Back to Basics ~ tips and techniques to create a great loaf in 5 minutes a day.

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Note that there is an updated version of this post, click here to view.

Recently we have seen lots of new readers on the website who are asking wonderful questions about how to perfect their loaves. First I’d like to say welcome to the site and thank you for trying the bread. As I bake through the basic Master recipe from ABin5 I will try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions and also introduce you to a few new pieces of equipment I’ve recently started to use that make the whole experience just a little easier.  The goal is to create a large batch of dough that stores in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. That’s why our method saves  you so much time– all the mixing and prep is divided over four one-pound loaves.

Master Recipe from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking:

3 cups lukewarm water (you can use cold water, but it will take the dough longer to rise. Just don’t use hot water or you may kill the yeast)

1 tablespoon granulated yeast ( you can use any kind of yeast including: instant, “quick,” rapid rise, bread machine, active dry, or fresh cake yeast*. We’ve always tested with Red Star Yeast and they have a new premium product called PLATINUM, which has worked beautifully in our recipes. You can also decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by following the directions here. Or you can bake with a sour dough starter, see instructions here.)

*If you use cake yeast you will need 1.3 ounces.

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Morton Kosher Salt (adjust to suit your taste or eliminate it all together. Find more information here)

6 1/2 cups (2-pounds) all-purpose flour (we tested the recipes with typical supermarket flour. If you use a higher protein flour check here)

Mixing the dough:

Platinum Yeast | Breadin5

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In a 5 or 6 quart bowl or lidded Food Storage Container, dump in the water and add the yeast and salt. Because we are mixing in the flour so quickly it doesn’t matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together.

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(If you are using the fresh cake yeast break it up with a spoon)

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Dump in the flour all at once and stir with a long handled wooden spoon or a Danish Dough Whisk, which is one of the tools that makes the job so much easier!

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Stir it until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, as you can see it will be a wet rough dough.

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Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut. You want the gases from the yeast to escape. (I had my husband put a little hole in the top of the lids so that I could close the lids and still allow the gases to get out. As you can see it doesn’t take much of a hole to accomplish this.)

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Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise. When you first mix the dough it will not occupy much of the container.

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But, after the initial 2 hour rise it will pretty much fill it. (If you have decreased the yeast you will have to let it go longer than 2 hours.)  DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH! Just let it settle by itself.

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The dough will be flat on the top and some of the bubbles may even appear to be popping. (If you intend to refrigerate the dough after this stage it can be placed in the refrigerator even if the dough is not perfectly flat. The yeast will continue to work even in the refrigerator.) The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilledIt is intended for refrigeration and use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime.  The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.

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The next day when you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you will notice that it has collapsed and this is totally normal for our dough. It will never rise up again in the container.

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Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out.

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You should notice that the dough has a lot of stretch once it has rested. (If your dough breaks off instead of stretching like this your dough is probably too dry and you can just add a few tablespoons of water and let it sit again until the dough absorbs the additional water.)

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Cut off a 1-pound piece of dough using kitchen shears* and form it into a ball. For instructions on how to form the ball watch one of our videos.  Place the ball on a sheet of parchment paper… (or rest it on a generous layer of corn meal on top of a pizza peel.)

*I actually use a pair of Sewing Shears because I like the long blade. I just dedicated a pair to the kitchen.

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Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes, (although letting it go 60 or even 90 minutes will give you a more open hole structure in the interior of the loaf. This may also improve the look of your loaf and prevent it from splitting on the bottom. ) You will notice that the loaf does not rise much during this rest, in fact it may just spread sideways, this is normal for our dough.

You can also try our “refrigerator rise trick,” shaping the loaves and then immediately refrigerating them overnight.  By morning, they’ll have risen and are ready for the oven after a brief room-temp rest while the oven preheats (click for instructions).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a Baking Stone* on the center rack, with a metal broiler tray on the bottom (never use a glass vessel for this or it will shatter), which will be used to produce steam. (The tray needs to be at least 4 or 5 inches away from your stone to prevent it from cracking.)

*(or Cast Iron Pizza Panwhich will never crack and conducts heat really well. Be careful to dry it after rinsing with water or it will rust)

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Cut the loaf with 1/4-inch slashes using a serrated knife. (If your slashes are too shallow you will end up with an oddly shaped loaf and also prevent it from splitting on the bottom.)

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Slide the loaf into the oven onto a preheated stone (the one I’m using is the cast iron) and add a cup of hot water to the broiler tray. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until a deep brown color. As the bread bakes you should notice a nice oven spring in the dough. This is where the dough rises. To insure that you get the best results it is crucial to have an Oven Thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate.

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If you used parchment paper you will want to remove it after about 20-25 minutes to crisp up the bottom crust. Continue baking the loaf directly on the stone for the last 5-10 minutes.

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Allow the loaf to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. If you cut into a loaf before it is cooled you will have a tough crust and a gummy interior. It is hard to wait, but you will be happy you did! Make sure you have a nice sharp Bread Knife that will not crush the bread as you cut. Or you can tear it apart as they do in most of Europe.

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If you have any leftover bread just let it sit, uncovered on the cutting board or counter with the cut side down. If you cover a bread that has a crust it will get soggy.

Enjoy and have fun baking. Bread that is made with love and joy tastes better!

Note: Red Star Yeast is a sponsor of this website and its promotional activities, and provided samples of yeast for recipe testing.

1,416 thoughts to “Back to Basics ~ tips and techniques to create a great loaf in 5 minutes a day.”

  1. If I don’t want to have left over dough and just want to try making one loaf, what measurements of the indgredients would I use. I would like to try to make this in the crockpot. By the way is it neccessary to add a bit of water under the parchment paper when baking in the crockpot. Also, I have some whole wheat flour that I need to use (bought before finding out that there is whole wheat pastry flour that is better for baking) would it be ok to mix this in with my bleached flour or will the taste be off?
    Thank you

    1. Sidney: Half it and make a 2-pound loaf, or quarter it and make a one-pounder. We don’t use water with the crockpot method– it steams in its own closed container that way.

      We’re actually not big fans of WW pastry flour, the gluten’s lower than we like for bread. Sure can use WW, which of our books/which recipe/page number are you trying to make the swap for?

    2. Hi Jeff,
      Love the recipes – I’ve been baking the basic white bread with instructions from the Youtube videos for a few months. I just received the cookbook for Christmas and I’m branching out with the basic Deli Rye Bread.
      I just thought you should know your recipe hit a home run!
      I made bread for a friend of mine who was born in Poland – she didn’t know anything about your book or your quest to return to the ethnic bakeries of your youth. Upon tasting the basic rye bread, she exclaimed. “This is just how my grandmother would make bread! My grandmother in my country made this same bread – the taste, the smell and feel is just the same!” I was amazed too, and told her about your introduction in the book.
      Just thought I would share that great story as encouragement. Thanks for all your hard work!!

      1. Colleen: I think my grandmother knew her grandmother! (see page 1). thanks so much for your note, really makes the work worthwhile.

  2. When using the crockpot for this bread recipe, how long and at what setting must it be cooked? I plan on starting the dough now, to finish and bake tomorrow? But I’d like to know the specifics for the crockpot method

  3. Hi Jeff. I have some all purpose flour that is not unbleached. Is it okay to use this type of flour? I have make batches and batches of your breads and I love it. The method and the taste is wonderful.

    1. Traci: Should be fine, though in the past the bleaching process used to take out some of the protein so you’d need a little less water. Our flour scientists that we know tell us that this isn’t the case anymore so shouldn’t need the adjustment.

      1. Thank you for your quick reply. I may give it a shot as I have some plain all purpose I need to use. 🙂

  4. I am making your recipe with some second graders for our K-2 Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday. Can I make it in the morning, let it rise and then put it in the crockpot an hour before we are ready to eat or do I need to refridgerate it?

    1. Sara: We didn’t test it that way, but it should work. There’s a chance it would over-proof (rise and then fall), but I doubt it.

  5. Hi Jeff!
    I’ve been making bread using the bread machine but I’ve always wanted to do it in the most basic fashion. Like you, baking is my relaxation. If I use bread flour and want to halve the basic loaf recipe, how much water should I add?

    Kind regards,
    Mark

    1. Not without water adjustments, have to experiment (more water). Beyond 50% whole-grain, you’d need vital wheat gluten or it won’t be storable.

  6. So this dough that has been proofed for 2+ hours can be put right into the fridge?

    In the same container it proofs in?

    And you can just grab chunks out and bake when needed?????

    correct?

    1. Hi Jessica,

      Did it not rise at all, or just less than you expected. Was your water too warm, which can kill the yeast. Or, if your water was cold, it will take 8+ hours for the dough to rise. The yeast has not expired?

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Having the same problem- my bread didn’t rise. It also seemed awfully dry and broke more than it stretched, so I added 2 tbs of water and let it sit for another hour. Then I pulled off a pound and cooked it in the crockpot for an hour. Turned out more like a moist, dense dinner roll than anything else- didn’t spread/ get larger or anything. Still yummy, but not really bread I would use for a sandwich.

        I bought the yeast yesterday. I didn’t know how “lukewarm” to make the water, so maybe the water was too cold? I pulled the dough out of the fridge after I realized the bread definitely wasn’t right and it seemed to have risen a little more.

  7. I have some dough in the fridge, that’s a few days old. It’s kind of dry right now. Is it ok to add some additional water, and stir it in?

    1. Hi John,

      You can add more water, then you need to let the dough sit for about 2 hours so it has time to absorb. It is easiest to add more water using a stand mixer.

      Thanks, Zoë

  8. The largest container I can find holds a little over 4 quarts. Would that work or do I have to find a larger container before I make the dough?

    1. Hi Toni,

      It will be a very tight fit for this recipe and will not be nearly big enough for some of our other recipes that yield a bit more. I think you’ll be safer with a larger container. You can always use a big bowl (use plastic wrap to cover) or even a soup pot.

      Thanks, Zoë

  9. Thanks for all the testing you do. I experiment quite a bit, but I suspect it would take me years to properly formulate artisan breads.

    I’m just about to pop this recipe in the oven.

    I halved it, and in this case I’m going to be cooking the other loaf for Christmas, but I’m wondering about adjustments in cooking time if I were to make a single 2-pound loaf….

      1. Hi MercuryCrest,

        Happy to lead you to the info you may need, don’t hesitate to ask! Happy baking!

        Cheers, Zoë

  10. Loved the master recipe and now I am ready for the peasant bread recipes. I am interested in seed toppings. How do I know what seeds to use with which bread? Are there herb combinations and seed blends that are good to use?

    1. Hi John,

      There is no real rule of thumb, it is just a matter of taste. We have mixed together sesame, poppy, sunflower, flax and caraway seeds for top our loaves. If you use herbs, you need to be careful not to use ones with delicate leaves or they will burn as the bread bakes.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. So far I have used toasted seasame on White Whole Wheat, combination of seasame and caraway on Pumpernickel. I have not tryed using flax or poppy yet but plan to do so. Both my WWW and PMNKL have been great.

  11. First I just want to say that your site is great. I’ve just started to get into making my own bread and have been working through a couple of starter recipes to get a solid loaf.

    I really like your master bread recipe but had a couple of questions. I find that the crust is a bit soft sometimes. I don’t get a ton of crunchiness and find myself experimenting with cooking the loaf for a bit longer than suggested and leaving the dough to rest longer in the fridge to get a crunchier crust. Do you have any suggestions on how to get a better crust?

    Also I’m curious why you don’t punch your dough ? Is this because it’s a no-knead recipe and you want to let the yeast do the work to create more CO2 and rise the dough?

    Thanks and apologizes for the long question!

    1. Hi Nicholas,

      Letting the dough rest longer and bake longer may very well be the answer. Are you using a baking stone? If so, make sure that you are letting it preheat to the full temperature before baking the bread. This can take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes depending on the thickness and material of the stone. Are you using an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is true to the temperature? Lastly, be sure you are letting the bread cool completely. If you cut into a loaf before it is fully cooled the crust will still be soft, because the interior steam is still being released and softens the crust.

      Are you baking 1-pound loaves?

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Hi zoe, thanks for your response! Yes I am using a baking stone, a oven thermometer and letting it rest till cool! I’ll make sure it sits longer.

        What would letting it rest longer AFTER forming it into balls do? Would that just increase the co2 build up in the crumb?

        Thanks!

      2. Hi Nicholas,

        Yes, it also allows the dough to warm up a bit and gives the gluten a chance to stretch a bit more. If the dough is able to rise more before baking, it will bake more thoroughly, which means it will release more of its moisture in the oven, which will improve the crumb and crust.

        Thanks, Zoë

    2. Nicholas, are you adding anything like a corn starch or egg wash to the loaf before putting it in the oven? I always use one or the other and it improves the shine of the crust and the crispy crunch. I’m looking at seed and crust topping choices. Any suggestions?

      1. John: It HBin5 we talk about seed mixtures like sesame, flaxseed, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy, and anise. Also pepitas (pumpkin seeds), though they tend to burn at high temps– the others don’t.

      2. Thanks Jeff (and Zoe)! Got HBin5 for Xmas and love the weight chart as well as the seeds. First day, my wife already has a request for an Apple bread. Nice!

  12. Thanks! I just made a loaf that came out great! One thing I stumbled upon was re-adding water to the pan to keep humidity high for better heat transfer.

    I think one thing that’s happening is when you open the oven to remove the parchment paper you loose all the humidity in the oven which doesn’t help the crust development!

    -N

    1. Nicholas: Hmm… most experts say steam only makes a difference in the first third of baking or so, but if it’s helping, more power to you.

      1. I do not like adding water to a hot pan when putting the loaf in the oven for baking. How about boiling the water in a kettle and adding pan and loaf to the oven at the same time? One adjustment I might make would be to preheat to 475 and drop to 450 after adding loaf and pan. Any thoughts?

  13. I do not own a baking stone or broiler pan at the moment (thinking about getting them though!) so how can I use this recipe without those two items? I do have two cookie sheet pans and loaf pans..would that work?

      1. Look at the directions on how to use this stone. It says not to preheat the stone witch could lead to cracking and destroying the stone. I use a teracota planter base for bread. Cheaper and I do not care if it breaks (and it never has). The one time I used a pizza stone and preheated it, it smoked up the house. An alternative might also be to measure your oven, go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for unglazed quarry stone anywhere from 12″ to 14″, as big as your oven can take.

    1. @Esther. I started doing this using a cookie sheet and a aluminum pie tin. worked great. Just preheat the sheet and tin and pour in the hottest water you can. The bottom crust isn’t as crisp as with a baking stone, but as long as everything is hot it won’t really be a problem.

      And, seriously, your first few loves won’t be around for more than a few minutes anyway!

      1. I used a frying pan with a thick bottom, which can also be used in the oven. I preheated it and then got it out and quickly turned the dough into it. It works, but I also want to get a baking stone or at least a pizza pan.

  14. Hi! I just made this today and it’s divine! Best bread I ever made! I had been looking for a good bread recipe for ages and I’ve just found it! Thanks and off to get your book!

  15. Yours is the best book on bread-making I’ve seen in my life! I love detective stories, but this is way more interesting! I could not tear myself from it until late in the night!
    You gave answers to every question I’ve been asking about bread for many years and couldn’t find answers. And you did it in such a simple, wonderful way!
    I am going to get your other books and try you recipes! I gave up baking bread several years ago because it wasn’t turning out well, but now I’ve started again and I love it!
    God bless you!

      1. What if I use 1 teaspoon of yeast in the basic recipe? How long would I need to “prove” the dough before storing it?

      2. Christie: could be as long as 6 to 8 hours, but experiment– depends on temp of the water.

  16. Hi! Is it possible to store the dough in the fridge in any other type of container besides plastic?
    And when you say “cup”, what is its volume? We have different sizes in different countries.
    Thanks!

    1. About the cup thing, by volume, a US cup is 240 ml. Most bakers go by weight when talking about flour because fluffed flour can take up a cup by volume but weigh less than an I fluffed cup of flour. In HBin5, there are conversion charts that I am learning to use. Hopefully it will yield more consistsnt results. I hope this helps.

      1. Thank you, John. I still use volume measures – I’ve baked a lot in my life, so I trust myself to measure consistently. The bread is turning to be wonderful, but I’ve not tried to store it yet. This is my next step! But you are right, of course – measuring by weight is the best!
        Have fun baking!

      2. I bow to your expertise as I am a just getting started on the baking but have had wonderful teachers (sister is a top chef) and I have had fantastic results so far. Besides, I’m a math teacher so precision is important to me. Seems (your) eperience will win out everytime.

  17. If I wanted to add some other flours (bread flour or whole wheat flour) to change things up a bit, how would that change our instructions?

    1. Southside: You need to adjust the water; which of our books are you using, instructions in there. Also see our FAQ tab above and click on:
      “Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?”
      Whole wheat requires more water than those; more on whole grains in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day on Amazon at https://bit.ly/3wYSSN But if you keep the proportion low, you don’t need an adjustment.

      1. Wow thanks for the quick response! I’ll check out the FAQ (duh). I’m just starting out and working off of the artisan breads book, though it seems I need to stretch out to the healthy ones huh!

  18. Hello,

    I wanted to say that I LOVEE your book. I have been making your recipes for bread and I love them all. I have a question in regards to the interior of the bread. I have notice that my bread interior is dense, cooked but dense. When I used to make bread on a bread machine, the interior wa lighter and more airy. However I never liked the crust of my bread dine by a bread machine.

    How is the interior suppose to be like ? Also, once the bread is done should it whistle loud? And how long should the dough stretch when pulling it off the container before molding it?

    Thank you so much!

      1. Thank you so much for your response. Don’t take me wrong, I love your recipe and the results of it. I just thought I was doing something wrong that was causing a dense interior. The first day of baked bread, the interior is fantastic and so as the crust, but once the bread is 2 days old, then the interior becomes more dry and dense. I have only done the mast recipe, and the baguette recipe which I made it with your light whole wheat bread recipe. Also I live in Denver, which has a high altitude level.

      2. When you say a longer rest time, are you referring to the rest after removing and shaping the dough from a refridgerated bucket or the rest after mixing the dough, before refridgerating the dough. Before or after storing the dough would be a better way to say it. Sheesh! I feel like I need a spell checker on this comment block!

  19. I want to make bread using sprouted rye flour. I am not sure what the water ratio should be. I use sprouted flour for its health benefits and better digestibility. Sprouted flours are much more dense and not as easy to work with as all purpose flours. Have you worked with sprouted flours before?

    1. Daryl: Have not, but guessing that they take more water than our basic. If it’s whole grain, this isn’t the recipe to try. Which of our books’/recipe page number are you thinking of?

  20. Hi there

    I am just about to pop my 1 pound loaf in the fridge now. Does the loaf need to be covered???

    Thank you for all your help and advice!
    Bliss

  21. Just downloaded the digital edition to my ipad last night and cut into my first loaf two minutes ago. Perfection! I have to admit I was very dubious when the salt and yeast were mixed together in the water. I just decided to have faith and do it exactly as written. Now, I wish I had used more salt as I had used sea salt. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My family loves fresh bread and home cooked meals and have been neglected since I went back to school and this will be such a help for me. Have already forwarded your link to my friends. Now, could you work on university in five minutes a day???

  22. Argh! The last two loaves of bread I made tipped upside down on my transfer from the pizza peel to the stone. Why is this happening, and how can I return the bread to its upright position without it sticking to the hot stone? 🙁

    1. Yvonne: Maybe while you’re getting better at the transfer, try doing it on parchment rather than cornmeal? Can’t miss.

  23. I have the Cambro container, and haven’t made a whole in the lid. When the dough rises, I put the lid on top, but don’t seal it.

    In the fridge, should I put the lid on and seal it, or leave it slightly open? I don’t want the dough to dry out or get hard over the two weeks…

  24. I love your Artisan Pizza book! I made the dough last week and have already enjoyed three delicious pizzas. However, after a week, my dough has gotten dried out and hard in the fridge. I have it in a plastic bowl with plastic wrap over it. Do I need a better storage container? Thanks!

    1. maybe there was too much head space in the container, or the plastic wrap didn’t make a good enough seal. Bet you can salvage the dough– wet it a bit, put it into a better container.

  25. Hey!
    Recipe looks really good!
    I dont own a pizza stone or something like that, but I have heard that putting it in a cast iron pot works aswell, should I try this method?

    1. Shared this before but I have used a terra cotta base for a flour pot before. Limits the size of the loaf but is cheap and don’t care about breaking it. However, I have seen the new cast iron pizza “stone” that Dr. H has used (I think) and I like the idea. Durable and a good multi-tasker.

  26. Is there a bread recipe like this for regular WW bread (with a softer crust)? Also, can I bake this in a regular loaf pan – I’d like to use this method for sandwich and french toast type breads.

    Thoughts?

  27. Hi there – can you use bread flour instead of all purpose? Also, I don’t have a bread stone, does it matter that much? Thanks!

    1. You can, see FAQs tab above and click on:
      Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?

      Bread stone really helps the crust and even-ness of baking, not absolutely required.

  28. I was very excited to try this recipe, but it didn’t quite act like I thought. I used warm temp water for the yeast, yet it took twice as long to rise. Then once refrigerated, it didn’t ever collapse. But I continued on. I let it rest for nearly an hour. I was unsure of how long to let the pans warm in the oven, but I was using two huge iron skillets for three loaves.
    They had to cook longer than the recipe to get the color and then let them cool for 30 minutes. The inside was still doughy, yet good. Where did I go wrong? TIA

    1. Hi Desiree,

      Sounds like your pans were not preheated long enough, which means your bread will not bake through in the 30 minutes, nor will it get the color you are looking for. How long did you preheat them?

      The dough may or may not collapse, that will not effect your bread.

      Thanks, Zoë

  29. Things I have learned about using ABin5 and HBin5. I am far from a master at this style of bread baking but I am learning and having fun! I thought I would take a minute and thank Dr. H and Chef F for this for the books and this blog.

    1. Start by doing the research. Read all of the first 5 chapters in each book so you know what to expect and what you need.
    2. Make sure you clear space in the fridge and get a sufficiently sized bucket, even if you only want to do half recipes.
    3. Try the simplest recipes first and have fun. I recommend ones you can use like the master recipes and the olive oil recipes for pizza from ABin5, the first book.
    4. Next, if you still like this method after the first few recipes you should learn to improve your bread handling. Less handling leads to better shape and better flavor. For this I recommend going to the videos on youtube or the sites recommended by this blog.
    5. Then it is time to have fun shaping!!! My son loves the wheat stalk (epi) shaped bread because he can break off a bite at a time.

    Most of all, find uses for these recipes. Pizza is easy for us because we enjoy an easy with the family and pizza fits the dinner bill well. Breadsticks with any meal is wonderful. Find regular uses and have fun as I do.

    Thanks Jeff and Zoey these are wonderful and creative ways to enjoy baking and the simple to do.

  30. Hi,
    I am just wondering if after baking the bread, it can be frozen? If so, how would I reheat it?
    Thank you!
    Zona

    1. Hi Zona,

      Yes, you can freeze the baked loaves. Thin breads, like flatbreads and baguettes can go straight into a 350°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Bigger loaves, like a boule, need to defrost first on the counter, still wrapped, and then baked.

      Thanks, Zoë

  31. bonjour j’aimerai faire la recette mais pourriez vous me dire l’equivalence en gramme
    pour la levure et les tasses de farines merci car je ne sais pas a quoi correspond la cuilere de semoule pour la levure et la tasse de farine
    merci et bravo pour vos pains ils sont superbes
    bonne journée

      1. Bonsoir Zoé , merci c’est génial vous les vendez vos livre j’aimerai vous en commander un car vos pains sont trop bons et super facile a faire en 5mn
        bonne soirée

  32. Hi,

    I have a new bag of bread flour that I bought (before I found this awesome recipe!) and I wanted to use it up. How much water would I need to use for the 6 1/2 cups of enriched unbleached bread flour? Thanks!

  33. I did it. I bought your wonderful book. artisan bread in 5 minutes. Baked an awesome mardi gras cake, but substitutes a praline like filling and added a couple tablespoons of almond cream filling.
    I have a few questions;
    1. I buy fleichmans instant dry yeast from Sams ( keeps the cost down) It seems to work better if I add it to the flour rather than the water. However, the rolls rose sideways and didi not look like the German rolls in your pictures. I weighed all my ingredients. any ideas?.
    2. I would like to see more apple recipes. Pears are good, but not as plentiful as apples in St.Louis.
    3.Pizza on the grill in St.Louis, means on the Weber, which everyone here means the Weber charcoal grill
    I would like to see more recipes using a stone on a charcoal grill. I guess that this would mean that the coals would banked to the side, or on each side

    1. Hi Sue,

      1. The type of yeast will not effect the shape your loaf takes on in the oven. Rising sideways is often an issue of too short a resting time or the way the loaf is slashed. What kind of dough are you using?

      Do you bake with convection heat?

      2. You can substitute apples where ever you see pears in our recipes.

      3. You can certainly bake on a stone on the grill, as long as you have one that can hold up to the direct flames. https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2011/06/05/new-video-grilled-pizza-done-on-the-emile-henry-flame-top-pizza-stone

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. On a charcoal grill I presume that the stone would not be directly on the coals. I presume that the coals would be banked on the side. I know that the coals take longer to heat up than gas,but the food cooks more quickly. Therefore wouldn’t the total time be the same ,not to mention the wood fire like taste?

      2. Hi Sue,

        The stone would sit on the grate above the coals, where you would generally put the food being grilled. Each grill, depending on the size, will take different times, so it will take some playing with to determine how long to bake the bread.

        Thanks, Zoë

    1. Hi Mary,

      Most whole grain breads keep longer than breads made with white flour. Our Healthy Bread In Five Minutes a Day is filled with whole grain recipes that would keep longer.

      Thanks, Zoë

  34. I have your book Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I do not see anything devoted to crock pot baking. Can all of these receipes be baked in the crock pot? Thanks

    1. Hi Bill,

      I’ve made pizza with this dough. You will also find many other pizza doughs (olive oil, cornmeal, tender, deep dish…) in our pizza and flatbread book.

      Thanks, Zoë

  35. Rolls that rose sideways issue. I think that perhaps it was the way I slashed them i used a scissors, but only cut/slashed them in one direction.. How long do you let them rise after forming but before slashing? 60 to 90 minutes?
    Again I , and my husband, cannot thank you enough for your wonderful book. Even when the bread is not quite perfect, it’s awfully good

    1. Hi Sue,

      Have you seen the posts we’ve done on baking rolls? Depending on the type of dough you are using and the size of the rolls, it is usually between 30 and 60 minute rise. If you search our site for rolls or buns, you may see the ones that match what you are trying to bake.

      Slashing about 1/2-inch deep will help the shape of your loaves.

      Thanks, Zoë

  36. Jeff & Zoe, I love this recipe! I’ve made it a couple times now and its so hard to resist I’m afraid I might get fat off it. 😉 I wanted to try to make a slightly healthier and maybe less tempting version. Do you have any recipes with similar storing capabilities available online that utilize part whole wheat, flax or bran?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Bekah,

      We do have some of the recipes from our book Healthy Bread In Five Minutes a Day on the site. If you search some of the key words you are interested in, you may find a recipe that suits your needs. Glad you are enjoying the bread.

      Cheers, Zoë

  37. Just found your website and I am in awe, the pictures are amazing! I am French and miss good bread here in Guatemala, so I am off to make my own! This recipe looks super easy, will start with that. Thank you.

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