Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

The loaf that I left to rise is now baked, and it is crusty and delicious -- but only about 2 inches high. I am going to toss all of my yeast and flour and buy fresh, as they are about two months old. I'm also going to try kosher salt instead of sea salt, and bake the bread in an electric oven. So many people seem to like this recipe that I am determined to find out why it is not working for me!

I have baked the family bread for 30 years. Have I missed something here?

Being persistent, I made three batches with the same result. Every loaf that I baked was almost impossible to form because it was so wet and sticky that no amount of flouring would prevent it sticking to whatever it came in contact with. Forget about sliding it off the peel! My first batch, using sea salt, was so salty and sticky that I spent the rest of the day cleaning me, the kitchen and my clothing and drinking water and licking the condensation off the windows and mirrors. The loaves flattened out like cow pies and rose to about 2 1/2 inches high in the middle. I finally added about two + cups of flour to the rest of that batch (a half batch to begin with) and managed to bake a decent loaf. It tasted great and had a wonderful crust.

Batch three was a careful duplicate of the recipe in the magazine. After three days in the fridge, the loaves formed easier, but flattened out. I finally took the last ball of dough, added flour and kneaded for five minutes, and it is now rising normally.

This is much like the article by Roger Doiron (page 46 December 2007)which gave me the same result. He seems to use less yeast, salt and a bit more water.

I love, love, love this bread! All of it! I've made 3 batches in 2 weeks. Shared them at church, eaten for 3 meals a day. I won't be buying bread anymore.

My first batch, I didn't let it rise that long. I think this is a key for how it turns out. The more it stays in the refrigerator, the flavor DOES get better.

My second batch, I substituted 1 cup of 5 or 8 grain cereal (Bob's Red Mill) for 1 cup of flour.

The third batch, I added a Tablespoon of Frontier's All Purpose seasoning with the wet ingredients.

The whole wheat is best if heated up. I may experiment with substituting 1 cup all purpose flour for 1 cup whole wheat to see if it lightens up the loaf and gives it a little bit more height.

The flavor of each and everyone is so awesome and it is so EASY. I don't even want to buy store bought bread or rolls again. This is the best.

Has anyone tried adjusting this recipe for high altitude (>5000ft here in Denver)? I'm new to bread-making and haven't had much success trying to adjust recipes to high altitude.
Thanks!

I enjoy the kitchen,trying something new, and sharing what I learn while I'm elbow deep in flour or spoon to my mouth, but the 5min a day, boule, artisan bread brought everyone in the house to the kitchen. "what smells so good!?" all i can say is it taste just as good as it smells! simple, i had no trouble at all with this bread and I'll not be able to forget the recipe due to the demand of the taste buds that live here.

I tried making the Whole wheat sandwich Bread. It taste wonderful but it was not as light (the texture) as I thought it would be. After mixing the ingredients the recipe said it woul d flatten on top. Mine did not. Could this be why it was heavier? And is the bread suppose to rise a second time after you take it out of the refrigerator? Mine did not.
Thanks

I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I don't buy bread anymore. I love this. It's a simple recipe and it's GREAT bread. This makes enough to even make a nice loaf for a gift or a potluck.

I do not buy bread anymore. This recipe has saved my family SO MUCH MONEY, given that the only type of bread we would eat was generally over $3 a loaf. The loaves are a little more than $.50 a loaf for me, but still extremely cheap for great tasting fresh bread. The kids' favorite after school snack is fresh baked bread with strawberry preserves! Now, if I could just make my own preserves...!

Thanks for the article, it has helped a lot!

I'm very excited about this bread. I tried the whole wheat recipe but I think something has gone wrong. I've made the dough and let it rest in the fridge. Crumbly is the best way I know to describe the dough. There is no way that I could stretch it over to the bottom. I can pat it into a ball shape. I'm afraid it's going to come out of the oven a very fragrant brick. The only thing that I did different is I ground my own flour. Could the flour not be fine enough? Would that make the difference? Thanks!

This recipe is wonderful! it's been a huge hit with friends, and my family now expects fresh bread daily, which is incredibly easy to do!

I was a bit intimidated at first because I didn't have a stone to cook it on, but I ended up using an aluminum pizza pan, and it comes out perfectly every time. I also do not put a pan of water under it as it cooks, and again it comes out perfectly. I just received the book yesterday, and can't wait to try some of the other recipes!

Is there a way to make this a "perpetual" recipe, in other words never have to make a "starter batch" again?

A reader wrote in because she was worried about how wet and gummy the dough gets as it ages in the refrigerator. I'm posting my response here because I thought it might be helpful for other readers:

My dough is almost always wet and gummy (especially the longer it has been in the fridge), and it makes perfectly delicious bread every time anyway. I have never even worried about the gumminess or tried to remove any of the moisture. The high moisture content of this particular dough is exactly why it works so well without any kneading. To learn more about why the high moisture is OK, check this out:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/the-science-behind-dutch-oven-bread.aspx

-Tabitha Alterman, Mother Earth News

The recipe is WONDERFUL! We feel like we're eating at an expensive deli. I make it on a regular basis! I've always had a difficult time with regular bread, the kneading, etc, and it never turned out right. This was not the case with this recipe! It turns out great EVERY time.

Regarding the recipe for Artisan Bread in your Dec2008/Jan2009 issue: Wonderful! Fabulous! Astoundingly perfect!
I have made white bread, the pizza and sticky buns. They are all equally perfect. I used parchment paper to rise the bread loaf and slid it onto my preheated baking stone in my preheated oven. Perfect!!! We've had 3 pizzas with planned-overs. Perfect! The pan of sticky buns. Perfectly perfect!!!
We will be eating a loaf tonight with our spaghetti made from ingredients from our organic garden. We are very fortunate.
Thanks for the recipe.
Leslie Hellriegel

I read the artical the other week and found it very intresting so I decided to make a batch to try. I ended up buying the book, the stone and a few other things (mixer,pizza peal, container for the dough etc.) Then mixed my first batch of master dough, shoved it in the fridge just before I had to go to work. The next morning I made my first loaf of bread. It was great! I took the rest of the loaf to work where it lasted all of 5 minutes. I went through 2 batches of bread in less than a week. I have 3 of my friends hooked on it warm crusty goodness. There will always be a batch or two of dough in the fridge at my house.

I have been making this bread since it was posted on the website. I currently have my third batch in my fridge waiting for me to grab a bunch, rise and bake. First, I used Kosher salt...the amount listed in the recipe, and I don't find it salty. Maybe it is because kosher salt does not taste as salty as sea salt. I generously flour the dough top and serrated knife (and my hands) prior to cutting into the dough to take some out. I originally used a baking stone, but I dropped it and broke it. I have been using a cast iron tortilla pan since then and it has been coming out great. I use a large wooden cutting board with corn meal, shape my dough, let it rest on there and use a spatula to help 'push' the dough off the board onto the pan in the oven. Also, I tried making it once without the pan of water and found the crust much harder to bite. In France, it is common to bake bread with steam, so I am sure that is why it helps here. I will continue to use this recipe...unfortunately, I need to find better deals on flour!

Always look forward to receiving the next issue of ME. This is the first time I have been on the website-WOW-so much great information.
I have been baking bread for a little while now, but have yet to find the perfect recipe. I was so excited to see the recipes from Jeff and Zoe. As we usually eat ww, I tried that recipe first; especially since I didn't need the pizza peel or stone. I really liked the flavor, but I had a very dense, heavy loaf. Nothing like the light, airy sandwich bread in the picture. Any suggestions?

Hi Angel,

You'll be glad to hear that the authors of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" are currently working on a new book of healthy artisan bread recipes that will include some gluten-free versions using the same easy technique. We will likely run an excerpt from that book closer to publication, so please check back in the coming months. Thanks for your interest!

-Tabitha Alterman, Mother Earth News

I love the artisian bread recipe, I can make this with Spelt flour for most of my family. But My son and I would love to try it. BUT I need a version that is Gluten(Wheat)-Free, Corn-Free, and White Potato-free for me and then Milk-Free and egg-free for my son?? I know this is a tall order, but I would really love a artisian bread that maybe used some of the ancient grains to make them along with rice, tapioca and arrowroot flours to make it? the versatility would allow us to enjo some of those treats on regular basis. Thank you.

YUMMMY is all I can say... I have recommended this recipe to family and friends and man is it delicious.. the only thing I did wrong on one batch was tooo much whole wheat flour and oat flour and it never raised up... and man was it ever heavy... I love to make it into rolls and then freeze them for later use, especially with soups... and it is EASY... thanks M.E.N. for a great recipe... I don't have a pizza stone eihter and just use what I have and it comes out great... vickie