Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day; recipe at post 30

Samphire

What a fab thread!
I made my first no knead bread yesterday. It was deeeeelish! DH and I polished it off with some strong cheese, the kids didn't get a look in!
Bearing in mind what some people on here have said about flat loaves, I let it rise in a narrow-ish mixing bowl so that it spread upwards rather than outwards, and baked it in a dish rather than on a tray (I think if it had had a chance to spread out and down it would have as the dough was very wet). This made a good rustic looking loaf with a great crust and a lovely texture (chewy with big holes if that makes sense). We're going on holiday tomorrow to a Haven place in North Wales - I was wishing that we had space to take the breadmaker but now I'm just taking ingredients, and the recipies that I've written down from this thread!!

KAAT_LADY

hi there


just to let you know bread made ( artisan) very nice but a bit salty

it was so sticky aas well stuck to everything

Samphire

Re the issue of spreading dough - I was looking on the artisan bread in five website and it looks like this may be down to using plain flour..? It looks like "all purpose" flour in the US has a little more protein (gluten) than our plain flour. I looked on my packet of tesco plain flour and it said 9% (ie in the nutricional information bit it says 9g protein per 100g), my tesco bread flour has 12.1% protein. To quote Jeff (one of the authors of the book)
"Nine percent is really a bit too low and your loaves may spread out too much, even if you adjust the water. That protein (gluten) helps it rise vertically."
He says the recipies are tested with flour of around 10% protein, so it may be worth trying a combination of bread flour and plain to get around that average.
He also says that if you use a higher protein flour you'll need to add more water, which explains why I needed to add more to mine yesterday (I used bread flour).
I found this info on http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=140. I guess with experimentation we'll come up with a good UK version of this between us!!
I've ordered the book from my friend who owns our local bookshop, and I can't wait!!! Thanks for the OP GreenManGo!!!

champys

My first little practice loaf this lunchtime came out PERFECT! I am really very impressed. Maybe it was beginners luck....? However I tried pizza for dinner with the dough, and that wasn't so good - rather soggy, and nothing like my usual thin & crispy bases (which admittedly tend to take me a long time to make). I will try to give them the 'double bake' treatment next time to see if that helps.
With the dough I have left, I will try a baguette tomorrow. If that is successful again, I will have to buy the book! Thanks everyone for all the tips and comments and sharing how you are getting on...... :-)

Butterfly_Brain

Kron wrote: »

Welll I tried a gluten free version and it was a disaster. However my other version made with ordinary flour was a success and very very yummy. I'm gonna have another go with gluten free flour.

Karen

There is a trick to using Gluten free bread flour - try using slightly warm soda water instead of tap water, the gas in the soda water helps it to rise , don't ask me how but it seems to work

sashanut

Reporting back with my experience - made dough yesterday; used 2/3 strong white flour & 1/3 wholemeal. It rose well & put it in fridge after it had collapsed; in kitchenaid mixing bowl with shower cap 'hat'. Got a big lump out tonight to make loaf, very sticky but used oatmeal (instead of cornmeal) to prevent sticky bottom & used flour to shape into a round on a baking sheet/left for 40 mins as instructed but when I came back I had a big massive flat blob

Decided it wouldn't make a loaf, looked more like a pizza so spread a bit of tom puree on top (difficult as it was so sticky), topped with mushrooms, whoopsied ham, grated cheese & herbs. it was a nice pizza although quite a thick based one.....no complaints from DH however. Any ideas of how I can get an actual loaf rather than pizzas? :rotfl:

Petlamb

Well I did bake my first loaf using this method today... Im pleased thus far though i do think i took it out probably 5 mins too early - but this technique has fixed my texture and crust issues ive had before! so a thumbs up overall.

newlywed

Right ok so it doesn't work for me :rolleyes:

Had a lovely tub of dough all risen in the fridge. The pizza was a bit of a disaster as it was a nightmare to roll out and I had to keep adding more flour coz it was soooo sticky The middle of the pizza was all soggy and stuck to the tray (serves me right for flouring it instead of using "cornmeal" or whatever it is). The edges puffed up nicely though and tasted good but a bit "yeasty".

So I thought I'd try a loaf so took a large lump moulded it into an oval and let it sit on the tray. Then baked it.... the outside was nice and crusty but the inside was still a sticky kinda grey colour - I'm guessing not cooked properly but I thought the oven had to be as hot as it would go??

I thought for a half batch of bread you used one sachet of quick yeast???

I like the idea of it all but am not really convinced

sashanut

I really like the idea of too - if only I could get it right.....perhaps it needs some experimentation; reading back over the thread. The blob effect can't be using ordinary plain lour as I used strong white flour & got the same effect. I made the full recipe, not half - & used 2lb flour, 2 tbsp orange brick Doves farm yeast, 1 1/2 tsp table salt & 750 ml warm water. Might try a loaf & attempt to bake it in a loaf pan so it doesn't s-p-r-e-a-d all over the baking sheet - but then, will it stick to the blasted loaf tin? I do have a floppy tin so I might use that....also I am using an Aga to bake in, so no temp control!!!

Any help/suggestions gratefully received TIA:D

AussieLass

I actually made my dough with 4 cups plain flour & 2 1/2 cups wholemeal. Mine wasn't as sticky as some have said their's was. Might have been the wholemeal flour.