Comments on: Artisan Bread Taste Without the Work!

By: zoe

zoe — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:29:22 +0000

Hi Cindy,

It sounds like maybe your dough was over proofed. Did it rest much longer than normal or is your kitchen particularly warm this time of year. Or perhaps you live in the mountains (high altitude baking does this kind of thing).

I’m going to be out of town for a while. If you have any more questions you can ask Jeff on http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com. Just leave a question in the comment field of any post and he will get it.

You can use a starter, but you have to allow for very long resting times to allow the natural yeasts to do their magic.

Thank you for trying the bread.

By: cindy

cindy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:28:47 +0000

Hi Zoe,
I just got the book and have 4 buckets of prepared dough in the frig. I modified the carmel rolls to cinnamon rolls and they were a hit. Also, love the pizza dough! I have 2 questions, my Light whole wheat bread was baked in a loaf pan and rose nicely (over the top) but fell during baking. What is the cause? Also, I’ve been trying a sourdough starter without using yeast and wondered if you have a recipe using the sourdough starter for sourdough bread (the book only has recipes for granulated yeast). Thanks!

By: zoe

zoe — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:04:30 +0000

Hi Shiao-Ping,

Yes, you will have a wonderful loaf using that flour in your recipe. You will want to add a bit more water because the higher protein content will mean that the flour absorbs more water and the dough will be dry without adding more water. About 2-4 tablespoons should do it.

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=140

Thanks, Zoë

By: Shiao-Ping Morton

Shiao-Ping Morton — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:24:53 +0000

Hi Zoe, you mentioned you like to use King Arthur all-purpose flour. I read in other sources that it has 11.7g gluten per 100g flour. I live in Australia and I use a white bread premix which has 11.5% gluten, which is exactly the same as the French T65 flour favoured by many artisan bakers in France. I have had a lot of success using this bread premix flour (add only water and yeast). My questions is: will this pre-mix flour allow me to make artisan bread with big open crumb, if I used your method, judging that its gluten level is very similar to yours?

By: zoe

zoe — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:17:01 +0000

Thank you Ann,

I’m so glad you are enjoying the bread during your busiest time!

Best, Zoë

By: Ann

Ann — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:39:26 +0000

I just wanted to let you know that I think your book is fabulous!! I am a very busy stay at home mom who transports kids all day to and from school and I on a normal bread recipe find it challenging due to time restraints to make bread during the week and this has ended that issue for me. Thanks so much for your wonderful contribution to the baking world.

By: zoe

zoe — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:15:20 +0000

Hi Jean,
Some would say that you achieved an artisan loaf. Lots of people work hard to get those large air holes in the their bread. It actually means that you did everything right! This however is just a matter of taste and if you like a crumb which is denser and has a more even texture than you can work the dough just a bit more. When you are shaping the loaf, just give it a few more turns and this will knock some of that air out of the dough. The one thing to consider when doing this is that you may want to let it rise for slightly longer before baking it so it isn’t too dense. Perhaps next time you bake a loaf you can take a picture and send it to me. zoe@zoebakes.com

Thanks! Enjoy the book when it comes. Zoë

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:48:33 +0000

I’ve ordered your book and it’s on backorder until Christmas. So far I’ve tried the recipe from what was printed in the Star Tribune. Today was the fourth loaf I’ve baked from the first batch of dough I mixed up six days ago. We ended up with big air holes baked into the loaf. What would have caused this? Any suggestions for next time. I’m finding this quite fun and have already shared a loaf with friends. Jean

By: zoe

zoe — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:07:08 +0000

Hi Sarah,

I'm so glad your second loaf was a success! I too find that the dough improves with age. If you replace the all-purpose with bread flour it will make for a much tighter dough and will not last as long nor have the same open crumb. Having said that we do actually have a recipe in the book for a traditional French Pan d'Epi (p.41) which calls for bread flour in order to keep the shape of the wheat stalk.

The flour that I love most is King Arthur all-purpose, which has a higher protein content than most other brands and more resembles bread flour, but doesn't make the dough quite as dry.

As for the yeast I use, it is Red Star from Costco, because I can get it in huge quantities. Any brand will work, we haven't found that the more expensive ones are any better in our dough!

Thanks, Zoë

By: sarah grandson

sarah grandson — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:50:15 +0000

Hi! My second loaf of bread (dough is now 5 days old) was much better…2 day old dough didn’t rise very well, so bread was heavy and dense. Is it ok to use bread flour in lieu of all purpose flour? Do you have a brand preference for yeast? Love the fact that I can make bread without kneading or using my food processor! Thank you!

Sarah