I haven't done the 5 minute artisan bread, but I have converted other bread recipes from yeast to sourdough starter. I usually take the starter out of the fridge, feed it and let expand to refresh it before using it. Sometimes if the first step in the recipe is a sponge that ferments overnight or longer, I'll just use the starter straight from the fridge. When I talk about amounts below, that is after stirring down the starter.

I usually add the starter to the water in the recipe and mix that together before adding the other ingredients because most sourdough recipes I've seen add the starter that way I think because it ensures that the starter is well distributed through the dough.

I'm not sure about the best amount - for long rise recipes that call for just a small amount of yeast - a teaspoon or less, I've had success putting in about a tablespoon or two of starter and leaving out the yeast. With such a small amount, I don't adjust the water and flour in the recipe.

For recipes that call for more yeast, I'll put in a cup or so of starter. Starters have different hydrations - some are more liquid (like a pancake batter) and some more like a dough. My starter is like a soft dough and is about a 50% water, 50% flour (by weight, not volume). For each cup of it that I put into a recipe, I reduce the flour by about a cup and the water by about a half cup. That's approximately how much water and flour is in a cup of the starter and it seems to be close enough.

I use a bread stone so I'm not sure of the answer about whether it would be a problem to have the bread directly on the unglazed tile. I think it would be okay - but I'm not sure. I don't always take the parchment off - the bottom of the bread cooks fine with the parchment there, but sometimes when I take the bread out and decide it should cook a bit more, I've already taken the parchment off and just put it directly on the stone.

C'mon friends - surely there are a couple others to contribute, too. Thank you Cloud Swift!!

arline

Since I have not made the Artisan Bread recipe using sourdough, I will not comment on that until I have experience making that recipe.

You absolutely can let the dough bake on your stone or tiles with no parchment underneath. It is the hot stone that helps give the oven "lift" to the bread rise and makes that wonderful snappy, crisp crust. Or....you can bake the bread on the parchment for easier unloading from the peel onto the stone. A novice may find it easier to transfer the bread onto the stone using the paper. I don't bother to cut the paper up close to the dough. Yes, the edges of the paper get a little brown, but it has never burst into flames on me.

Check out breadtopia.com
He has several sourdough, no knead. I know, not exactly the artisan recipe, but you should be able to figure out amounts and process.

Deanna

A wonderful reference is the book, "Breads from the La Brea Bakery" by Nancy Silverton. She gives thorough instructions for growing your own wild yeast starter, and the rest of the book is devoted to recipes that use the starter, most all of them rustic type breads, everyone I've tried--delicious.

A cornmeal-coated peel works fine for transferring dough to a hot stone (be sure to preheat the oven/stone for 30-60 minutes before baking). Parchment can be used, but because the stone is porous and pulls moisture from the dough, and the parchment is a barrier, you won't get as crisp a crust with parchment as you will if you omit it.

Enjoy your baking!

I was surprised, it took so long to get a rise (no pun intended, LOL) on your questions. I don't claim to be an expert, at least my baking is still win-some, lose-some, so was hoping you would get replies. Anyway, Arlinek, I made up the Artisan dough on Wed and baked a loaf on Thurs. It didn't rise well. Today I took out some more dough and I have had a loaf rising for over an hour. It' snot rising much, but will bake it soon as I had planned on soup today. I don't have the book but it looked interesting. I've used the sourdough recipe featured in the Breatopia.com videos and love the bread and ease. It makes just one loaf and is very forgiving. I used sprouted grains in my last loaf and it was wonderful, tasty and healthy. I always include whole wheat flour as part of the flour as per instructions. It does take longer to rise and can be baked covered or uncovered I've found. I have a very good starter that rises superbly but this recipe works well even with an average starter. The dough is very wet but no kneading and I use a dough blade to help fold the dough. If you've not baked bread before, this would be a good one to try out. There was a video, NY Times, I believe that offered a yeast no knead bread that is exactly like the one at Breadtopia but not sourdough. Good luck, have fun. I may be making croutons tomorrow, LOL. If you need a starter, I got my first starter from Friends of Carls, an 1847 Oregon trail starter, that is very hardy and is free. I think their site is still alive.

Thank you terrapots; I, too, have been very surprised about the lack of response on this question as I have assumed that since there is such a wonderful response to the 5 Minute Artisan Bread and many others using their own starter, incl. sourdough starter, that several would have used that one along with the Artisan bread. But "Happy Birthdays" and "Kitchen Drawers" garners 40 replies!! lol. I guess my title is just not as sexy, huh? Maybe people thought Kitchen Drawers referred to their underwear?

arline

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/

Thanks, Sommerville for the recipe and the link. I wonder if yeast is needed at all. My baked loaf rose some, but was just white bread. The crust was very thin, good crumb, soft, a few large holes. Hopefully the last loaf will turn out more flavorful. Incidentally, the bottom crust didn't brown too well on the parchment, perhaps my stone was not hot enough. Only preheated for about 20 minutes at 450. Not really as flavorful as the no-knead sourdough recipe.

Your welcome terrapots. You could email Zoe or Jeff and aske them any questions you have. They are very good at answering you back. Good luck with your bread baking, and keep us informed on your progress.

Here is there website,

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Shelley

I haven't made this recipe, but I love both The Bread Bible and Carol Field's The Italian Baker. Both books use a starter (biga or sponge) in addition to a very small amount of yeast. I never use parchment paper, only cornmeal on the tile.

Rose Beranbaum blogged about the NYT bread.