Megan said...
April 28, 2010 at 7:20 am

Guilty! LOL Thanks as always for the tip

Steve said...
April 28, 2010 at 7:42 am

What’s the brand of container you’re using to hold the flour in that video?

Miki said...
April 28, 2010 at 8:11 am

My last few batches have been wetter and I always use a smaller cup to fill my measuring cup. I’m going to try it this way to see if it helps. Thank you for the great tip!! I was always worried I’d get too much flour this way.

jeff said...
April 28, 2010 at 10:21 am

That’s a Cambro brand, though not the polycarbonate one that’s in our Amazon store at left.

jeff said...
April 28, 2010 at 10:22 am

Yes– this has been very common among our readers, and it’s taken us a while to figure out that a lot of people have had trouble with it.

Sarah said...
April 28, 2010 at 11:14 am

On my last batch of dough, I had trouble getting a smooth cloche on top. It kept breaking apart. I’ve made many batches and it’s never happened before– any ideas?

Rick S. said...
April 28, 2010 at 2:37 pm

Containers such as the one Jeff is showing are readily available at your local restaurant supply house and retail-type food service stores. Containers and tops are available in a few different materials and in round/square shapes. Tops are typically sold separately.

For flours, I use a round 4qt. (no corners for the flour to get stuck into), which has enough room for perhaps 7# of flour. I use a square 6qt for dough.

While there, buy a nice stainless & wood bench knife for $3-4. They sell for $15+ at most stores. They are great for cutting a portion of dough from the square container.

Bronwyn said...
April 28, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Hi Jeff,

Love your gluten free recipes – worth the price of the book alone! My initial attempts resulted in a very wet dough (I have watched the video). I was wondering if you could tell me how much a cup of brown rice flour, a cup of sorghum flour and a cup of tapioca flour weighs? I believe the volume of the cups we use in Australia are different to the ones you use in USA – 250 mls/cup in Aust as opposed to 240 mls in US? This may be the cause of my wet doughs?

Thanks for you time.

Kris said...
April 28, 2010 at 6:01 pm

What about including weight measures? It is quite easy to stick the bucket on top of the scale and add flour until it reaches the correct weight.

I appreciate recipes that include both so I can take the guesswork out of conversions or scooping!

Debbie said...
April 28, 2010 at 6:59 pm

Before I measure, I use a table fork to “fluff” up the flour. This has improved the consistency of my dough.

Dave said...
April 28, 2010 at 8:00 pm

I’d been hoping that the “healthy” version would have the weights listed in the recipes themselves to avoid this silliness. That’s been my only real complaint with these books – otherwise they’ve been great.

zoe said...
April 28, 2010 at 8:51 pm

Hi Sarah,

Sounds like this dough may have been a bit drier than the previous batches. This can also happen if the dough is particularly cold, letting it sit on the counter for several minutes before shaping can often help.

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
April 28, 2010 at 8:53 pm

Great tips Rick,

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
April 28, 2010 at 8:56 pm

Hi Kris,

There is a chart on page 36 of Healty Bread in Five that gives the weights for most of the flours.

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
April 28, 2010 at 9:00 pm

Hi Debbie,

We usually tell people not to do this because it may be overly aerated, but if you are getting a great result we can’t argue with that!

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
April 28, 2010 at 9:02 pm

Hi Dave,

We agree that weights are the best way to go and it is very exciting that many more people are baking by weights. Thank you for the feedback, we will be sure to bring it up with our publisher for book #3.

Thanks, Zoë

janknitz said...
April 28, 2010 at 10:47 pm

Zoe said: “We agree that weights are the best way to go and it is very exciting that many more people are baking by weights. Thank you for the feedback, we will be sure to bring it up with our publisher for book #3.”

I think the ideal would be to put both weight and volume measurements so that the reader can choose the method. Not everyone has a scale, but those of us who do find it difficult to translate volume measurements because different sources give different weights for the same volume of a particular ingredient.

If people want to continue volume measurements they can, but they might get inspired to use weight instead.

And for your international readers, metric weights make sense (also for American readers–metric is so much easier to deal with). American volume measuring cups and spoons are not always readily available in other countries.

jeff said...
April 29, 2010 at 7:08 am

Bronwyn: I don’t have any of those flours in the house at the moment and can’t test them– unfortunately we never did weight equivalents. Let me do a few things and get back here…

zoe said...
April 29, 2010 at 7:32 am

Hi Bronwyn,

Here are the weights for the flours you requested.

Tapioca: 1 cup = 4 1/4 ounces = 122g

Sorghum: 1 cup = 4 3/4 ounces = 133g

Brown Rice Flour: 1 cup = 5 1/2 ounces = 158g

Corn Starch: 1 cup = 4 1/2 ounces = 128g

Thanks, Zoë

Mary Kay said...
April 29, 2010 at 7:38 am

I agree with Dave. I always use weight and the 5 ounce per cup on the AP flour. This always gives me perfect results.

Kitty said...
April 29, 2010 at 3:29 pm

I love your Artisan Bread in 5! One trick I’ve tried is to let my loaf rise on cornmeal sprinkled parchment paper & then transfer that to the baking stone. You don’t need a pizza peel then! Makes for easy clean up, also.

zoe said...
April 29, 2010 at 6:57 pm

Hi Kitty,

In our second book we sing the praises of parchment paper. We love it too!

Thanks, Zoë

Bronwyn said...
April 30, 2010 at 12:35 am

Hi Zoe and Jeff,

Thanks for your very quick responses to my query about GF flour weights. I made a new batch of the GF crusty boule dough today and it was perfect (even if I do say so myself!). Baked perfectly – couldn’t wait to refrigerate it overnight – and tastes wonderful!

Thanks so much, Bronwyn.

Andrew said...
April 30, 2010 at 3:15 pm

Like Dave, I’ve been a bit frustrated that I have to calculate all of the weights by hand.

It would be incredibly helpful if you would post a supplementary PDF to the website that has _all_ of the weight/volume conversions. I’ve tried to use the table from the second book, but it’s missing many ingredients. The table also only includes one entry for each ingredient, and it would be more helpful if, say for whole wheat, an entry for 7 cups, another entry for 6 cups, etc.

As is, it usually takes me 10 to 15 minutes each time I try a new recipe to multiply out the numbers that are in the table, and then to find some volumetric scoops to figure out the conversions for the other ingredients. This would go so much faster if there were a complete table that I could slip in the book cover.

Thanks for everything you’ve done with the book. It’s been well worth the trouble of multiplying out the measures.

zoe said...
April 30, 2010 at 8:22 pm

Hi Andrew,

The feedback we are getting on this is very helpful and will no doubt shape how we do the next book. We will start to compile all of the data to make a comprehensive list.

Thank you, Zoë

John Davies said...
May 1, 2010 at 10:45 am

I made up a cheat sheet of my favorite bread recipes and taped it to the inside of a cabinet. I did the weight conversion one time for the cheat sheet.

As I try more recipes and have more successes, I plan on adding them to the list.

zoe said...
May 1, 2010 at 7:02 pm

Great idea John!

Thanks and I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes!

Zoë

Adeline said...
May 1, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Hi Zoe and Jeff,
I am IN LOVE with your first book! I found out about it recently and have been baking bread nonstop ever since. I’m a graduate student, usually way too busy (and lazy!) to cook decent meals, so baking bread never even entered my mind as something I could do myself at home. Your book totally changed my life! Anyway, enough gushing… I had a question about your olive oil dough recipe – you have a recipe for focaccia with onion and rosemary, and I was wondering if I wanted to just make focaccia using the olive oil dough recipe but without the onion, could I follow still the recipe as is, or would certain steps be different, like the oven temp?

Thanks!!!

-Adeline

Janet said...
May 2, 2010 at 9:40 am

I’ve found that generic unbleached flour yielded a very wet dough. It looked like the protein content was the same as the national brands so I thought it’d be fine but that wasn’t the case. I used it up by mixing it with a national brand, but I won’t be buying generic again.

Thanks Jeff and Zoe for making it all so easy!

jeff said...
May 2, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Adeline: There’s a chance the rosemary might have a tendency to brown without the protection of the onions. Could turn down the heat a bit, or bake closer to the bottom of the oven. But it might not make a diff at all.

Thanks for the kind words!

jeff said...
May 2, 2010 at 3:26 pm

Janet: Add that in to the files of the “bread mysteries completely unexplained.” Probably the grind? Who knows, but I’m glad it’s working for you. Jeff

Michael Koss said...
May 3, 2010 at 11:22 am

Zoe and Jeff,
Is there a way to reduce the strong flavor from the yeast required in the recipe? I find it has a very strong taste in the final product. I am using the amount indicated in the recipes. Perhaps some brands have a stronger taste than others. Can you provide any insight to this? I really don’t like the taste. It adds a wine/vinegar flavor to the bread

Courtney said...
May 3, 2010 at 2:17 pm

I just bought your book and so far I’ve made your basic white peasant loaf, a sandwich bread, and some cinnamon rolls. I love the method, I’ve always felt really intimidated by kneading and its kept me away from bread baking. The flavor is great but nothing is seeming to rise the right way and it’s quite dense. Looking at some pictures you’ve posted it looks like after you mix it yours rises quite a bit, and is really bubbly and watery, mine isnt bubbly at all, it seems much thicker and doesnt double in size, though it does grow a bit.
I am using the method described above to measure my flour (i used unbleached all purpose white) and after reading the FAQ I tried adding 1/3 cup extra water to no avail. My kitchen is quite drafty and cold and increasing the rise time did seem to help some but not enough.
Any tips?
PS I just ADORE the book and all my friends are tryign to get a copy now too!

jeff said...
May 3, 2010 at 6:06 pm

Michael: Click on the FAQs tab above, then look for the question about decreasing the yeast. You may be one of those folks who are sensitive to the flavor or commercial yeast, and we use a full dose in the recipes; it can easily be decreased. Check it out and see what you think.

Also, be sure you are venting the container in the 1st 48 hours.

jeff said...
May 3, 2010 at 6:08 pm

Courtney: What brand of flour are you using? Have you seen the FAQ on dense results (see tab above). Something is different, we’ll try to help figure it out with you. What’s the temperature in your kitchen? Jeff

Kori said...
May 4, 2010 at 7:43 am

I just bought the Healthy Bread book and have a question. Several times on the website and in the book it mentioned freezing the dough. But I can’t find how you recommend freezing the dough. Could you give any hints on this?
Thanks

jeff said...
May 4, 2010 at 10:56 am

Kori: Wrap it well in plastic– I use ziplock bags. Airtight plastic containers are another possibility, I sometimes do that. Most effective way is to freeze in 1-pound portions so you can overnight-defrost the dough in the fridge and you can use up the entire piece. It’s not as effective to freeze-defrost-break off a piece-refreeze. Each refreezing causes a little loss of rising power.

Courtney said...
May 4, 2010 at 12:40 pm

My kitchen is fairy cold, probably 65 degrees? And my flour is generic. Im almost out so perhaps I will buy one of the brands you use and leave the rest of my generic for pancakes and cookies.

Polly said...
May 4, 2010 at 1:27 pm

this is a really stupid question but here goes: is there any way to salvage the recipe for whole wheat mixed berry bread (HBI5) if I forgot to put in the yeast? (The dough has been resting now for 2 hours and I just realized why it’s not rising….)

sigh.

zoe said...
May 4, 2010 at 7:21 pm

Hi Courtney,

When you add the water is it warm or on the cool side? If you use cold water it just takes much longer for the yeast to activate. Your kitchen is a touch cool so the warm, but not hot, water may help.

When you form the loaf let it rise for an extra 20-30 minutes to see if that helps the dense crumb.

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
May 4, 2010 at 7:26 pm

Hi Polly,

Make a wet paste with the yeast and 1 tablespoon of water. You can put the dough in a stand mixer and slowly add the yeast mixture to the dough. Mix until the yeast is incorporated and then allow the dough to sit for the 2 hours.

Thanks, Zoë

Linda Zolna said...
May 7, 2010 at 10:14 am

My bread has “wet” or undercooked streaks. I have added more flour but no improvement. What am I doing wrong?

M. Schneider said...
May 7, 2010 at 12:34 pm

I recently attended your presentation in Arlington, Mn. and thoroughly enjoyed it. I now have 2 questions following making some dough. First, what is the utensil that Jeff used to mix the flour/water mixture? Secondly, after I mixed my dough, I had some areas that did not mix together very well even after I used my hands to continue with the mixing. Would you suggest that I use more water or continue to mix a bit longer? Thank you for your reply and I have already got my son using your recipes and techniques. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

zoe said...
May 7, 2010 at 1:42 pm

Hi Linda,

How old is your dough? Are you finding it to be kind of soupy in the bucket, or does it feel normal when you are shaping the loaf? Let me know and I can help you figure this out!

Thanks, Zoë

zoe said...
May 7, 2010 at 1:54 pm

Hi M. Schneider,

Thank you for coming to see us, what a great evening we had in Arlington!

Here is a post about mixing the dough with the Danish Dough whisk: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1616 If your dough looks much drier than what I have in these pictures you might want to add a couple more tablespoons of water. What kind of flour are you using?

Thanks, Zoë

Janet said...
May 12, 2010 at 7:27 am

This has been a wonderful find in our home. I have two comments: I was able to find a plastic lidded bucket (round) for food at the 99 cent store and it’s perfect. The other thing is that I mix with my hands and it’s very fast, plus you can readily feel where any dry spots are. And of course, clean up is much faster and easier. I splurged on my kitchen weight on Amazon ($19) and now can dump it into the bowl that sits on top without having to measure or scoop. My PAP flour is about 4.5 oz. Grits on the bottom of the “peel” which is just a thin baking sheet works great and adds a beautiful corn flavor (I think it was Zoe’s mom who also did this). Tossed in some walnuts and dried figs the other night and it turned out beautifully…especially when used for grilled cheeses.
I can’t thank you enough for this book. I’ve recommended it to many of my friends.

zoe said...
May 12, 2010 at 11:27 pm

Hi Janet,

Thank you for the lovely note. We are so happy you are baking so much bread. I can’ wait to tell my mom that you too are using grits!

Enjoy, Zoë

Ariana said...
May 14, 2010 at 7:28 am

What size Cambro container are you using in the video, Jeff? I am thinking about getting one, because I think scooping straight out of the bag is giving me a cup of flour that’s too tightly packed.

I get great results by weight, but I would like to be able to scoop the flour too, so I don’t have to translate every recipe in HBin5 to weight — I plan to make them all, and translating them all could take a while.

jeff said...
May 14, 2010 at 3:39 pm

Ariana: That’s a six-quart/six-liter container from Cambro– I do like that one.

Ariana said...
May 15, 2010 at 10:03 am

Jeff, thank you, I have a feeling a trip to a restaurant supply store is in order.

Liv said...
May 19, 2010 at 8:41 am

Hi jeff n zoe,

I love wheat breads with no sugar or honey. Can I add more than 1 cup of whole wheat flour and less all purpose flour for the Light whole wheat bread recipe?

I can’t find durum flour in my country. Is there a substitude? I’m making the Italian Semolina Bread. Thanks

jeff said...
May 19, 2010 at 2:24 pm

Liv: You should be OK with that switch, but there’s a chance you’ll need another quarter-cup of water.

If you can find flour labeled “semolina” in an Indian or Pakistani foodstore, you should be able to substitute, but those flours are typically a little on the coarse side. May be a coarse or dry result, so we tended to specify Durum. Jeff

Matt said...
June 4, 2010 at 12:24 pm

Im back!!! Here is my question. I just recieved a new kitchen aid from my mom and i want to use it for your bread recipes. I have been told many a times that when the dough scrapes clean from the bowl and onto the hook, the dough is done. Now, with your method, will the dough scrape clean from the bowl or is there to much water?

Thanx

Matt

zoe said...
June 4, 2010 at 9:17 pm

Hi Matt,

Our dough is much too wet to scrape clean from the sides, in fact, you should use the paddle attachment and not the dough hook. The dough hook will just spin around and not mix the dough well.

Thanks and enjoy your new kitchenaid! Zoë

Barb said...
June 10, 2010 at 3:22 pm

I’ve just bought your book and finally made me first loaf of the 100% whole wheat breat. What, generally, should be the length of the baked loaf? Just wondering if I did everything right – it seems a little small…;)

jeff said...
June 10, 2010 at 6:30 pm

Barb: Our standard loaves are on the small size. Assuming you made a one-pound free form, oval-shaped bread, I’d say about 7 inches long. Just use more dough if you’d like something more sizable.

Barb said...
June 10, 2010 at 9:33 pm

Fabulous! Then I think I did most everything right. I think I should have let it rise maybe a little longer as it was a little cool in my kitchen. The holes in the bread are pretty small and maybe it’s a little dense, but it tastes great!!

jeff said...
June 11, 2010 at 6:25 am

Barb: Yes, try a longer rise. 40 min was pushing it for convenience-sakes. 60 minutes or even a little longer, will give you more rise. Even longer in a very cool kitchen.

hARRY said...
June 18, 2010 at 8:01 am

I just found your books, both of them, and love them!! Before I starting using your method, I’d taped a flour volume to weight conversion table I found on the internet to my flour container. Really useful. Unfortunately I didn’t use it for my first two batches and my dough came out a little wet. I will for the next one!

Michele said...
July 6, 2010 at 11:42 am

I baked the soft whole wheat sandwich bread from the healthy bread book. My bread turned out dry and crumbly. Could you tell me what I may have done wrong? I used all the correct ingredients.
Thanks.

jeff said...
July 6, 2010 at 2:04 pm

Michele: are you measuring with the scoop-and-sweep method (see the video here http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1801)? That’s the most common problem.

Second most likely problem: Are you using “stone-ground” whole wheat flour? Many people find that too dry. Switch to a typical U.S. commercial flour like Gold Medal and you’ll be happier with the result.

Finally, your dough may be too dry and you just need to add a bit more water.

Where are you located, what product brands are you using? Jeff

Michele said...
July 7, 2010 at 7:05 pm

Thanks Jeff.

I may be using too much flour. I am trying to use the scoop and sweep but after watching the video realize that I am scooping out of the bag!

I am using Pillsbury Whole Wheat and Unbleached flours. If the dough still seems to dry after trying the scoop and sweep method I will add a little more water. I will look on the website for a video to get an ideo for the consistency of the dough. I am excited to be baking my own bread. It takes so little time!

Michele

jeff said...
July 8, 2010 at 7:51 am

Great, let us know how you make out.

Linda said...
July 16, 2010 at 9:12 am

I made one loaf of whole grain and see that the dough is too wet. Can I save the rest of the batch somehow?

zoe said...
July 16, 2010 at 10:10 am

Hi Linda,

You can add more flour to the dough and let it sit to absorb the excess water and redevelop air bubbles.

Thanks, Zoë

Free said...
August 22, 2010 at 4:41 pm

1st attempt @ HB Master Recipe, it rose nicely. I thought I could leave it out for 48 hours (oops – only 24 when I reread the recipe). It’s soupy and won’t hold form. I just refrigerated it for a few hours and am trying again. I just read in the 1st book to avoid Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Why is that? That’s what I used.

zoe said...
August 22, 2010 at 5:58 pm

Hi Free,

The dough should really be refrigerated after 2 hours, but it can handle being left out for longer if need be. Leaving the dough out for 48 hours will accelerate the fermentation and it may have an alcohol smell and taste.

Pastry flour has a lower protein content than regular whole wheat. The protein (gluten) is what gives the dough its structure and stretch. The reason your dough will not hold its form is because of a lack of protein. You can add more vital wheat gluten to the dough, but you have to mix it with more flour to avoid clumping. Stir together 1 cup of flour and 2-3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten, then mix it into the dough.

Hope that helps, Zoë

Lynelle said...
August 28, 2010 at 10:35 am

Hi, I am grinding my own wheat just before I mix the dough. I have just started trying out your book “Healthy Breads…” so I am just becoming familiar with the process. But I was wondering what adjustments I need to make with the flour grounds only moments before. I suspect it is fluffier then the flours used. I first though maybe my dough was a tad dry, but after using some I suspect my dough is a tad wet, since the dough spreads when resting and I never have to cut it off when grabbing it. It just breaks off. But I don’t really know. Thanks!

jeff said...
August 28, 2010 at 4:51 pm

Lynelle: We’ve had mixed results with freshly-ground flour– as you suggest, the outcomes are unpredictable. Sometimes you need more water, sometimes less. I assume because commercial flours are dried to a very uniform moisture level; what you do at home, is not.

See my post on using a semi-commercial fresh-ground flour (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1165 )— it didn’t require any adjustment, but that’s not what readers tell us when they do their own. All I can say is that you’ll have to do lots of trial and error. No way to advise you since we’re not working with what you have. Jeff