Ann, the new camera is doing a fine job, what great looking bread. Like you, I have to cut the crusty end off the hot bread and add some butter, eat it right away. Yes, I know, I've been told that you shouldn't cut hot bread. I don't care, I do it anyway! Yum, that would be perfect for breakfast... Annie

Here is a recipe I found on a blog site (link is below). She has experimented using sourdough starter in addition to the master recipe. Recipes using sourdough starter may be in the next book that Zoe and Jeff are working on. Another site suggested adding 1 c of starter to the basic recipe. Hope this helps. Shelley The Master Recipe: Artisan Free Form Loaf. From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Makes four 1 pound loaves. Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. 3 cups (720g) lukewarm water 1-1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoon) granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets) 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3 teaspoons table salt) 6-1/2 cups (940g) unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough optional 200g of well fed sourdough starter Cornmeal for the peel (or leave on baking paper) In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water.(make sure you follow this step. When I skipped it I found a ribbon of undisolved yeast). Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. (I mix mine in a bowl and then put in a lightly oiled 4.75l decor brand container). Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours (takes an hour in Darwin) and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.) When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and repeat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, its not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom. Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one dayÂs storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour. Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, ¼-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely. http://andreainthekitchen.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/artisan-bread-in-five-minutes-a-day-master-recipe/

I'm glad I posted this -- I'm learning all sorts of things! I didn't realize that sourdough isn't necessarily sour -- but it makes sense the commerical stuff is more so. (I had a friend's homemade sourdough recently, and while it was a very nice bread I remember thinking it wasn't nearly sour enough!) The sour taste is really what I'm going for -- if I can't get that going naturally, I'll looking into adding the taste in with other things. (I picked up a littl container of buttermilk powder for another recipe -- that might be a good taste to play around with!) Thanks for the explanation on acidity and the viscosity of the starter, Carol; that's helps a lot. The alchemy of baking has always intimidated me -- it's good to have a clearer idea of what's going on. I'll keep plugging away for a while longer with this starter, perhaps feed it whole wheat for a while and see if that builds up it's puny flour-lifting muscles. If not, the soured yeast dough may be the way to go, jessica; I didn't know you could do that. It might actually be better way to go, given the infrequency with which I bake. I'm still going to work with this starter -- Ill keep you posted!

I use a type of starter called "Everlasting Yeast" that became popular over 100-years ago. In the evening I add flour/water/agave nectar to the mixture and set it in the oven with the light on to keep it warm while it works it's magic overnight, and make bread the next morning. At some point in the evening before I go to bed, it's not uncommon for me to open the oven and take a deep whiff of the starter. You're right a candle with that smell would be lovely. ;-) -Grainlady