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
Scott: The only place to get the malted wheat is directly from England! Probably not worth it, unfortunately (I haven’t done it). Someone told me that health food stores sometimes carry this product in the US, but I haven’t sought it out.
Diastatic barley malt contains enzymes that convert starch to sugar– that gives yeast a head-start, which isn’t needed in our method. Apparently you can overdo that and create problems— so go with non-diastatic.
I just bought your book after learning about Artisan Breads at a bread demonstration at a women’s retreat in Canandaigua, NY. What a great and much needed concept. Thanks. One of my questions is: Can I use course sea salt instead of the Kosher salt?
Course sea salt’s fine; the question is whether it’s a little finer than Morton’s Kosher, in which case it will pack tighter and the result is saltier. May take a bit of trial and error; see our salt post: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=139
I am a big fan, recieved book as Christmas gift from sister, been addicted ever since. However, I am desperate for Hawaiian Bread!!! I found a couple recipes online, and am going to try them, but any hints on adapting them to your methods of large batches, and storage? It has been a favorite bread of mine since childhood am really want to make it from scratch. Thank you so much for your book, it is my favorite cookbook of the 4-5 dozen we own. Thank you!!!!!!!!
Hi Timmer,
We’ll look into doing a post on Hawaiian bread. Several people have requested it over the past year. Sounds wonderful!
Thanks, Zoë
I am so excited to have recently found your book! What a great method! I do have a question, though. I am Canadian and using Canadian all-purpose unbleached flour. My dough does not seem as wet as you describe, even though I have followed your instructions. Is this due to the differing protein content of the flour? What allowances do we need to make? Please help you fans north of the border!
Hi Karen,
The flour you are getting is harder wheat and has more protein. This means it will make a wonderful bread, but absorbs more water than the flours we tested. All you need to do is add about 1/4 cup more water to the dough to compensate.
Thank you! Zoë
I love your book and have turned many friends on to your artisan bread. However, with the 100% whole wheat and the whole wheat sandwich bread I am finding that even the first loaf has a sour dough, yeasty taste which I don’t care for. I was comparing notes with a friend who has been using your recipes too, on my recommendation, and she has the same issue. Both of us started leaving out the rye bread and don’t use any older dough in the mix. I have tried adding a little more honey to see if that cuts the flavor but it doesn’t, really.
I have all of your corrections from this website. I’m using King Arthur white flour and their whole wheat, plus yeast from the King Arthur catalogue, which I keep in the freezer, and vital wheat gluten to help it rise. I’ve also tried adding some amaranth flour to replace a cup of the whole wheat.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Sorry, I meant “leaving out the rye flour”!
Hi Leslie,
There are a couple of things that you can try to help get the flavor you want.
If the dough is tasting too sour you will want to use the dough when it is very fresh. You can allow the dough to do its initial rise and then immediately freeze the dough you aren’t baking that day. We recommend doing that in 1 pound packages.
make sure your lid is not too tight when you are letting the dough rise, so that the yeast gases can escape. Trapped gases can give the dough a “sour” or alcohol flavor which may be what you are tasting. Some people love it and some don’t.
If the dough is tasting too yeasty to you, after doing what I’ve suggested above, then you can try reducing the amount of yeast in the dough.
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=85
Adding more honey will just feed the yeast and probably will excellent the rate at which you get the sour flavor.
I hope this is helpful and I’m sure you will find the flavor you desire with just a little bit of play!
Thanks, Zoë
Zoë, thanks for your quick response. I have been using a plastic cover with an elasticized edge, like a shower cap, and that may have trapped the gases. I’ll cover the bread more lightly and reduce the honey, and see what happens. If that doesn’t work I’ll try reducing the yeast but I see that it takes longer to rise and rest that way, so I’d rather not have to resort to that. Either way the bread is wonderful and all of my friends are so grateful that I’ve turned them on to your book!
Leslie
Thanks Leslie– decreasing the yeast from 1.5 tablespoons, down to 1.0 tablespoons doesn’t change the rising time all that much, and you may prefer the flavor. Below that and you get into longer rising times. Jeff
zoe–
Hi were yo able to make up some bear claws this past week? I sure hope so and cant wait for your post on them!
lynne
Hi Lynne,
I will probably get the post up in the next couple of weeks. 🙂
Thanks, Zoë
I have been making my own bread using your recipes for the past two months and LOVE it. My roommates do too 🙂 I want to try out adding in Wheat berries and other sprouted grains and was wondering how much i should put in and should i take some of the flour out? I was thinking i would use the Light Whole Wheat recipe (my favorite). Thanks in advance.
Brynne: We’ll be using more whole grains (and some wheat berries) in our next book, out for release on October 27 (see amazon site for pre-order https://tinyurl.com/dhu8vx). Meanwhile , yes, you can experiment with swapping out some flour for wheat berries, but you must let the dough sit for 24 hours before using or the berries will be hard. Use extra water too, and stay tuned for our Vollkornbrot recipe in the new book!
I have made countless recipes with perfect results…y’all are great! I’ve weighed my ingredients based on what Zoe had given me earlier (5 oz/white flour).
1. What is y’all’s given weight for whole wheat? I guessed at 5.5…which may or may not answer my second question.
2. When following the recipe for the 100% whole wheat as a free form (5.5 ounces/cup), the dough is super wet in the beginning (no problem), but after a two or three hour rise, has turned into a complete “sponge.” There is no gluten, and it doesn’t hold together—at all!
Is it my weight of flour (what should it be)? Something else?? This is the only loaf with which I’ve had problems. I’ve tried three loaves in two days…all the same result.
I am using KA Organic White Whole Wheat Flour.
Thanks, y’all!!!
P.S. additional information:
When I say “sponge,” it has the texture of a sponge. When you touch it, or try and pick it up, it completely falls apart—in chunks!
I tried to form and bake anyway, and in each case, it completely deflated when it hit the stone, with no rise. So odd!
(definitely not the yeast–or any other ingredients, as I’ve made other bread recipes all week with fine success).
Rebecca: Actually, WW is lighter. Try about 4.5 ounces per cup. Also check out our post on whole grains at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=142. Jeff
The kids and I are baking our way through your book.. LOVE IT! Question though about the bagels (regular ones).. on our first attempt the finished bagels turned out gluey. I figured out the shape issue – they need to boil probably one at a time – but not sure how to fix the glueness after baking.
Hi Kelly,
Here is a post I did about the bagels. Why don’t you take a look and see if there is something different in how you are making your bagels.
Let me know if you still have questions;
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=423
Thanks, Zoë
Hi,
I am allergic to wheat,egg, and potato and man I miss bread. Would your recipes work with the standard substitutions? Any recipes that you have for bread without these things? So far the only thing I have found is cornbread.
Thanks!
Hi
Just love your book I cannot stop talking about to friends.
For my job I have a series of apartments through out the year and no oven is the same as any other, as a result I use an instant read thermometer to check the final temp to make sure the bread is done. Should all my breads be the same temp when done? What do you consider an ideal temperature?
Thanks!
I bought your book Saturday morning and had fresh bread Saturday night! A quick, easy and economical way to bake bread! I have 2 questions…
I love oatmeal molasses bread but find the oatmeal bread in the book calls for a few ingredients in low quantities that I am not sure I will ever use an entire bag of, oat bran and wheat bran. Can I simply replace some of the white flour in the master recipe with rolled oats and replace some of the water with molasses? What ratio do you recommend?
Also have you thought of providing a chart of doughs that may be on hand with recipes to be made with it? I find myself flipping through the book to find recipes that call for that particular dough that is in my fridge that week!
Thanks again for the lovely book, I am having a BLAST!
Betsy
Lys: Look for all our gluten-free recipes in the 2nd book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, available 10/27, or pre-order now from Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/pe8yr9
Peggy: For lean breads: 205 degrees F. For enriched breads (with eggs), 180 to 185 degrees F.
Betsy: Sure, you can increase the rolled oats. Replacing water with molasses will require some experimentation— will be too dry if you overdo it. Next book may have chart like you suggest…. Thanks!
I’m really enjoying making my own bread. Your method makes it fun and easy.
Do you have a recipe for “bread bowls” that can be used to serve soup or pasta? Do you bake the bread ahead of time, then put already cooked pasta into it, or could you bake the bread and the pasta at the same time?
We haven’t tried this yet, but I’m guessing you can find a method on the web— just google it and use any of our “lean” doughs for the bowl.
But I can’t imagine you could get away with baking the bowl and the pasta at the same time…
I am making the Chocolate Bread. It is so stiff out of the fridge and is not acting at all like your other breads. I can’t seem to cloak it. It is resting now but is it supposed to be as wet and loose as the other breads? Or did the chocolate cause it to stiffen?
The butter-based doughs don’t have the resiliency– that butter, when cooled in the fridge, gets stiff. It’s not so much the chocolate. Shape it as best you can; it will perform well in the oven.
I have given out 5 of these books and everyone is inpressed.
Would you please adjust the recipe on page 25 to a 5lb bag of flour.
Thanks
Just multiply everything by 2.5, since our regular recipe takes 2 pounds of flour. So, five pounds of flour takes 3 3/4 pounds of water (7 1/2 cups). Use about 3 1/2 tablespoons of yeast and kosher salt.
Love the bread (except the Chocolate Bread; that was ghastly) and make it all the time but need to know: is it okay to use a glass bread pan? I’m concerned about the high temp.
Having made countless batches of dough in the last four months, I have to ask a question that has puzzled me since I started weighing out the ingrediants.
How do you get four 1 lb loaves out of the basic recipe?? I never do, and I weigh out the dough before shaping.
6.5 cups of AP flour at 5 oz per cup = 32.5 oz
3 cups of water = 24 oz
Salt and yeast = 3 T = maybe 1.5-2 oz
Yes there is gas trapped in the bubbles but that won’t bring the total up to four lbs (64 oz).
I know it’s a minor point. The taste and crust are what really matter, and the bread is just awesome!
Pam: truth be told, the Master recipe makes four loaves that each weigh 0.9 pounds, not 1.0 pounds each. The total batch weighs 3.6 pounds, not 4.0.
We’re more careful about stuff like this for the upcoming book! Jeff
Made aloaf shaped and braided challahs this Friday. Crumb even but dense! I want the texture that tears into lovely shreds like my bakery makes.
I understand that I am not supposed to handle the challah dough too much, but how does one stretch the three strands to proper length, even with resting, and not have to handle it? The loaf shap was also even but dense.
Advise and thanks
You’re right, you need to handle this one to get the strands. It helps a bit to form one very long strand, and then cut it into thirds– slightly different directions than what we say in the book.
I’m guessing you’ll like a longer rest time more– try two hours and see what you think. Jeff
Have been working my way through the book, I love the pretzels! ut I can’t make a nice shape for one to save my life, I would like to see you do a step by step for making them look nice like you have done some others here. Thanks so much!
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
So happy about the new book coming out!
I want to get a second stone. I have a Pampered Chef bar pan, would love a 14×16 stone. I could use my convection oven and cook more at once.
All the pizza stones! So many choices. I remembered that you were talking about the Williams Sonoma. I saw the posting, but also many reviews about the weird smell.
I also saw some online postings about people using unglazed tile for baking, and wondering about using that.
Would love your comments. And, yes, Zoe does look a bit like Katheryn Hepburn in some of the recent photos.
Hi Judy,
You made my day! 🙂
When we taught at a cooking school in Phoenix we used the unglazed tiles and they were just fine.They are very thin so they don’t conduct or retain as much heat, but they are still worth a shot. One word of caution is that you may want to bake on parchment, because the cornmeal falls between the tiles and hits the bottom of the oven.
Zoë
I just made my first batch of bread from the master recipe. It came out a little lopsided, cause the dough sort of pushed out from one side near the bottom. But oh my…it was WONDERFUL!!! I couldn’t wait, and cut it while it was warm. Even ran over to the neighbors to share it, I was so proud of it.
Hi Lisa,
Congrats on your first loaf. For the next one try letting it rest a bit longer, like 15-20 minutes before baking and make sure your slashes are 1/4-inch deep. These things should help the shape of the loaf!
Enjoy, Zoë
Thanks, Zoe!!!
I purchased an 18″x18″ unglazed tile at Lowes, they cut it down to 16×16. It JUST fits into my oven. I might have them cut it down to 14 x 16″, like the ones you buy in the store. That way, there won’t be any cornmeal running between tiles.
I’ve just been afraid to use it. But knowing that you’ve had some success with tiles, I’ll give it a try. I haven’t been able to find any smaller tiles at Home Depot or Lowes, anyways. The nice guy at Lowes said I could bring it back to make it smaller, if I want. The machine won’t cut a tile that large, but he’s been doing a great job “winging it.”
Glad I brightened your day!
Hi Judy,
That sounds perfect! Really my only beef with it was the size and you took care of it!
Let me know how it goes! Zoë
Hi –
WOW – I’m baking my first loaf right now. I read ALL of these questions and have learned so much!
My question is a new one: Do I have to store in a plastic pot? I was going to use my stainless dutch oven with a top (All Clad, if it matters) and keep that in the fridge. Will that work? (We avoid plastic… and I have little kids so now I avoid glass, too!)
Thanks!
Hi Beth,
You can certainly use pots that are stainless steel or enamel lined. Anything that won’t react to the dough.
Enjoy the bread! Zoë
What made the difference in taste, avoiding the somwhat sour flavor, was switching to white whole wheat flour. I did try allowing the dough to breathe more and also shaping the loaf immediately before refrigerating it, but from what I’ve since read on the internet, the white whole wheat flour was the key. Good to know, and thanks for your help!
As advertised – Fantastic! Must be extremely satisfying to have a world winner in this day and age of hype. Congrats, Tim Mandeville
Q: After mixing a batch and allowing 2 hours for the initial rise, can I transfer the result to 2 smaller containers for refrigeration or would that ruin it? Reason for doing so? Motor home frig has limited space.
Thanks,
Tim
Leslie: Lots of WWW in our next book, we love that product.
Tim: Definitely go with the smaller containers, it won’t harm anything at all. Happy Baking! Jeff
I absolutely LOVE your book and the wonderful bread it produces with so little effort. I was ecsatic when I found the recipe for the English Granary bread which I “lust” for when in England. Now, I am frustrated because Kind Arthur flour does not carry it anymore (or right now??). I even contacted Red Star yeast and had a return phone call. They now store their malted wheat flakes in Canada in 50lb. bags!!!
Do you have any knowledge of a U.S. supplier for malted wheat flakes??
Thanks,
Charlotte
Charlotte: Unfortunately, I do not. We keep telling people to check with health food stores, but I can’t say that this is going to be reliable either!
Thank you so much for getting back to me. If you can’t find it here, noone can. I guess my friend from England will have to bring some over for me!!
I found this in my tenacious searching for malted wheat flakes. Can this be used instead>
Ali Hood from Manteo, North Carolina
Bring back the malted wheat flakes!!!!!!!!
You can get them in the hot cereal section of your supermarket under the name Maltex. Molly@KAF
It can’t be that simple, can it???
Doesn’t hurt to try… let us know how it works out. Jeff
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
I thought I was doing something wrong, because I was only getting 3 1/2 of the 1 pound loaves per master recipe. Glad I checked this page, because you mentioned that it’s a 3.6oz batch, making .9 lb recipes each.
I would prefer to make 4 whole 1 pound loaves. Do you have an adjustment that wouldn’t be too difficult?
I appreciate your help VERY much, on all my questions. I am thinking of making an Excel document for all the doughs, showing which recipes you can make for the doughs I have in my buckets. If I do that, would you like a copy? I’ve seen that wish from other posters.
Thanks for all your help.
Judy
Judy: Add 1/4 cup more water, and 1/2 cup more flour, and see how you like it. You don’t need to adjust the yeast or salt. Jeff
I have been making your bread for a year now with great results. I have found a way to make the bread keep longer – add a small amount of honey to any recipe (1/4 cup per full recipe) and it stays moist several days longer. It is such a small amount that you cannot taste the honey. Sometimes I have to add a little more flour to make the consistency right – or perhaps I should put less water in? Anyway, I just wanted to share that tip!
Hi Colette,
It is true that adding a bit of honey will help to keep your bread moist. You can try adding a bit more flour or decreasing the water and see which works best for you!
Thanks for sharing the honey tip!
Thanks! Zoë
I’m having the devil of a time getting the bread to rise the 2nd time. The first rise is great but on the 2nd round it just sits there. I;ve had the Oatmeal/Pumpkin bread sitting on top of the stove to rise for 24 hours and it is still just about 2 inches tall. I also only get 2 loaves. What is wrong? Any ideas?
Hi Sus,
It is very typical for our breads not to rise much as they rest before going in the oven. They should rise quite a bit in the bucket when you first mix them up and let them sit for 2 hours, but after that they won’t rise much until they hit the oven.
If you fill your loaf about 3/4 full you will usually only get two loaves from the dough. If you make small loaves, you will get closer to three. I prefer to make my loaves a bit larger so they are good for sandwiches.
If you are letting the dough sit on the counter for 24 hours the dough will over proof and the yeast will no longer have any strength to rise the bread once it goes into the oven, which will result in a dense loaf. the longest you want to let it rest at room temperature is about 2 hours for a 1 1/2 pound loaf or 2 1/2 hours for a 2 pound loaf.
Thanks! Zoë
Hi Zoe and Jeff,
Well, I baked 6 loaves of bread today! Three are master loaf with fresh rosemary. The other 3 (and a half, leftover dough) are from the olive oil dough. I’m going to try a Farmer’s Market tomorrow for the first time!
I promised Zoe that I’d get back to her about the tile I tried for a baking stone. It seems to be working out ok! It’s a Travartine unglazed stone from Lowes, cut to 16″ x 14″. The size is great, I was able to bake 2 loaves on that and 2 loaves on my Pampered Chef bar pan. I had to take out the broiling pan and spray water instead. The lasagne pan I used wasn’t deep enough. I didn’t spray often enough, but I think it turned out ok.
One trick I am doing is baking the breads upside down for a few minutes, when the bread is almost done. That way, any underbaking on the bottom will bake out.
It takes longer to bake 4 loaves. I just go by “feel.”
If I just use the master recipe as is, it’s a bit easier for me. So I have 1/2 loaf to cut up for samples for people. But if just leave the 8oz. of dough in the bucket, can I just add the new batch to it? I took it out and began a new batch, then put it back in after 2 hours of rising.
Thanks!
Judy L, TN (also out in the middle of nowhere)
Hi Judy,
Wow, you have been busy! So glad the tiles are working out for you. I’ve never heard of the pottery piece that you are referring to, but it sounds very interesting. Let us know if you try it.
If you have a little dough left in the bucket then I would add the new batch to it. I think it improves the flavor of the next batch.
Have fun at the Farmer’s market!
Zoë
Oh, I am thinning out recipes from my notebooks. I ran across a posting from a cooking group that you can buy a stoneware flat piece from a pottery supply store. It would be much cheaper than at a cooking store.
I don’t have a pottery supply store in our small city, but I am wondering about this. It would help me cut down the cost of baking these wonderful breads.
If there’s one in your area, I am wondering what you might find out.
Thanks, Judy
I made my first batch of bread today and loved it! Is it possible to make larger loaves, or do they have to be one pound (grapefruit sizxe) only? I have six kids, and they eat alot….so I’m trying to figure out how to do this efficiently, and maximize my loaves. Thanks for your help, and loved the book!
Hi Monique,
Jeff and I will bake an entire batch into a single loaf when we are giving away tastings at book signings. The trick is that you have to allow the dough to rest longer before baking and bake longer in order to make sure it bakes through and is not too dense. We tend to bake these loaves as slightly flatter loaves and not high domed ones to insure they have a nice crumb inside.
The amount of time you will let them rest depends on how large the loaf is. The best rule of thumb is to let it rest until it is no longer cold or dense when you touch it.
Enjoy! Zoë
Hi Jeff and Zoe,
What do you think of a reader forum, where we share ideas? I could start one on Yahoo Groups, if you like. I’d love to talk to the other people who sell at Farmers Markets.
The readers don’t get an opportunity to talk to each other here. Or, have you set up another spot?
Judy L, TN
Judy: There’s already a reader group at Yahoo. It’s [email protected], so better to just join that one rather than starting something new? Jeff