I love the 5 minute a day bread! I can't knead bread any more and this has enabled me to have fresh bread at my finger tips without making them ache. I sort of can't believe how many say it lacks salt, has no flavor, etc. This from people who for any other recipe wouldn't hesitate to tweak it. I add more salt than called for and find it has quite a good taste. I do prefer it after it has been in the fridge for at least four or five days. It lasts for up to two weeks with no problem. I often will make the first loaf after only two days but then I try to wait for several more days before using it again. I've never had a problem with it rising and I keep my heat set at 58 degrees [have to remember the code for the degree symbol]. Sure, it takes longer, but as has been said.. dough rises on it's own schedule. I tend to err a little on the over proofing so usually get quite puffy loaves. I have used my enameled cast iron too with good success but the stone seems to do fine with the water in the oven. I made a mistake when using the enameled and heat the lid too... oops.. it chipped off a hunk of the enamel inside the lid. Oh well. How many times have I heard on here that ... it's bread... flour, yeast, salt, water... it makes itself. Well, this bread is that way too. Add some salt or herbs or whatever. Let it sit longer if you like a stronger flavor. It's wonderful for those of us that can't knead any longer, don't have an expensive machine to do the work, or those who like to be able to grab a hunk out and make rolls or a small fresh loaf. Five day dough wouldn't go for crackers unless I really wanted some of those great looking crackers. Five days is primo dough for me. I'd wait until the two week mark looms. Smiles.

I only slash free-form (Artisan- and Farm-style) loaves, and only rarely do I slash panned loaves - it depends on the characteristics of the dough and style of the loaf. You normally don't slash braided loaves, ciabattas, fendu-shaped (split) loaves, and most panned loaves. You want to slash loaves to allow the dough to expand rather than blow out the side of the loaf (aka shredding). By scoring the crust before it goes into the oven, you intentionally create a weak section on the surface of the loaf. Some flatbreads require you to slash all the way through the dough, while 1/4-inch is common for loaves. Deep scoring makes the bread tend to flatten out rather than rise upward unless it's got a lot of strength from gluten-development. Use a very sharp (serrated) knife or a lame (see link below), or even a sharp razor. How to: Hold the blade at a 20- to 30-degree angle, make the slashes with a short, quick motion of the wrist, no deeper than 1/4-inch. No sawing motion or you'll chance deflating the dough. Slashing also controls the direction and the extent of the ovenspring (the amount the dough continues to rise when placed in the oven). The last thing before you place the dough into the oven is when you slash it. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: King Arthur Flour - Lame Bread Slashing Tool

WOW 4lb loaves!!!!! 2 of them at one time...That must be a monster! LOL Can you just double your recipe? I think the rule of thumb is 2 cups plus dry ingredients per lb. I'd actually make your usual recipes and see where they "fill" the pan too..and then go from there. Here are two recipes I recently tried and LOVE.. You can make them in the bread machine too. My machine broke last week..so I used my mixer and then baked in loaf pan. Country White Bread Large loaf 1 1/3c water 1 1/2t salt 1 1/2T sugar (I used 1 T of blackberry Raw honey) 1/2c barley or oat flour (I used oat this time.) 3 1/2 c bread flour 2t yeast To mix in mixer Heat the water until warm, between 105F-115F; pour into warmed bowl, and add the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes, until the yeast begins to bubble. Add the salt, sugar, barley flour, and half the bread flour. Beat with paddle until smooth. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Slowly add the remaining flour, and beat until soft dough forms. Knead the dough in the mixer with the hook, on medium to high speed, adding flour as necessary, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and springy but still soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. To Shape and bake in the oven Lightly grease a baking sheet, or cover with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or lightly oiled surface. Punch the dough down and shape into a round loaf, dusting in on all sides with flour. Place the loaf, with the smooth side up, onto the baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 375F. Using a sharp knife or razon slash a 3" circle on the very top of the loaf. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the loaf is golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean and dry. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Light Wheat Brioche Large Loaf 4 large eggs plus water to equal 1 1/3c 2 t salt 2 T sugar 1 c whole wheat 3 c bread flour 3/4c butter, softened 1 1/2 t yeast To mix in mixer Warm the eggs under hot tap water, and crack into measuring cup. Heat the water to 105-115F, and add it to the eggs. Pour the mixture into the warmed mixing bowl, and add the yeast. Let stand 5 minutes, until yeast begins to bubble. Add the salt, sugar, whole wheat, and half the bread flour. Beat well. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Slowly add the remaining flour, and beat until soft dough forms.~change to dough hook~ Cut the butter into pieces and add it to the dough. Knead the dough in the mixer with the hook, on medium to high speed, adding flour as necessary, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and springy but still soft to the touch. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl and let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. To shape and bake in the oven: Lightly grease a fluted brioche pan, a 9" round cake pan or 9x5 loaf pan. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured or oiled surface. For traditional brioche shape, punch the dough down and pinch off one-quarter of the dough. Shape the remaining dough into a round loaf. Place the loaf, smooth side up, in the brioche or cake pan. Make an indentation in the center of the loaf. Form the pinched-off portion into a teardrop shape, and place, pointed side down, into the hole in the loaf. Or press the dough inot the loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled about 1- 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush or spray loaf with water. Bake 45-50 minutes, until wooden skewer inserted through the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on wire rack.

When dough has good structure before proofing and poor/no structure after proofing, it is over proofed. The yeast has multiplied and produced gas so much that the gluten structure has broken down. Why was an overnight proof okay in the video and recipe that you used but too long for the bread you made? Several factors occur to me - biggest influence first: Your bread had a 1/2 tsp of commercial yeast, the other two had only starter. I've made rye bread and regular sour dough bread both ways: starter only or starter plus a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp commercial yeast. Even that small amount of commercial yeast decreases rising time a lot. 8 or more hours warm rise was probably too much for dough with a 1/2 tsp yeast. You started the bread in a bread machine which warmed it for two rises (an hour) while the video and recipe just did a half hour rest on the counter (possibly in a fairly cool room. So the yeastie beasties in your bread had a head start on multiplying. Possibly your kitchen and oven-light warmed oven were warmer than the environments in the video and recipe you followed. Another factor I'm not sure about. I've not made no-knead sourdough bread in the bread machine. Generally, the sourdough recipes I've used emphasize gentle handling of the dough after the initial mixing - no knock down, just stretch and fold. Possibly the knock down and second knead in the bread machine reduced it's structure. I'm not convinced of that, but it is different from the recipes. Even for sourdough starter only, 8 hours for a warm environment rise seems long. I've done counter rising that long, not rising with additional warmth. With commercial yeast added I would only do an overnight rise in the fridge. To avoid over-proofing, either find a recipe that uses starter plus yeast to use for the timings or do the rise during the day when you can check on progress to figure how long it needs or put it in the fridge to do the overnight rise in the cold. Over-proofed dough collapses very easily. When the dough is properly proofed, you will find it easier to slash without deflating. On the other hand, over-proofed dough isn't going to have oven spring so it shouldn't benefit from slashing. I slash either with a safety razor blade or with a double edged razor blade threaded onto a thin bamboo skewer to give the blade a curve like most lames. You want a thin, very sharp blade for slashing. A razor blade can be replaced when it's edge dulls.