Ask a Question

Questions? Start with the Search Bar: I’ve been posting recipes and answering questions on this site since 2007, so if you have a question, there’s probably a post that addresses it somewhere on this website. So, the first thing to do is to use the Search Bar on the Home Page. In narrower laptop or desktop displays, it sometimes appears right underneath the orange BreadIn5 logo, and on phones it’s right above where it says “How to make bread in five minutes a day?” Just type in the bread style, ingredient, or technique that you’re interested in, and the search-engine will show you posts on the topic, with recipes and answers to many questions.

Another place to look: the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page (there’s also have a Gluten-Free FAQs page). If you don’t find your answer in the FAQs, you can post baking questions and comments, but please be brief, so I can get to all the questions.  

If neither of those get you to the answer you need, click on any “Comments/Reply” field at the top of any post (it doesn’t have to be here on “Ask a Question”) and scroll down to the bottom; then enter your question or comment. Don’t look for the response in your personal email… Come back here to the site on the page where you posted, to look for the answer.

Questions are answered here on the website within 24 hours, often with a reference to a page number in our books where possible.  Please remember that the blog is moderated, so your post may not appear until I’ve read and approved it; this can take 24 hours.

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6,789 thoughts to “Ask a Question”

  1. Hi Jeff and Zoe,
    I just received your book from Amazon two days ago and I haven’t put it down since! I’ve managed to bake the master recipe this morning and the boule was very well-received by my family. What would your advice be if I’d like this bread to be ready by 6:30am (in time for my daughter’s school) but I’m hoping that I do not have to wake up one hour earlier (30 minutes for rise and 30 minutes of baking time). I live in Singapore and the temperature is 28-32 degrees Celsius with high humidity (if that helps).

    Secondly, if I make the buttermilk bread dough in bulk, will the subsequent loaf acquire a ‘sourdour’ taste?

    Thanks for your advice!

    Reply

    1. Hi Melanie,

      I’m so glad you enjoyed your first loaf.

      To have fresh bread in the morning you can do the refrigerator rise:
      1, shape the dough and set it on a piece of parchment. Cover loosely, but completely with plastic, set it in the refrigerator 8-14 hours before baking time.
      2, remove from refrigerator and let it rise as the oven preheats. Slide into the oven as directed. It may take a few more minutes to bake, since it will still be a bit chilled.

      Any dough with dairy in it needs to be baked within the 5-7 day range, depending on the dough and your taste. You can always freeze the dough and use it later.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  2. Using Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I’ve enjoyed about a year of pleasant and productive learning — now a question.

    On the Gulf Coast of Texas, shall I reduce the water in order to produce a drier loaf? Even adding minutes and increasing temperature, my loaves a bit more damp than I would like.

    Thanks for a fine approach and great books —

    Reply

    1. Hi Ann,

      So glad you’ve enjoyed your bread!

      Yes, I would try adding a bit more flour to the dough. If it’s very humid, it may need a little drying out.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  3. I cannot find my baguette recipe but I have my artisan in five bread flour mix already made. I cannot find it on the website and am trying to make it tonight. Can you share the recipe with me? I don’t have time to go out and get the book.

    Reply

  4. Is there a technique or trick for slicing bread evenly? I start off with an even slice, but eventually end up with wedges. I’ve used a bread knife and an electric knife with the same results. I’ve tried turning the loaf and slicing from the side but still keep slicing at a slight angle. I’ve seen different bread slicing guides sold on Amazon, but they all get bad reviews as well as good reviews. I toast my bread, so it helps for slices to be even so they toast uniformly. I would also like to make french toast, which calls for even slices of bread.

    Reply

      3. Hi Zöe,
        I need a rye braed using whole wheat. I have the original book, the gluten free and flatbread books. Do you have a link for me to a recipe.
        Thanks in advance.

      4. Hi Drew,

        I am so thrilled you have all those books and I hope you are enjoying all the bread. You have requested the one bread that is in the book you don’t have New Healthy Bread in 5. It’s also a recipe we have not shared on our website. If you don’t want to buy another book, I could suggest you take it out of your local library, they tend to have our books.

        Cheers, Zoë

    2. One thing which might help is to use a knife which is wide from top to bottom. I find that one which is about 2 inches from top to bottom works best, and, of course, it should be sharp so you don’t have to to fight with it.

      I hope this helps,

      Mike Dietz

      Reply

      1. At your suggestion, I bought a new bread knife where the blade is not tapered. It is one inch wide the full length of the blade, and that seems to make the difference. I got slices that were even. Thanks for the tip!
        (The knife I got is a Cuisinart for $20–didn’t want to spend a lot.)

    1. Hi Jon,

      Our method is based on making large batches of dough and storing the dough to use over a long period of time. It is too much dough to use in a bread machine, so you’d have to make a smaller batch. This means you don’t get the time savings. But, If you made a 1/4 batch it may just work, I’ve never tried it.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  6. Apple-Barley Bread p. 258 from New Healthy in 5: Why does the recipe call for regular apples as well as dried apples and do you recommend a particular variety of apple for this recipe? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Carole,

      The regular apples and dried ones impart different textures and the dried apples have a very intense flavor, while the regular ones add moisture. I tend to use Braeburn or other firm apple.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  7. I have been experimenting with Bob’s Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix as the base for my bread buckets. The experiment is going well Have you tried it? Here is my adaptation of your New Healthy Bread… Master Recipe Table on page 81:

    144g Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour
    120g Bob’s Red Mill Spelt Flour
    720g Bob’s Red Mill Low-carb Baking Mix (c
    ontains wheat gluten)
    3.5g yeast
    1Tbsp sea salt
    4c water

    Any suggestions?

    Reply

    1. Hi Joseph,

      I have not tried it, but it sounds like a great experiment! Thanks for sharing your blend with us, I’m sure other readers will be excited to give it a try.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  8. Baked brioche recipe page 189 in Artisan Bread. Tastes fabulous however finished bread is very lumpy and cracked instead of smooth and shiny. I am reluctant to mix dough too much as the recipe says. What can I do to get a smooth finish. I am using the fluted pan and eggwash.

    Reply

    1. Hi Judy,

      If you knead the dough just a few times before shaping into the ball, you will get the gluten all linked together and you’ll get a better stretch. You will need to let the dough rise a bit longer, since it will be a tighter ball. I’d say 2 hour rise will help the shape and cracking once you’ve kneaded the dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  10. Hey! Last night I made the dough for your boule recipe for the first time. I got distracted when adding flour (yay small children!) And I think I added a cup less flour then I should have. Its been in the fridge all night. Should I chuck the dough or just add the missing cup of flour?

    Reply

    1. Hi Maegan,

      It happens to the best of us! 😉 You can add the flour now. It’s a bit easier to do if you have a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

    2. Maegan, if you are not sure whether or not you added that last cup of flour, add up the weights of ALL of the ingredients called for in the recipe and then check the actual weight of the dough and see how the numbers compare. If you are short the weight of 1 cup of flour, you’ll have your answer. Note that the numbers won’t be exact to the gram or ounce, but close enough to approximate the weight of one cup of flour.

      Reply

  11. Love the book, Artisan in 5 !! Great stuff!
    I now have a Dutch oven , a large black pot.
    Do you guys have any guide lines for this type of backing? I love that it traps the steam

    Many thanks Eric

    Reply

    1. We sure do, which of the Artisan in 5 books are you working from, and I’ll direct you to the page number with those instructions.

      Reply

  12. I’m looking at The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and I am loving it! It says that I need a broiler tray to add water to when I start baking the master recipe. I do not have a broiler tray. Do you have any recommendations on the tray I should get, the type of metal, or any alternatives to the broiler tray for adding the water?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. We’ve always used the enameled steel one that comes with the oven, but there are alternatives–see pages 19 through 21.

      Whatever you do, don’t use glass–it shatters.

      Reply

  13. Hi there,

    I am on day 7 of my new starter as per your recipe, and there is much hooch, & a slightly “off” sour smell. I thought by now that the starter would begin to foam and smell “pleasantly” sour.This is not my first starter or bread experience, but I am also not a pro.My previous starter had a yogurt base, which did tend to have a very nice sour smell. I would really like to begin a loaf, but the smell is a bit alarming, and it does not match your day 7 foamy picture. Any suggestions? I hate to waste all that time & flour (I used organic hard flour), but 1 of my other buddies who regularly makes her own starters says “if it smells off-toss it!” I appreciate your feedback!

    Thank-you,

    Reply

  14. I’m using the master formula for a boule in New Artisan Bread. The only flour I used is King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour, and I weighed it. My question is this, I know KAF takes more water than other flours, but I had to add almost a cup more than 3 cups to get a dough that was wet enough to fill into the corners of my bucket. Is this common that KAF flour would need that much more water? Or do I follow my instincts as I did today and add enough water to make a wet dough

    Reply

    1. On page 10, we talked about what we observed–about a quarter-cup extra water, so I can’t explain this. Any chance your scale is off?

      Most importantly, how did the dough perform–did it spread out sideways instead of rising upward as it baked when done as a free-form?

      Reply

  15. I haven’t baked yet with this batch of dough. I’ll know tomorrow when I bake on. The dough has risen like crazy in the container, but is quite wet.

    Reply

    1. Yeah–might be too wet. If it spreads out rather than upwards, go with our recommendation on page 10 for your next batch.

      It’ll taste just fine though…

      Reply

      1. I cloaked it well, and I think it did spread a little, but the loaves came out great. Apparently it wasn’t too wet after all, though I don’t understand why KAF took so much water. My next batch, a double, I measured instead of weighed, in case my scale was off.

  16. Can you please tell me if there are any repeated recipes in “The New Artisan Bread…”, “The New Healthy Bread…” and “Artisan Pizza and Flatbread…” ? My primary interest is in being able to make some good basic bread (traditional and healthy) and a decent basic pizza dough. Or phrased another way, do I need to purchase all three books to have the information that will allow me to do this?

    Thank you

    Reply

    1. There’s some redundancy. If you want to buy one book that covers a little of all that, you could try The New Artisan Bread in Five…

      But, there’s not much whole wheat in there–it’s mostly white flours. But a decent amount of pizza and flatbread recipes.

      Reply

  18. I have your first book, and this summer I made your white and peasant loaves several times while up at my cabin in Minnesota. (I usually use another bread making method, but the table top oven at the cabin only goes up to 450 degrees, and that’s not quite enough for the other method.) Anyway, the white bread I made from your recipe always turned out great. But the dough for the European peasant bread always seemed too loose and hard to handle, even after it was refrigerated. In fact, I thought the first time that I had miscounted the cups of white flour and had maybe used 4 1/2 cups, instead of 5 1/2 cups. But I’ve counted carefully every time since. When shaping the peasant loaf I had to work very quickly to keep it from almost oozing out of my hands. The dough spread out quite a lot while it was resting and didn’t rise very much in the oven. I also have to cook it longer than you advise to get the bottom of the bread done–even at home in my conventional oven. However, the crumb looks quite good and the bread is very tasty. I’m not sure what the issue is, but I was thinking I might do better if I had a target weight for the white flour. instead of volume measurements. Do you know how many grams/ounces I should be shooting for? Or, maybe you have another idea about what’s going wrong. Thanks, Beth

    Reply

    1. Doesn’t make sense to me, because the rye and whole wheat usually aborb more water than white, and you’re just replacing it cup-for-cup with 1 cup out of 6.5.

      But it’s too wet, should decrease the water a bit. 1/4-cup? Weights appear in the 2013 edition of the book (The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day).

      Reply

  19. Is it possible to halve the recipe for the basic dough? Just went from a family of 5 to a family of 2 (triplet daughters off at college!) so we can never use up the dough in time. It’s been a household staple for years so I want to keep making the bread. Thanks!

    Reply

  20. Baked my second batch yesterday, but forgot to slash before placing dough in oven–ended up slashing after about 10 minutes in oven–but tastes delicious. I read in “The NEW Artisan Bread…” book that I can leave the baked bread on the counter covered with an overturned bowl and another way (wax paper, perhaps?) and then loosely covered in foil before placing it in fridge. Which is the best way to store baked bread? Thank you.

    Reply

      3. Thanks, Jeff; thought i saw it but then couldn’t find it–driving me crazy. I have a kindle version–found the info on location 755, under “what’s the best way to store fresh bread? THANKS!

  21. Hi Zoe
    My dough ended up a gooey mess even though I sprinkled it with flour before attempting to bake. I ended up throwing this first batch away. What did I do wrong?

    Reply

  22. In advance, thanks for responding to this unusual request. I have a number of severe dietary restrictions and have found the only bread that seems to agree with me on a somewhat regular basis in English muffin bread loaf. A gluten free English muffin bread loaf recipe would work as well. I really don’t want to make individual the small rounds we see commercially available. I have several of your books but have missed finding this recipe.

    Trying to feed myself is such a chore, so thanks again.

    Reply

    1. In Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, we recommend pan-baking the Gluten-Free Challah or Brioche dough from that book (on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2iLSuuf)–to get what you’re looking for, you’d just bake these as loaf breads as written (could skip the braid on that Challah).

      Reply

  23. I am using:
    ”The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”

    I would like to find ways to vary the INDIVIDUAL loaves I bake using Your Master Recipe. I like variety in my breads.

    Prior to using your method, I had been baking single loaves using a no knead recipe. I would bake a loaf using bread flour one day. The next day I might substitute Whole Wheat for some of the Bread Flour. And the next I might make a caraway rye loaf.

    It is obvious to me that I could not simply add other flours to each handful of dough I take from the Master Recipe, since those additional flours would not be fermented.

    Have you any suggestions for how I might create different loaves?

    Reply

    1. All our variations in that book–are basically what you’re looking for. Basically everything in Chapter 6 of the book you’re referring to.

      Reply

    2. Steve, since you vary the flours and/or ingredients on a daily basis, perhaps you could scale down the master recipe to make, say, 2 or 3 single loaves of the size you prefer and store the smaller batch of dough in one smaller container. Glad containers are great for this.

      Then, for 3 or 4 days in a row, mix up one different 2- or 3-loaf variation each day and store those. You would have 3 or 4 smaller containers in your refrigerator. That way you wouldn’t have to mix a fresh batch of dough for 8 or so days in the cycle and could pull out a loaf-size ball of dough from whichever variation you’d like for that day’s baking. You would have 6 to 12 days’ worth of single-loaf baking available for 3 or 4 days’ worth of work without having to mix a fresh batch of dough every day except for the first 3 or 4 days. Those numbers are not a mathematical certainty, but hopefully you get the idea. Hopefully I explained it clearly enough. I’ll call it the Revolving Door Method.

      Reply

  24. Just discovered New Artisan in 5 updated book: love everything I’ve made. I do have 1 question. In 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (p. 134), can I substitute 5 tbspns melted butter for the oil, or will that create problems?

    Reply

  25. I am making the whole wheat bread from your book “The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” I have found that the bread becomes stale to the point it is nearly uncuttable if it is over 8 hours old. I was hoping to make some bread that I could keep in my bread bag and use over the course of 2-3 days. Is this possible with your method?

    Reply

    1. Plastic bags may work better than your bread bags, but the crust will almost immediately soften. Fresh homemade loaves weren’t made for storage; they have no preservatives or dough conditioners. That said, the natural sourdough (end of book) is a natural preservative and that might be your answer.

      Reply

  27. HOW LONG AND AT WHAT TEMPERATURE IF I MAKE THE BREAD IN THE CROCK POT? I HAVE A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD WHO LOVES WARM BREAD AND I WORK ALL DAY SO WHEN I SAW THIS I WAS JUST WONDERING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER

    Reply

  28. How do I get my loves to be more airy and holey? This has probably been asked a million times before but I can not find on your site how to go and look through the questions or search them for the answer.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  29. Someone gave me some spelt flour and I was thinking of just using it like w.w. flour. Is there any problem w/ that?

    Emily Fischer

    Reply

      1. “Healthy Bread in Five Min./Day.” pg. 79: 100% WW Bread, Plain and Simple. OK to use spelt flour?

      2. Should be OK, but you may have to adjust the water, and for sure, it’ll be denser–spelt has less gluten and creates less structure. Adjust up or down with the water so that the dough looks about like what you’re used to with regular WW.

  30. Hello. I am working off the master recipe in the New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book. When I go to shape my loaves the dough doesn’t seem very elastic but instead tears as I am shaping the ball. Do you know what I would adjust to get a more elastic dough here? It also doesn’t rise all that well in the oven, I’m guessing that’s because the gases are being released when the dough is tearing. The taste is still good but the loaves are relatively small and where I score the top it slits down the whole loaf length when baking.

    Reply

    1. Hmmm. Sounds like your dough is too dry. How are you measuring the flour? What brand of flour are you using? All-purpose or bread flour?

      Reply

  31. Hi- In your original version of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes, on page 72 there is a recipe, “Bran-Enriched White Bread”. In the list of ingredients is “cornstarch wash”, and it references the page that tells us how to make it. However, the rest of the instructions for Bran-Enriched have no mention of when to use it. I suspect we use it on the loaf before slashing, but the instructions on that recipe (p. 72) call for flouring the loaf before slashing, probably a mistake when the book was created. But, just so I’m sure, can you clarify when and how the cornstarch wash should be used on that Bran-Enriched recipe? (didn’t see this question in your faq’s)
    Thank you-
    Deb

    Reply

    1. Sorry about that. Cornstarch wash creates a shiny surface, and that’s not compatible with the scorched-flour look. You can choose which effect you want for this loaf–both of them are great.

      If you do the cornstarch wash, it’s painted on with a pastry brush just before slashing.

      Reply

  32. Dear Zoe,
    GF artisian bread in 5 days:
    Book offers information on a sourdough shortcut and sourdough starters. However, in the 90 recipes offered I don’t find any for gluten free sourdough bread or gluten free, yeast free sourdough bread. These are the types of recipes I am looking for. I have been made aware that sourdough recipes can be yeast free due to the sourdough starter causing the the bread to rise without adding yeast. I love your book and would be grateful for a gluten free yeast free recipe. Please advise.

    Reply

      1. Moderation means that the first time you post, you won’t see your comment right away. We have to look at it, make sure it’s not spam (that it’s not inappropriate), and “approve” it electronically. Thereafter, your posts appear immediately.

    2. Because gluten-free doughs tend to yield denser loaves, and because sourdough tends to yield denser loaves when you store the dough (as we do), we decided to forego true sourdough in our GF book. That said, we’re told that it works reasonably well, we just didn’t test it. We saved our sourdough experiments for our 2016 book, The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (on Amazon at https://amzn.to/1NdVkgj). But I have to be clear–the sourdough chapter (chapter 11) calls for whole wheat flour. I’m guessing that you can successfully adapt it for GF mixtures found in our other book–I just can’t guarantee it, because we didn’t do it ourselves.

      Reply

      1. I have been making sourdough bread for years, mostly with only sourdough starter, and no commercial yeast. The difference is that sourdough starter uses natural yeasts occurring in the air around us. Sourdough bread is by no means yeast free.

        Commercial yeast is designed to be easy to use, and quick. Sometimes it may take 24-36 hours to make a good loaf of sourdough bread, but many of us think that the taste is worth it. It just takes some planning to start your loaf before you run out of the old one.

        My guess is that you would be best served by making an Irish soda bread, but with gluten free ingredients.

  33. I want to substitute whey from my homemade yogurt for some of the water in the European Peasant Bread recipe. Have you tried using whey in any of your bread recipes? Can I do a 1 to 1 substitution? Are there any other adjustments I would need to make?

    Reply

    1. Hi Marilyn,

      I have used whey from homemade yogurt and it is wonderful. I usually do a 50/50 split with water, otherwise it ferments too quickly. You may like the flavor, so play with the amount. This dough may not store as well for as long, so plan to use it within a week.

      Enjoy, Zoë

      Reply

  34. Do you have a recipe for Kugelhopf? It is an a speciality in Alsace, France. It is a breakfast yeast cake similar to brioche, but made in a tube pan.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ann,

      I am developing one right now for our upcoming book! I just tested it this weekend and I am so excited!

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  35. Using your 2007 book, and wanting to do exactly as your book instructs, I measured the yeast according to your book instructions (1 1/2 tablespoons or 1 1/2 packets). In order to get the 1 1/2 tablespoons we noticed we actually had to use 2 packets of Red Star yeast. The yeast packet stated that it had 7 grams or 1/4 oz. per packet. With that kind of discrepancy, I was concerned that I didn’t put in the right amount. My question is- have the packets of yeast changed in amounts since 2007? Why would there be that big a difference in tablespoon measurement vs. what the packet actually contained? In looking over your questions and answers concerning yeast, I’ve also noticed that you don’t necessarily have to be so exact with the measurements…is that true? But also, if you use too much yeast, does that make more air and thus a drier product?

    Reply

  36. Using Book 1

    How to freeze dough in airtight plastic bags
    at what stage
    a. before/afterris
    b. before/after cloak
    c. before/after prep

    thanks muchly

    GREAT SUCCESS with boule and rye. Pizza another question.
    another thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi Walter,

      When to freeze after it has had its initial rise, is really a matter of taste. Some people like to freeze it right away after the initial rise, to prevent much fermentation. Others like to let it sit for a couple of days to get some sourdough character, then freeze it.

      I suggest you freeze it in 1 pound piece at any stage after the initial rise. Unless you freeze it in the pan you intend to bake it on, it doesn’t make sense to shape the loaf first, since it will likely lose it’s shape and you will have to handle it again anyway.

      To bake, defrost and shape and bake as you would with refrigerated dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  37. Hello Zoe and Jeff,
    I am loving your book!!!!

    I have the first book (bought it from amazon), the one with no weight measurement. As a European I found that to be a bit of an obstacle, but i didn’t give up 🙂
    I was struggling for a while with the gluten cloaking, but I think i have mastered it enough to go forward :).

    I am trying the ciabatta recipe from that book, and that one is not super detailed.
    It says to shape it into an oval form which is nice, but it doesn’t really say how much to let it sit before baking it?

    If I am understanding correctly from those instruction it seems that it is 20 minutes? Isn’t that a little bit too short?

    Thanks in advance for your answer

    Reply

    1. Hi Milos,

      I was very happy that we got to redo that book with weights, makes it easier on everyone. In the new version of that book we suggest a 20 minute rest or up to 40, if you aren’t getting nice big holes in the baked ciabatta. You can even go longer if your kitchen is a bit cool.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  38. Greetings,

    About a year ago I learned how to make bread. About 9-10 months ago, I got a sourdough starter. I have been very happy with the starter. The white bread I make is picture perfect. However my wife and I prefer whole grain. The whole grain is hit n miss.

    The white bread rises, rounds, shapes and bakes very text book. The whole grain is a mystery. Sometimes it shapes like the white and sometimes it’s soup and takes all my skill to get the goo off the counter and into the bread mold. I’ve tried using more flour but I don’t get the nice elastic fun to work with dough I get with the white.

    The process I use is to the proof (add water and half the flour) the starter mid-day or afternoon. When I see it bubbling (usually a couple of hours later) I start adding in the rest of the flour. I go half way, then wait an hour or so, then add the rest. Overnight I let the bread rise. Normal overnight rise is 2-2.5X. When I wake, I throw the rising bucket into the fridge. About 2 to 24 hours later I remove the bread from the bucket and sometimes it’s a nice clump that shapes like a dream. Other times it’s like soup and I feel like I should use a spoon.

    Here is a list of common flours I have used.
    King Arthur bread flour: the best, bread in all aspects perfect
    King Arthur whole wheat: usually soupy, but bread tastes very good
    Ancient grains: worthless… total soup
    Mill ground (from the berries) Hard Red: better than KA’s whole wheat, but not as good as KA’s bread
    My water is excellent. We live in the Appalachian foothills and use our well. fwiw, there is nothing uphill from our property.

    Do you have an suggestions?

    -Peter

    Reply

    1. Hi Peter,

      This site is based on our books, which use a method that is quite different than the process you describe. I can give you a quick suggestion and hope it is helpful. The whole wheat flour doesn’t produce as much gluten, so you can’t swap bread flour for whole wheat without losing the structure of your dough. If you want to use a high portion of whole wheat you may consider using some vital wheat gluten, which will supply the structure you desire.

      Enjoy your bread and the process, it’s wonderful that you are experimenting like this! Zoë

      Reply

  39. I just tried baking two Whole Grain Rye Bread loaves (Healthy Bread in Five – page 167). I mixed it together about a week ago (which I may have waited too long – but why does that matter?). When I shaped the loaves for my loaf pans, the dough seemed much wetter than when I originally put the dough in the fridge. I should have followed the recipe better since I preheated my oven to 350 but I had already been having some problems with under-baked bread so I figured if I set it at 350 and just baked the bread longer, it should have time and a bit less heat to bake the whole loaf through. The result was VERY gummy, under-done, bread! So I cut the loaves in half and put them on a pan for another 1/2 hour – a total of nearly 1.5 hours in the oven and no change – just a super hard crust and gummy middle 🙁 I probably made a lot of mistakes but why, in particular, is my bread not baking?!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tianna,

      Is this the first recipe that you’ve tried? I am just trying to figure out if you have had this issue in the past?

      Here are a few ideas as to why:

      1. Do you have an oven thermometer? It is not uncommon for ovens to run cooler than the setting on the oven suggests. Having an oven thermometer allows you to adjust the temperature until it is at the right heat.

      2. If your dough is very cool (some refrigerators run colder) you may want to let the loaf rise a bit longer.

      3. This dough can only store in the refrigerator for up to a week, because rye flour has very little gluten and it loses it’s structure. If you don’t intend to use it within the first week, you may be better off freezing the dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  40. Working through The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day again, and currently working on my brioche. Does it need to be slashed? I get great rise and oven spring, but the top is blowing out when I bake in a loaf pan. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tim,

      you certainly can slash it or you can allow it to rest a bit longer. The blowing out top just suggests the yeast is still very active and it could stand to rest a bit longer before baking. Either way will work, just depends on the look you are going for and how long you have to let it rise.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  41. I own your color copy of your main BreadIn5 recipe and am loving the master recipe. I started a blog (simplykyra.com) and my friends are asking me to post my bread recipe. I was wondering if I can post about how I used your dough (made up my own sandwich bread) if I link back to your website for the actual base recipe. I saw the master recipe is posted on your blog already (https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2013/08/25/the-new-breadin5-recipe-is-on-the-gold-medal-flour-bag/) so if my blog ever takes off it would redirect traffic to your page.

    Thank you so much. I love having fresh bread whenever I want. Now only if my toddler would appreciate it a bit more <3 🙂

    Reply

  42. Could you please suggest your favorite, high-temperature-resistant parchment paper (for up to 450 degrees) suitable for your recipes that bake at the higher temperatures? Hopefully one easily available locally in stores or on Amazon. The Wilton brand is only good up to 400 degrees.

    Reply

    1. Hi Terri,

      Most brands won’t suggest a temperature above 400°F, but we’ve used them anyway and have never had an issue with them. Obviously you can’t broil on parchment, but we’ve baked up to 550°F. The parchment will turn dark brown or even black, but that’s it.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

    2. Terri… Read your comment requesting info on hi-temp parchment paper. King Arthur offers a hi-temp 450 degree parchment paper that I have used for several years and recommend. I use it primarily for all my bread baking needs and also for making pizza.

      Hope this helps.

      Reply

  44. I neither trust my oven temperature nor the cheap thermometer i bought! In order to register 450 degrees on the thermometer, I have to set the oven to 500 degrees. My GF loaves get overdone on the outside at about 25 minutes and I remove them but they are not done completely on the inside. Too hot or not hot enough?

    Reply

  45. Hello,
    I am working from the new bread in 5 book, and the basic boule recipe. I am probably the only person to ask this, but is there a way to get a less crunchy crust on the bread? I recently had some dental work done, and anything crunchy is out for a while, but I would like to continue to make and eat fresh bread. Any tips/advice would be appreciated.

    Reply

    1. Hi Bobbie,

      You are not alone in this request. There are several things you can do. When the bread comes out of the oven you can brush it with olive oil or butter, which softens the crust and/or you can drape a kitchen towel over the loaf, which traps some steam and softens the crust.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  46. I made my first loaf yesterday (regular master recipe from website) and it was delicious!! My husband and I were very pleased. I can’t wait to get the book and make more! Our only “complaint” was that the crust was a bit too thick and hard for our liking. What would cause that and what adjustments could I make? Is that a factor of heat or time or steam? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, I expected that there would be water in the pan throughout the baking time but it evaporated almost instantly. Is that normal? Thank you for your help and your amazing bread recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hi Sheri,

      I’m so glad you enjoyed your first loaf!

      What surface are you baking on? If you have a stone, how long are you preheating it? Do you have an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is true to temperature? If the stone or oven is not hot enough and the loaf takes longer to bake, it can cause a thick crust.

      The steam only needs to be present in the oven for the first 10-15 minutes, after that it really isn’t doing much, so it is normal for it to evaporate.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  47. Hello! I’ve been using your “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” book for years now. Every other week I’ve made a batch of your Master Recipe. Now all of a sudden, it has been coming out really wet. I do everything the same as I always have including weighing out 2 lbs of King Arthur’s Bread Flour & using 3 cups of ~95 degree water. The last couple of times I’ve had to add about 2 cups of flour to get the right consistency. What do you think is happening? Is King Arthur flour different all of a sudden?

    I love the recipes I’ve tried in your book and hope to get another for Christmas.
    Thanks, Terri

    Reply

    1. Hi Terri,

      Wow, that is very surprising, bread flour usually requires more water, not less. Did this happen more than once? Is it possible that you hadn’t hit tare before adding the flour? Flour batches can vary slightly from one season to the next, but not to the point that you would need 2 more cups than normal. Our dough is meant to be pretty wet, so using 5 cups of bread flour and only 3 cups of water must have resulted in a pretty dry dough??

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      2. Hi Michael,

        It sounds like the problem happened before it went into the oven, so it’s likely something with the dough.

        Thanks, Zoë

  48. Hi,
    I have version 1 of Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day. I am having trouble with the Master Recipe (p. 54) rising properly. I let the loaf rise for the specified amount of time and it looks great until I remove the light covering. It instantly falls flat and spreads out. When I bake it, there is no more rising. The bread tastes fine, but is very flat and circular in shape. It happens with my free form loaves and the ones I put in a pan for sandwich bread. I am at a slightly higher altitude. Is there something I need to adjust?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Daniela,

      Which book do you have, I can try to point you to a recipe? If you have the Healthy Bread Book, it would be closest to using spelt flour, which requires less water, because it has a lower gluten content.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

  50. hey,
    great work. your books have changed my life (no kidding). i have always lived for good bread and now i can make it.
    anyway, question:
    i left my broa dough in the fridge way too long and it has obviously gone sour (smell test).
    is it still safe to consume after baking?
    is this now sourdough broa?
    is there a point after which it is just not safe?
    thx in advance,

    s.

    Reply

    1. Hi Scott,

      So glad you are enjoying the bread.

      The dough is safe as long as it is free of any mold, which takes a very long time to develop, so it is likely just fine, but will have a strong fermentation smell and flavor.

      Thanks, Zoë

      Reply

      1. thx for the reply.

        i liked my loaf of “sourdough broa” i’ve had sandwiches all week off of it!

        cheers,

        s.

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