Calculating nutritional information for our recipes

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Many of you have asked about nutritional information… you can use WebMD’s site: https://www.webmd.com/diet/food-fitness-planner/ 

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70 thoughts to “Calculating nutritional information for our recipes”

  1. I’ve been using your recipes from Mother Earth and I just received the book today. I am stoked, as is my family. Do you have any recipes for Graham Flour bread? My dearly departed mother used to make a Graham bread that was divine. I’m sure there’s a way to replicate it using your methods. Any ideas?

    1. Hi Jocelyn,

      Check out the Graham Bread on page 268 and see if it is similar to what your mother made. We can help you recreate her bread as best we can.

      Thanks! Zoë

  2. Jeff,
    We are trying the new master recipe from Healty bread in five.We forgot to let dough rise before we put it in the refridgerator. Can we still salvage the dough?
    Kathy & Peter

    1. Peter: Sure, just take it out, let it warm to room temperature, and then it should be about 2 hours. But you’ve probably already seen that it will rise, though slowly, in the fridge. You may not need the 2 hours. Jeff

  3. I have a quick question/comment for you on the new book. I am in the process of making the Lentil Curry bread and two things concern me.

    1. There’s no mention of cooling down the lentils to room temperature before adding it to the flour mixture. You may want to add that to your next edition or someone is likely to kill off all of their yeast.
    2. Do you really need the 2 cups of additional water after adding 4 1/4 cups of water to the lentils and then pureeing them? That seems like a lot of liquid.

    I’m going to cool the lentils and then add the addt’l water and oil per the recipe and see what happens to the dough. I imagine it will smell wonderful when it’s baking! Thanks so much for your hard work. I really love your books and my family and friends are love the resulting experiments!

  4. I stand corrected! Whew! That dough sucked up all of the liquid and needed a little more (I’m around 5280′ in elevation). I look forward to tasting it!

    1. Hatchet: Glad that worked out, I know it did for me when I tested it, but you never know 🙂

      Yes, should let the lentils cool…

  5. A credit on the King Arthur Flour blog led me to your site & books. I was skeptical–my 3 attempts at the NY Times no-knead bread yielded gorgeous loaves, but with none of the whole grain flavor we prefer in bread. But I tried your whole wheat master recipe. We LOVED the results! So now I’ve bought the HB in 5 book, various ingredients & flours, & my 3rd batch (Bavarian pumpernickel) is in the frig. (Your dilled rye was delicious, too.)
    2 questions: 1) How can I add some KAF Harvest Grains to the master WW recipe? 2) We like really tangy almost black rye–can I use the KAF Heidelberg sour with some of your HB recipes to approach this flavor? I never thought I’d be enthusiastic about bread-baking, but your approach is easy & delicious. And so much less expensive (& counter-hogging) than the bread-machine I nearly ordered. Thank you!

    1. Hi Zorra,

      I’m so glad you are baking so much bread! It really is easy and fun.

      You may want to try the KAF Harvest Grain mixture in a dough like the cracked wheat recipe. Just try replacing the mix for the cracked wheat and it should work. With a dough like that you may need to let it rest overnight in the fridge before shaping and baking, to allow the grains to absorb the water.

      I also think that the Heidelberg sour would be wonderful in the dough. I think they say to add a few teaspoons to a batch. You may just have to play with it and see how much is enough. please report back and let us know how they come out!

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Yes, I was disappointed in the NYT no knead bread, too, and just gave up. But I am so tired of paying $3-4 for a loaf of so-called 100% whole wheat bread that isn’t really that good.
        Years (decades!) ago I ground my own flour in a hand crank stone burr grinder for my bread, but kids, life, job took care of that activity. But I am anxious to get started again especially with the 100% whole grain recipes. SO that I can hit the kitchen NOT kneading as soon as the book arrives I have a few questions (sorry there are so many):
        -Should I buy this later book rather than the first to get started. Are the basics covered in both.
        -Is there a basic starter utensils list (I am definitely going for the Pullman pan since my husband likes sandwiche bread).
        -Does anyone happen to know if Whole Foods carry most of the specialized ingredients. e.g., “vital wheat gluten”
        -America’s Test Kitchen likes the King Arthur FLour, too, but slightly prefers Hodgkins Mills. Is there any known difference in protein, thus recipe adjustments.
        I am so excited to have stumbled on this site! Thank you, thank you

      2. Susan: Basics are covered in all our books–we have three now, and each can stand independently. Our second book (https://bit.ly/3wYSSN) is the one with the most 100% whole grain recipes. It depends on the use of vital wheat gluten to achieve that in the context of dough storage (which is the key to our method’s speed), and I believe WF carries it– but it’s available more widely than that, because Bob’s Red Mill is widely distributed now. It’s nice to have a baking stone but not absolutely required. Oven thermometer is nice too https://ow.ly/8CVPU.

        Flour adjustments are on https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-flour-and-water

  6. For Christmas dinner I plan on baking four loafs at once of your Wheat Stalk Bread on the same baking stone. Do I need to bake these any longer since there is four not just one as well do I need to add anymore water to the boiler tray again since I am baking four at once not the usual one at a time. Thanks!!

    1. Hi Walter,

      Just be sure they have room on the stone, you don’t want them to be too crowded. You don’t necessarily need to bake them any longer, but I would make sure that stone is really good and hot. Let it preheat for 30 minutes. No extra water is needed.

      Enjoy, happy holidays! Zoë

  7. I love your method, and the bread is delicious! Lately though, I have noticed that the bread starts to “split” open where I slash it. I have noticed it especially in the olive bread, but also in the artisan boule. After slashing and baking for about 15 minutes, it’s almost as if the top layer of dough splits open and peels down the sides. Any idea what might be happening? Do you think there is too much moisture in the dough. Thanks for any advice!!

    megan

    1. Hi Megan,

      This is most often caused by slashes that are cut too shallow. You need to make sure your cuts are about 1/4″ deep. If you are already doing that then you may want to let the dough rest a bit longer, sometimes it happens in dough that has not rested long enough.

      Thanks, Zoë

  8. Love the bread recipe from Mother Earth News. We make our own bread now and my husband is hooked on the pizza that we make on our grill outside. One question: how important is the amount of salt in the recipe as I am trying to lower my sodium consumption. Is it for taste only? How much can I reduce it without sacrificing taste and/or texture?

  9. Do you have any plans for a low carb bread or suggestions on making the recipes lower in carbs? I have both your books and love the breads, too much!

    Thanks

    1. Diana: All the 100% whole grain breads are lower in carbs than anything with white flour. Are any bread recipes low-carb? I would say no…

  10. I have a grain mill which I use for all my flour. Can I use my own flour (white, wheat, red, white, whatever) for this recipe? In fact, can I use my own flour for any of the recipes in ABin5?

  11. Just wanted to say THANK YOU! I am mostly a microwave cooker, and would have been totally intimidated to try making bread had it not been for your recipes in Mother Earth News! My sons (3 & 6 years) think I am the queen for making bagels!! And my husband and I are so pleased to make such nutritional and on-demand breads for our family. In the two last weeks, I’ve made bagels twice, the basic wheat bread twice and the multi-grain bread! Obviously they are getting eaten quickly because they are tastey. 3 & 6 year olds don’t lie. So thrilled!! Thank you!

    1. Hi Peggy,

      Thank you so much for your note. Kids are the best critics! You know exactly where they stand.

      Enjoy all the bread! Zoë

  12. Is there a rule of thumb to convert other recipes to your technique? For example I want to make Sally Lund and Anadama breads using your technique.
    Thanks

    1. Hi Ehab,

      There is already an Anadama recipe on page 129 of HBin5, so you don’t have to convert that one. For the Sally Lunn bread I would start with the Soft American-Style White Bread on page 204 of ABin5. Switch 1/2 the water for milk and up the sugar to 1/2 a cup. I’ve never tried this but I think it will get you pretty close to what you are looking for.

      Thanks, Zoë

  13. Would really love to know the calories and other NI for a 2 oz slice of your WW Olive Oil bread!! (I also added 1/2 cup of honey – less 1/2 cup water.) It was delicious!!

    1. Jennifer: Just use the calculator at the USDA link in this post. Understand that “calories” are “kcal” in the tables; calculate the kcals for the entire recipe and then divide by the portion size. Jeff

  14. We just got both books are are really enjoying this. Thanks for working on the nutritional information. My wife controls her diabetes through diet and exercise, and that means keeping a close eye on carbs. It will be very helpful to be able to identify which recipes are best for her. It would also be fabulous if you could develop some low-carb recipes, similar to the breads available in grocery stores from the Natural Ovens bakery. Their “carb conscious” bread has only 10 grams of carbohydrate per slice, four of which are fiber, making it a good choice for my wife. It would be great to have some recipes along that line.

    1. Hi Doug,

      Thank you for your note and I am so glad you enjoying the bread. Several people have requested a low carb bread. Jeff and I have not yet come up with one that fits that exactly, but if we come up with something we love, we’ll share it with you all!

      Thanks, Zoë

    1. Ralph: I’d use a lidded stainless steel pot if you’re avoiding plastics. Also try King Arthur flour’s website, I believe that the plastic round Cambro they sell is not polycarbonate. But don’t quote me on that

  15. I just ran the Master Boule Recipe (white flour only) through the NutritionData.com website, and it looks like nutritionally it is:

    57 calories per 1 oz. portion:
    12g carbohydrate
    2g protien
    Negligible fat (2 kcals) and fiber
    120mg sodium

    This 1 oz. portion is a small slice about 1/2″ thick, by 5″ wide, by 2.5″ high (just happened to be what I baked this morning.) Two ounces slices might be a bit more typical.

    1. Thank you Lisa! My husband was just diagnosed with diabetes this week and he loves, loves this bread. I’m overwelmed with trying to figure out how to balance what he loves with his medical needs and it’s wonderful to have this information at hand.

  16. Hello Zoe and Jeff,

    While I was Tastespotting one day I came across this post about the nutritional benefits of letting the dough sit for longer periods of time. The blog is Lostpastremembered and the date is may 21, 2010.

    Would love to hear your comments on this.

    Thanks, Tina

    1. Tina: For us, the value of letting the dough sit has mainly to do with flavor– it improves over the batch’s storage life. As for the rest of it– whether there’s improved nutrition related to phytic acid, etc… I just couldn’t say. I don’t think the science is clear on that yet.

      But it seems to me that we are basically soaking our grains here, doesn’t it? Jeff

  17. My wife and I went on a low-carb diet a week after I bought your book and started making your bread. 🙁 So besides a quick taste here and there, I’ve been baking for other people. Was just checking the carb count here…still too much for a proper slice. But hey it’s worth it for a little while! The baking aroma drives me nuts though.

  18. I bought Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed and I would like to add it to your Master Recipe Boule but would need some guidance. thank you

    1. Wende— we use flax in the second book (Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, click on image above), so check that out.

  19. I am wondering if you can use xanthan gum in place of the vital wheat gluten called for in most of the whole wheat recipes. I happen to have the gum on hand and didn’t want to add another container to the cupboard if I didn’t need to!

    1. Hi Susan,

      Very interesting question. I have never tried it. It does provide structure in the gluten-free recipes, so it just might do so with the wheat flours? If you try it, I might suggest a 1/2 recipe for starters. Please do let us know how it comes out.

      Thanks, Zoë

  20. I calculated the calories, fat, fiber, and protein for approx. 1 slice of bread (1/8 of a 1 lb loaf) using Golden Prairie ground wheat. You get 836 calories for a 1 lb. loaf of the whole grain loaf recipe. That breaks down to 105 calories per slice (1/8 of the loaf). It’s only 1/2 g of fat , 3 g fiber, and 5 g protein, virtually 0 g of sugar per slice. Just FYI…. for those of us counting nutritional information.

  21. First off, thank you so much for these wonderful books! My husband says our marriage is broken into two time periods – ‘before bread’ and ‘after bread’, referring to when I started baking from your books. 🙂 I started with ABin5 and have recently purchased HBin5 and LOVE them both.

    I was glad to find this thread on nutrition info, but found that my specific question was not addressed yet. I have a very picky 3-year-old who is very difficult to get calcium-rich food into. Until now I’ve relied on calcium-fortified white bread as a main source (stinker won’t drink milk and is hit-or-miss on other dairy). However, our whole family loves the whole wheat sandwich bread from HBin5, and I would much rather serve homemade bread over store-bought. I have no idea how bread is fortified with calcium….is there any way to do this with any of your breads? Thank you so much!

    1. Nicki: The only practical way is to use milk as the liquid rather than water. You’ll get a soft-crusted bread (esp is you use whole milk), and a little denser. Could try half-and-half milk and water; we do this in the books, thumb through and you’ll see what I mean. Buttermilk’s also nice and I believe very high in calcium.

      But the bad news is that you need to eat a lot of bread to get the calcium in 8 ounces of milk– most of our 4-bread batches only contain about 3 eight-ounce liquid portions, so you need to eat 1 1/3 loaf to get the cup of milk! How about the cheese breads?

      Milk-enriched soups? Jeff

  22. I just got your Artisan Bread in 5 min a day book today. I am allergic to wheat and rye but I can have oats and rice. I noticed your oatmeal recipes still required wheat. I buy in bulk, Red Mill Oat bran and whirl it in my high speed blender into flour. Any ideas on how to adapt so I don’t have to use wheat flour. Just want a good basic small loaf of bread for one. Thanks!

  23. I may have just missed it in this post, so I’ll apologize now if this is a duplicate question, but do the recipes in the Healthy Bread cookbook include calorie counts and other nutritional information?

    1. Lori: Sorry, we’ve sent you in a circle here! This post is the only place on the website where we provide a nutritional calculator for ingredients. Unfortunately, our publisher hasn’t funded the nutritional analysis for our books themselves, so no, HBin5 doesn’t include calorie counts or other nutritional information. Jeff

  24. Love your book and decided to make the pecan rolls from Artisan Bread in Five…I followed the instructions and while they were baking smoke started coming out of the oven…the sugar/butter mixture cooked over the top rim of the pans (right size used) and onto the oven bottom creating a liquid syrupy hot mess that caught on fire on the oven coil. Thankfully they were close to done, so I closed the door, shut off the oven and hoped for the best. The rolls were not compromised and were lucious, but the oven is pretty ugly. I think you should recommend making them in a large square pan so the glaze has room to ooze. Still love the book…..

    1. Hi Karla,

      Sorry about the mess, but glad to hear they were still tasty. It is a mystery why this happens once in a while, but most of the time it doesn’t??? Using a larger pan is great insurance against it happening to you again!

      Thanks, Zoë

  25. Waiting for my copy of HBi5 to arrive in the mail, and wondering whether I could just add some ground flax to the basic master recipe from the artisan book. How would that affect the dough? How much would you recommend adding — 2 tbsp per loaf?

    1. Hi Liz,

      You can add 2 T of ground flax without changing the recipes drastically. I wouldn’t add more than that or you will have to make other adjustments.

      Thanks, Zoë

  26. I have a really silly question considering this is all about bread. How can I make a low carb version?

    1. Bread is made from grains, which are all high in carbohydrates. That said, the more whole grain in the dough, the lower the carbohydrate, since bran and wheat germ have no carbs. It’s a modest effect, and the calories are about the same (because super-healthy wheat germ oil is high in calories, but has zero carbs). You’ll find high-whole grain recipes in our second book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (on Amazon at https://bit.ly/3wYSSN). Jeff

  27. I’m using the Health Bread Book. I’m looking at the Whole Wheat and Flax Seed recipe and am wondering if there is a way to substitute Chia Seeds for the flax seed meal in this recipe.
    Thank you.
    Ed

    1. Hi Ed,

      I have never used chia seeds, but I imagine they can replace the flax. You may want to try a small batch to make sure you like the result.

      Thanks, Zoë

  28. Am looking to reduce the sodium level, but do not want to sacrifice taste or leavening. Any ideas for a dough recipe?

    1. John: can lower the salt level to whatever you like– you’re right, some decrease in dough structure; salt enables better gluten formation. Not bad though. Main difference is in flavor– which of our recipes are you using (which book and page number?). Jeff

    2. Hi John,

      All of our doughs can be made with very little or no salt at all. The amount you use is up to your taste. Reducing the salt won’t effect the baking.

      Thanks, Zoe

  29. I see that you have provided a way to calculate nutritional content, but do you know of a way to determine calories per slice?

    Thanks,

    Lauren

    1. Lauren: Depends on how thick you slice them. Commercial bread manipulates the calorie count reported by choosing whether to standardize on a 1.0, 1,5, or 2.0 ounce slice– that changes everything. Portion size is everything.

      If you make a one-pound loaf and can get 16 slices out of it (I can’t), you have a 1-ounce slice to work with. Then you can calculate the total calories in the recipe, divide by the number of loaves, and then divide by the number of slices. Keep in mind that dough loses about 10% of its weight during baking.

  30. To add to the requests for low-carb recipes, I would like to see recipes using almond and/or coconut flour.

    I love your recipes and have made most of my own bread for the past 3-4 years using your techniques. However, my daughter has recently been put on a low-carb diet to screen for a potential gluten intolerance. I would love to be able to use the wet-dough techniques to make grain-free bread for her.

    1. Sarah: Currently working on a coconut recipe for a future book. But we’re not likely to succeed with anything grain-free. Low carb? The more whole wheat you use, the lower the carbs. But still– WW flour is carbohydrate.

  31. I need the nutritional information for your gluten free master recipe. For a start. I want to try the other gluten free breads, too, but one at a time. I tried going to both Fitday.com and Sparks (which you recommended) and they don’t have most of the flours (no sorghum and tapioca on one, no brown rice or sorghum on the other) . Can you please just tell me if I make it exactly how you say, what the nutrient #s are and then I can divide them up per my own servings. Thanks. I am on a very tight carb control for serious health reasons and just can’t figure it all out. Thanks again for your help. I am working from page 268, Gluten Free Master Recipe, in your The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.

    1. Unfortunately, we just don’t have that (assume you’ve been to the FAQs page and clicked on “Nutrition content: How can I calculate it?”)

      The only way to do this would be to go to each flour bag, note the nutritional info, and start calculating it all out. We haven’t done that. My tip: GF breads are not low carb, especially if most made with white flours.

  32. Unfortunately, the SparkPeople website doesn’t have the calculator any longer – trying to figure out carbs for the master white bread recipe – Our son is Type 1 diabetic so we need to know carbs to give him the right amount of insulin since his pancreas is being a deadbeat – it’s the amount of carbs in things not just sugar
    if it makes 4 loaves of dough – does 155 grams of carbs sound right for one loaf cut into 10 slices = 15.5 grams per slice?
    (I tried putting the following into http://www.verywellfit.com recipe nutrition calculator: 3 cups water, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 6.5 cups all purpose flour and 40 servings for the whole recipe so per serving is 15.5 grams carbs)

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