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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!