Keeping the dough chilled makes it easier to work with and less sticky, gives it depth of flavor over time, and allows you to make fresh baked bread in less time than mixing/kneading/rising/shaping/rising then baking in the usual method. With the dough in the refrigerator you can decide if you want olive bread, french bread, pizza, or focaccia from the same recipe, not four recipes. That's my take on it, anyway.

Teresa, Is this the book?

I just searched the Artisan web site, hoping to find the recipe for the basic dough. But I guess they want you to buy the book to get that imformation, which makes sense from their point of view. But another cook book at this time is out of the question for me. Anyone have the basic recipe and willing to share?
Thanks,
Rusty

Yes, Cathy, that is the book.

Here is a link to the basic Master Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Master Recipe

You don't need bread flour for this? Just regular flour?

They call for "unbleached all purpose flour" although the link has "white" flour for some reason. Under the ingredients listing they say they use "unsifted, unbleached, white, all purpose flour." The authors firmly say "don't use bleached flour."

I started making it a couple months ago after reading so much about it on here. I can't do much kneading these days so had been looking for no knead bread. I like being able to pull out a hunk any particular day as needed. I stopped for the holidays because of fridge space, but plan to start up again in the new year. I'll be trying some whole wheat as well as other grains in it. I love sunflower seeds in grain breads and look forward to using some in that, along with other grains/seeds.

Thank you, teresa, for the link to the master recipe, also for clearing up the type of flour used. I had wondered about that, too.
Rusty

I bought the book for the library, and as soon as I get my hands on it (it's always out), I'll copy out some of the other recipes. I've been using the master recipe for a few months....so handy and if I rest the dough in a warm place having fresh bread after a day at work is no problem.

Grace, I found that the loaves are heavy if I don't heat the stone long enough.

I found that with the CI/NYTimes no-knead bread, it makes large loaves that are difficult to cut (esp for the kids), and the crust, no matter which pan I've used, gets overdone. I probably just haven't experimented enough. But with the 5-min bread, I can do smaller loaves and more of them, and I really like how the crust turns out. I've had mixed results with the insides...Sometimes it's Artisan-like, and sometimes more like 'regular' bread. I have used my home-milled whole wheat flour (hard white Montana Prairie Gold wheat) in the master recipe, and threw in things like garlic pieces, seeds, etc. with pretty decent results. I have the book, but haven't ventured to the other recipes yet.

We have been doing Artisan Bread in 5-minutes a day.

Havent gotten any going since two weeks before Christmas. It is so easy our grandsons have learned how to prepare the dough.

Bought the book, but havent made other doughs. Did make the Sticky Pecan Rolls. They were very good.

I like having the dough in the fridg. for pizza dough, and focaccia bread. My bake method is to put the prepared dough on to parchment paper that has corn meal on it. Put one cup of ice cubes into the oven when putting the loaf into the oven.

When putting garlic pieces into the bread, do you put it in when preparing the loaf before baking?

Another good tip that I read some where was to not was the bucket in between batches. Scrape the left over dough that clings to side, down into the bucket. This makes it more like a sour dough. I have also found that there is a lot of difference in the texture, when baking the loaf the same day, or baking the loaf in the last two weeks the dough is good for. I like them both.

After checking online to see if they had the book, I went to the library to get it. In the time it took to get there, someone else had checked it out. (Someone in my immediate area must be on these forums. I need to find out who; I can foresee swapping recipesÂ) it will be a while before the book is returned and I can get it.

A couple of years ago I actually bought myself a bread machine. Then I returned it, it all seemed like so much work (and storing one more appliance was a deterrence too). But reading through the basic recipe it seems pretty easy. I have another refrigerator in the garage too. I like to bake but have carpal tunnel syndrome, so no kneading is a major incentive. Husband and kids love homemade bread.

Since I canÂt get the book right now and I have time on my hands for the holiday, maybe someone more experienced can tell me. I have all sorts of wheat and oat bran, oat flour, rolled oats, wheat berries, etc. Can I substitute any of these for part of the white flour? I donÂt necessarily want a heavy whole wheat bread, just something not lily white.

I bought some yeast packets. Being new to bread, I saw yeast in jars too. I felt like a jar was a commitment when I didnÂt know how far IÂd pursue this, but I assume itÂs a good idea if you make bread a lot? (The jar was also $9, which surprised me. I didnÂt know yeast was so expensive.)

IÂm interested in sourdough too, how do you get started with that?

Go to www.artisanbreadinfive.com for more of their recipes, scroll down to Recipes on the far left of their site.

Working with sourdough involves more time than the Artisan Bread in 5-minutes a day. Lots of fun, very rewarding, delicious breads, just a whole 'nother method.

I recommend that you get a start of a reliable sourdough culture rather than make one yourself. Save yourself years of torture and failure! LOL! Here is a link for Carl Griffth's 1847 Oregon Trail sourdough starter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Carl's Friends

I've had the book for a year now. It's so nice to have the dough ready and waiting. Along with loaves I've used it for rolls and pizza and many different sizes.
Couple of weeks ago I mixed up a double batch adding asiago cheese. Then more asiago on the crust. It was a hit for the second year in a row at a soup party that Kim took it to at work.

Nancy

Nancy, which of the various methods did you use for your rolls? I haven't started a new mix during the holidays, primarily because of refrigerator space, but I want to make some rolls as well as more bread.
Thanks, jude

I've been using the basic recipe for several months now. Love having it in the fridge ready to make a loaf for dinner or whatever. I too get better results with the dough that has been sitting for several days rather than the day I make it. I bought the book for myself while shopping for Christmas and will read it and try some of the other recipes after the first of the year.

David

Nancy,
About how much asiago cheese did you add? Their recipe for Vermont Cheddar Bread only had 1 cup of grated cheddar - doesn't sound like near enough to me.
Teresa

Jude, I use the basic recipe for rolls and shape like a hard roll. Bake on parchment, throw in some ice and remove from the oven when they test 200 degrees.

Teresa, I used about 1 Cup of Fresh Asiago per recipe, plus quite a bit on top. You could use a little more, I just didn't want the bread to get too weighted down. Aged Asiago is even stronger and works too. I just liked the texture of the fresh and the way it really melts into the bread.

Nancy

I have some questions after watching the u-tube instructions. Apparently you can add/substitude some whole wheat flour instead of all white. He took a grapefruit size from the bucket to shape and let rest. How many of approx the same size do you get from the basic recipe? How long does it keep in the refrig? Can you take the grapefruit size out and add seeds, cheese or herbs while shaping? TIA for any answers and info.

I've used 100% KA white whole wheat flour or a mixture of all-purpose, WWW and some oatmeal and it comes out fine. The basic recipe makes 4 grapefruit sized loaves. You can keep it in your refrigerator for 10 days with no problem. I often like to massage a handful of chopped walnuts into the bread as I shape it.

I stopped making it because it was too easy to make it and then suck it right down....

Yesterday I made the Olive Oil recipe and tonight I made a pizza with a portion of the dough. Yes.....way to easy to suck it right down.

Have to say, I prefer the Artisinal Pizza Dough from Becky on the Recipe Exchange for my pizza crust; much easier to roll it out very thin.

Thanks for responses. jxbrown, I do understand how easy it would be to gobble up homemade bread.

If one doesn't own a pizza stone to bake on what type pan would you recommend?

The heaviest cookie sheet you have turned upside down or one that has no rim around the edges, but if you are going to do a lot of bread baking a stone is nice to have.

Thanks, I also though of my cast iron fry pan but apparently you want no sides, not even low ones?

I have also used clay tiles from the home store, lining up six, 3 to a row, 2 rows - on the lowest oven rack to bake bread and pizza on and the tiles are cheap and easy to replace if one breaks.

teresa_nc7, do you mean the unglazed terra cotta floor tiles from the home store? I, too, had wondered about what pans to use. Could a regular aluminum loaf pan be used?
Thanks,
Rusty

? would an upside down pyrex pie dish work?

Sounds like a book/recipe that I would love.
I have been fairly absent from the CF for quite a while. Guess I missed that you were not well Teresa. What's going on?
Sherry

NO, NO! The pyrex pie dish would probably crack if heated empty in the oven and then the pizza put on top of it.

The purpose of the tiles or pizza stone is to heat it for 20-45 minutes or more in the oven to get it really hot. Then you slide the pizza (no pan) onto the hot stones, using a pizza peel, to bake it. The hot stone draws moisture away from the crust, cooks it and browns it (or slightly chars it) to give you a wonderful chewy, crispy, flavorful pizza crust.

Thanks, I just measured - my 9 inch square cast iron pan lays flat upside down. The bottom actually measures 8 1/2 X 8 1/2.

Has anyone made a Whole Wheat version of this? Or added bran or flax seed or anything else?

I am trying to buy/make more fiber rich baked goods for DH and this would be a great recipe solution if I could boost the fiber.

Thanks

Alexa

Just wanted to chime in belatedly about how much I love this book. I got it for Christmas 07 and have made bread weekly ever since. There's a loaf of the buttermilk bread cooling on the stove right now, in fact!

I've had consistently good results with the recipes. (Though sometimes the sourdough flavor that develops with refrigeration is weird--the oatmeal bread wasn't so great after refrigerating, IMO). I generally sub in whole wheat flour for some amount of the AP flour called for-- 1-1/2 cups. Also bran or wheat germ.

I like to stir in nuts, herbs, etc when mixing the dough (rosemary baguette!), but sometimes roll things out, sprinkle on seasonings, and roll up jelly roll style.

I've also added spices and replaced 1 c. of the milk in the sunflower seed loaf recipe with pumpkin puree with good results. It's a little dry if you just loaf it and bake, but if you chill it, roll it out, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, dried cranberries, and pecans, roll it back up and then bake, it becomes sublime.

The Soft American Sandwich Bread makes good hamburger buns, too....

Ok, I'll stop now. You can tell I like the book!

I also got the book for christmas 07 and have been using it constantly ever since. I'd say I am a cookbook junkie and this is definately the most useful book on my shelf. I have "converted" many friends, who all have dough on hand at all times now. It is so perfect for a busy mom, you can always fill the dough with something and bake it when you get home, or let it rise while you make soup and have a really good meal. The brioche dough is also really great, my kids adore the sticky buns. I've been using that to braid around feta cheese and spinach and pinenuts lately this is what I take with me to potlucks, people can't get enough of it. That's a suggestion from their website. . . If the dough seems "doughy" you might need to cook it longer. I had problems at the beginning with vertical oven spring. . . they kind of underestimated the rising times in the book. . . it takes a little longer to let it fully rise. Another option is to shape the bread on parchment and let it rise, covered, overnight in the fridge then bake cold in the morning(this only works well with the doughs with no butter in them) this is a great way to have fresh bread for a picnic or lunch, etc. . .
I can't stress enough how much I really love this book.

teresacooks....Have you tried the fresh pitas?
We did those this week out of the Vermont cheese dough made with 1 cup WW instead of all white flour.

Stuffed the fresh baked pitas with honey roasted turkey, red peppers, blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing. Hubby said this was the best yet.

Check out the 5 Minute Artisan Bread site for the instructions.

I cant wait until their new book comes out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pita link

Teresa and Trudy,

Thanks for reviving this thread. I missed it first time around. I've been making the NYT no-knead bread for a while now and, for some reason, had not found the official 5 min. a day site. I think the two methods have a certain amount of interchangeability and I want to experiment. The pita is calling out to me!

Jim

Go for it Jim. I made mine a little big, but we just cut them in half. The edges were a much crispier than a regular pita. I am dealing with a new oven, so this could be the difference. But I didnt really mind the crispy edges.

Let us know how yours turned out.

I can see also how the two methods can be interchangeable.
PS I still havent gotten a dutch oven...still looking around. The last time I went to Bed Bath and Beyond everything they had, had chips on it.

"PS I still havent gotten a dutch oven...still looking around."

The article "Great Crust without the Steam!" by Zoe on your link has a great idea. Use a pizza stone or quarry tiles and cover the bread with a large aluminum foil baking pan as a cloche to create a steamy environment. That's like the NYT dutch oven method but more flexible in terms of loaf shapes.

I've shopped for dutch ovens and covered casseroles too, but I'm not sure about investing in one for this purpose.

I've been using a stoneware casserole, which is working well except for low overhead. My loaves hit the lid before they have sprung to maximum height. I already have quarry tiles from Home Depot and will install them real soon. Then I will get a roasting pan or use something I already have for a cloche.

Jim

If you get a Dutch Oven, get the real deal. 100% Cast Iron!! Put your oven on self clean, stick it in there, and CLEAN~

None of that enamel stuff. Very hard to clean and not recommended by mama!! I still can't get mine clean. Enamel coating is tough!!

I have been having the time of my life looking at this post. Until today I had never heard of this method. It sounds too good to be true.
I will be making a trip to my local library to find this book. The bread pictures on thier website are making my mouth water.

We made the whole wheat this morning. Delicious with tuna salad for lunch.

Patti

The first one came out alright, not great but ok. The other loaves were heavier and didn't rise much even though I gave them all day. I don't think I would make this recipe again.
Clare

We really like the Eastern European Potato Rye Bread - minus the caraway seeds (don't care for that flavor). It makes a great all around sandwich bread/roll. Nice tender, crackly crust. Good flavor and moisture. Freezes well too. It's a keeper for us. I like to let it age for 5 days before baking.

I followed the link teresa posted & mixed up a batch of master recipe on Wednesday evening. I baked my first loaf of artisan bread tonight. After if came out of the oven I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back. Never ever would I have thought it would turn out so good.
I preheated my oven to 500. Once it reached 500 I then turned it back to 450. I have an old oval shaped clay baker (it has seldom been used) that I put in my oven along with the lid. Set my timer for 45 minutes then proceded to prep the dough. There was no work to it at all. Just like the video I was able to cut a chunk off and shape it with a little more flour in less than a minute. I threw it on a silpat sheet sprinkled with cornmeal to rise. 45 minutes later I put a couple of slits in it then into my baker it went. I added the lid and set my timer for another 30 minutes.
I didn't know if I should remove the lid half way thru or not. As a matter of fact I didn't even think about removing the lid till about 5 minutes befor the timer was to go off. I did remove it at that time and was amazed at how great the bread looked. Five minutes later I pulled it from the oven. I was telling myself to let it cool down befor I cut into it. Bread should not be cut while its hot. Right? Heck I don't know. I have no willpower!!
Oh my I was in shock. I still can't believe I produced such a beautiful tasty loaf of artsian bread.

Thank you teresa for the link to the recipe.
Now that I have tried it and it worked I will buy the book ASAP. I can not wait to try some of the other recipes. The pecan rolls are calling my name, my very own home made english muffins and pitas! I want to make a marble rye worthy of Jerry Seinfield!
I have plans to go to the Amish store for several different flours and spices.
I am gonna weigh a ton!
Dawn

Good for you, Dawn!

Teresa bailed me out this weekend too; I called her for yeast guidance!

I'm with you Dawn, loving this bread but I'm going to have to start sharing with the neighbors or I'll weigh another ton.

LOL mustangs.
Poor teresa is going to think I'm a stalker. But I also wanted her to know I maled a SASE envelope to Carls friends too for the sourdough starter that she recomended.
Thanks again teresa.
Dawn

trsinc....
Made the Eastern European Potato Rye Bread today. Minus the caraway seeds also, dont like the flavor.

This dough is going to be one of my favorites. Good flavor and a much softer texture. Made 1/2 of the recipe, let it set in fridg. for 5 days. Made a small loaf in small bread pan and formed rest of the dough into 2 oz. rolls, and put into 9x9 greased pan.

One tip that I should pass on about this recipe is to make sure that your potatoes are mashed very well, as I had a few lumps in my dough.

This dough was a little tougher to work with, it seemed to be a wetter dough to me. Just make sure to have lots of flour handy for hands and the dough while shaping.

Yeah, trudy, I thought it was wetter too. The first time I made it I thought I had left out a cup of flour.

I usually measure the potato and put it in the blender with a cup or two of the water to get it nice and smooth. I agree to use plenty of flour when shaping.

I just made a new batch last night but used 1 cup rye and 1 cup wheat. They were still good, but not AS good. They didn't rise as much in the oven, either. I just feel guilty about eating bread that is mostly white flour, lol.

Talk about feeling guilty. I am not going to be able to bake bread for 6 days. Felt guilty washing out the bread bucket, with all those good dough crumbs inside.

So...I made another 1/2 of batch that will be baked in 6 days. Am I addicted to this bread or what!!!!

I havent had an empty bucket since around January 1.

But yes, I do feel guilty putting all white bread into DH also :)