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In our books, our standard size for a loaf-bread is 1 pound (450 grams), or a piece of dough about the size of a grapefruit. Why did we opt for these relatively small loaves? Because for beginners, they reliably brown without burning, and are easy to bake through to a nice result in the center of the loaf.
Larger loaves need more baking to avoid a gummy result in the center, and that means longer baking times at the listed temperature. Two pound loaves need about 45-50 minutes, and three pound loaves need about an hour. Let the crust get nice and dark. When baking large loaves, temperature is critical, so you must check your oven temp with an oven thermometer (click to see one on Amazon).
I am having so much success with your recipes! The rye bread was a #30 on a scale of 1 to 10. With the rye bread, and I made bigger loaves, I used the proofing feature in my oven. Rose the loaf for nearly an hour but it baked in 30 minutes.
Hi Sharon,
Thank you, we’re so glad you are enjoying the bread!
Cheers, Zoë
I have the large goldtouch nonstick loaf pan from williams sonoma which they classify as 1.5 lbs. If I want to make 100% whole wheat sandwich bread in these, how much dough should I use? Thanks!
Hi Abby,
Here is a post about baking in loaf pans: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2011/09/12/the-best-school-lunches-start-with-homemade-bread I’m not sure what they are calling a 1.5# pan, but you can measure it to see if the dimensions are the same as what we call for. It may be a touch bigger, but this should still work.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you for the wonderful recipes! I tried baking a 2 lb. loaf of rye bread, but I think I let it rise way too long – over 2 hrs. It spread out too much, the crumb was wonderful, tasted terrific, but wasn’t the height I wanted. How long should I have let it rise?
Thanks!
Mary Ann
Hi Mary Ann,
Here is a post that may help: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2012/03/20/how-to-make-a-2-pound-loaf
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you Zoe!
Help!
I have been baking bread for a long time, I used the old fashioned bread mixer of my moms. he was a super cook.. I have recently purchased ALL your books. I am planning on buying them for my boys(men) who are great cooks. I love your different selections to cook. HOWEVER, I just cooked the Sweet Potato Bread using the 450, stone and steam method. When I cut into it it was very soggy after 40min. I put it back in the oven and it doesn’t want to cook!! Help! The ends where cooked and tasted great!!!
Love your books.Maureen
Hi Maureen,
I fear that it is not the temperature that is the issue. This is one of the recipes in the books that had an error in it. I highly recommend copying the corrections page for the books, so you can make a note on the page. Here is the link to the corrections for that book: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2009/12/08/corrections-for-healthy-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day
To fix the rest of the batch, you can just add a touch more flour to the bucket, then let the dough sit, so the flour can be absorbed.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi All
I plan on using a Pullman Pan with a lid to produce a square lofe of bread for toast and sandwiches.
My Pullman is 9″ x 4″ x4″ and has a lid for producing a flat top – my questions are how much of the master HBin5 should I put in the loaf pan and should I rest it on the counter for the 1hr 45minutes with the lid on so it will compress the top and produce the smaller crumb.
Also when I put in the over do I still need to use the water for steam?
Thanks
Charles: we are working on a pullman loaf– unfortunately nothing to report yet…
Your basic recipes make more than I can eat in two weeks and I have a small refrigerator. Is it possible to cut down the size of the recipe? Is it possible to cut down the size of the bucket if I do?
Hi Caryl,
Yes, all of our recipes can be halved or doubled, depending on your need. You can use a smaller container when you halve the recipe.
Thanks, Zoë
Greatly enjoy the recipes from your Artisan Bread in Five minutes a Day but I don’t always like the “sour” taste of the dough/bread that I get. Is there a way to make your recipes and eliminate the sour taste. This is esp. the case with the loaf breads in the bread pans for sandwiches, etc.
Thanks for making bread baking fun and easy again.
Hi Joan,
One way to reduce this is to reduce the amount of yeast and use cooler water. This will mean you have to wait up to 8 hours for the first rise of the dough, but it will have a mellower flavor. You can also freeze the dough after the first 24 hours, which stops the fermentation of the dough.
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2007/12/19/low-yeast-version-of-our-master-recipe
Thanks, Zoë
Hi, Jeff and Zoe:
I see you have adjustments for 2-3# loaves, but, what about if I’d like to make a 4# loaf, in a Dutch oven? Are there adjustments for baking in a pan instead of freeform? What baking time do I need? Any adjustment to temperature? I ask, because I’m attempting to make a “master boule” recipe from your “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” (**FABULOUS** recipe for “bread-making phobes” like myself), but it needs to be tall, and baking it in a Dutch oven would be an ideal height and diameter. The bread is for a religious event called a “Slava”, and the bread is called a “kolac”, so, I’m keeping with tradition in making a tall large bread, but, I want to obviously make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Here’s a link of a good example of the finished bread I found, if that helps:
http://www.svetistefan.ca/images/slavski_kolac.gif THANK YOU!!!!
Natalie: It can be tricky to get it done in the center before the outside burns when it’s so big. I’d turn down the oven 25 degrees and go longer, maybe 15 or 20 min longer than the 2-3# loaf. Consider using an instant read thermometer– lean loaf should go to 205-210 in the center. If probe comes back with raw dough, that makes it easy.
Experiment on your family before the event…
Thanx, Jeff; this is very helpful. Crossing my fingers! The Master Boule is WONDERFUL and FOOLPROOF!!
I love the taste of your bread. I mostly use the master recipe from the original book. I am looking to make some bread bowls for soup out of your bread. What recipe do you recommend and how long do I cook the mini loaves?
Hi Rachel,
I would use the Master recipe or the Peasant loaf. The rising and baking times will depend on how big you want the bowls to be. Lets say you want to make them with 8 ounces of dough, let them rise for the 30 minutes and bake them for about 25 minutes or until they are well colored. Be sure to let them cool before you cut them and scoop out some of the middle.
Thanks, Zoë
I’m sorry, I’m not sure this is the best way to answer this question, but I have the ABiF book and can’t seem to find the answer. Could you tell me, or tell me what page this question is located in the book? I’m trying to figure out how long the rise time is for refrigerated dough as opposed to dough that was just made and still warm from the 2 hour rise time. Thanks so much!
for refrigerated dough, the book says 40 minutes, but you can actually go as long as 90 for a more open crumb.
With non-refrigerated dough, you can go shorter in that range for the same result, As little as half that.
That is SO helpful, thank you so much!
thanks again for your very quick response. i can go forward with the bread mixing now. the flavor of the master mix for the healthy bread in five is delicious.