on the first attempt, I tried again with the European Peasant Bread recipe. Same results and I am positive I measured everything correctly. After about four more days, one week total, I went ahead and tried to use the dough. Added 3 or more cups flour, just enough to get it out of the container. It looked more like foccacia, had wonderful, yeasty flavor but terrible texture, hard and dense. I don’t think I allowed it to rise long enough, but at any rate, my problem is with the soupyness of the original dough, not with the rising.
For what it’s worth, I have been making bread for 40 (?) years or more; first, in the traditional way learned from my grandmother, and more recently, a no-knead bread method which I love.
If you are still reading this and have any suggestions, I would appreciate any help. I really want to make this work.
Thanks in advance,
Elisabeth
Atlanta
Elisabeth: It simply sounds much too wet, and as you’ve noticed, that gets worse as the batch ages. If you’re mixing correctly, the likeliest explanation is the flour. Usually, when people have this problem, it turns out that they are using bleached flour. Are you certain that you’re using unbleached all-purpose white flour where our recipe calls for it? Jeff
Elisabeth: One other possible explanation– you need to measure the flour exactly as we do, using the “scoop-and-sweep” method. Gently scoop up a full cup-measure and then sweep it flat with a knife or spatula. Don’t use the “spoon-and-sweep” method, where flour is spooned gently into the cup-measure using as second, smaller spoon. That under-measures the flour and you end up with a too-wet result.
Are either of these the explanation? Jeff
@Zoe I was planning to make the Betsy’s Seeded Bread and the whole grain master recipe.
Thank you for the quick reply.
Hi Dawn,
I think both of those loaves will do really well. If you are baking more than a couple of days before you give them away, then I would do the parbaked method I mentioned earlier.
Enjoy and I’m sure the recipients will love them! Zoë
Excited to try out some of your gluten-free recipes this weekend, but couldn’t find a source for gf soy flour (Bob’s red mill was a good source for all others). Can you suggest a substitution? I was thinking of flax meal…
Hi Bob,
You could substitute garbanzo bean flour, but some people find the flavor too assertive in breads. I also think the sorghum would be a good substitution. I’m not entirely sure how the flax would do as a substitute, but if you do try it I’d love to hear how the results are.
Thanks! Zoë
Since brioche pans vary so much, how much dough do you place in a pan? 3/4??
JaNell: If you like a generous-looking loaf bread, yes, go 3/4-full. As you’ve guessed, that means that our dough-portion estimate (usually 1-pound) is just an estimate for loaf-pan breads. I really all depends on the pan size. If your pan is taking more than 1-pound of dough, you’ll need to increase baking time to get the color you need (and doneness in the center). Jeff
I wanted to let you know Zoe that the aluminum foil hot pad you suggested I make for the inside of my bread baking pot (I made it 3 thicknesses) worked just perfectly at keeping the bread from burning on the bottom. I’m forever greatful.
Hi TxTufTif,
I am thrilled that it worked for you! 🙂
Enjoy, Zoë