Dear Fellow Baker,

We hope you enjoy and benefit from our recipes, videos and occasional special offers. We’ll shoot out a newsletter one or two times a month that will highlight new recipes and video tutorials at Breadtopia and alert you to our occasional baking equipment giveaways.

While we promise not to bombard you with annoying emails, you can still easily unsubscribe at any time by clicking a link at the bottom of every newsletter.

Enjoy!

Eric & The Breadtopia Family

 

 

 

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217 replies to “Thanks For Subscribing

  1. Great. How do I download the video?

    • Home page left column, videos. Not sure you can DL it but you can watch it.

  2. Thanks Erik for an actual Sour Dough starter that works. I have been buying SD starters from all over the web without success. Your starter in combination with the video was priceless. I will be buying the baking utensils soon and plan to bake am A__ off. The wo loafs I have made so far turned out very nicely. When I get the clay pot and cover I’m hoping for even better results although I was able to bake these in a pair of aluminum pans, one to cover the bread and it was excellent. Thanks again.

  3. I have attempted sourdough starters in the past, but could not get that classic “sour” flavor. It makes a fine loaf, just not sour. Any suggestions or advice ?

    • Hi Joseph,

      Managing sourdough baking to get the degree of sour you want can be very challenging. Prolonging the rising times by proofing at lower temps is supposed to help and often does. Proofing in the fridge for several hours or overnight and then resuming at room temp may work.

      Additionally, or alternately, you can use smaller portions of starter in the recipe which prolongs the time it takes until it’s ready for baking.

      Sometimes it helps to “abuse” your starter by not feeding it for several days. The longer starter goes unfed, the more sour it tends to become which might translate into a more sour bread.

      Even all these things don’t always work, which is why it’s challenging.

      Hope it works out for you.

      • Thanks so much for the advice! I have a rye sponge going now.Equal parts flour and water to feed.

    • I found following the video instructions on the “No Knead Method” worked great, especially the long overnight 18 hour sit out period around 69 degrees . This was the sour part. I left mine out 24 hours with good results.

  4. I would like a recipe for that famous hard crust”San Francisco Sour Dough Bread”! And!can this recipe be made, using the No Knead Bread method?
    Many Thanks!
    Pearl

  5. I have been reading your site for the last few days and made some sourdough bread yesterday/today. It did rise quite well, although it was very wet when working with it. I let it rise for about16 hours in a cold kitchen (50*F) and then for 2 hours after kneading. It is edible but rather rubbery and doesn’t taste at all sour. I will use less starter next time to make it more sour. As it looked much wetter than yours should I try less water? I don’t have a covered cloche. Would it work to cover my clay base with tin foil? Sorry for all the questions.

    • get a large red clay flowerpot and saucer (+ a tiny saucer to cover hole in flowerpot) and use like a cloche. can buy flowerpots at any nursery.

      • Is that a food grade flower pot? 🙂

        • oh Sly One, good question!! i don’t know, but i will try to find out. people have been baking bread in flowerpots for years, but maybe that hasn’t been such a good idea. i would certainly not bake in a used one! i would also be leery of using a clay baker from a yard sale–no way to know what it has been soaking up while waiting for the sale. if i can find any info on this subject, i will email.

          • i haven’t found a definitive answer to the question of whether or not flowerpots are “food grade”. some of the info i’ve seen says they are, some of the info i’ve seen says they are not. so i still don’t know if it is okay to cook/or not to cook in flowerpots.

            • How about covering the bottom in Aluminum Foil?

        • You can also put it in a large bowl
          And once risen put on a pizza stone
          And bake put a large roaster cover over it and bake
          Check after 15 mins good luck

  6. Hi everyone,
    I just purchased the sourdough starter and I am on my fourth day with it. I followed the instructions but, now I am not sure if I did it correctly. I left the starter on my countertop since I first started to feed it and now I am wondering about how to store it. Should I have put it in the fridge before and also, can I continue to store it in a glass bowl with loose cling film?

    • You are.ok all you to do is
      start feeding it 1 c apf to 1/2 c warm water
      You will have to feed it 2x a day leave out until bubbly then put
      In ref until ready to use remember remove 1 cup
      Then add 1 c apf to 1/2 c warm water
      Share with friends the mother
      APF ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

  7. The other day I made a bread from Jim lahey Book ” My Bread” that I would like to recommend. Jim’s Irish Brown Bread it’s found on page 93 of the book. The ingredients of Guinnness Stout and Buttermilk produce the most marvelous nose and on a cold morning such as these, pop one or two slices into the toaster, then slather on a good Sweet butter and …. Well you get the picture Try It.

  8. Does it make a difference as to what type of yeast you use or how long yeast is good for. I used two year old yeast and my bread came out flat and like a stone.
    Thanks,
    Phil

    • can test for yeast viability by dissolving it in 1/4 cup warm water + 1/4 teaspoon sugar–if it doesn’t bubble by 15 minutes, it is dead. store dry yeast in freezer to keep fresh.

    • No I use Fleischman’s yeast and keep it in
      A canister in refrigerator you have the info that Tanya has
      posted good luck let us know how this works out for you.

  9. Was wondering if any one could help me I am looking
    For a covered clay long cloche with size larger than this
    141/x51/8×7 if larger please post
    Thank you
    Bobbi

    • That is 141/2×51/8×7 sorry about that

      • You might have better luck going to a steel fabrications shop.
        P.S.
        Are those measurements in inches ?

        • Yes they are in inches for a clay cloche thank you
          Bobbi

          • That’s just short of 12 ft long. Don’t know how long clay can handle that size before failure sets in. Half inch slab steel or Iron is cheep and you could drop it off a roof and not have to look for a replacement. But as always In My Opinion….. and how much money you have

            • 141/2inx51/8in.x7in

  10. When it says to let sit at room temp what should the temp be. I live in a cold house and my room temp at times is just 56 degrees. This is for my sourdough starter and my bread dough.

    Thank you Sharon

    P.S. I just ordered your bread starter so looking forward to trying it.

    • Hi Sharon,

      Any room temp is fine. If it’s colder, like 56, it just takes longer for the starter to do its thing, but it will still be happy.

      • Thank you for answering my question and it makes me feel good knowing I can still make it.

    • Sharon, there are times when I mix up bread dough, put it in a bowl and cover it, put it in the fridge. Next day I let it warm up and knead second time and bake as usual.

  11. I love your book How to make bread

    We make today CROISSANTS”

    They come delicious an easy to do!!!!!!!!!

    • Excellent! Many people are afraid to try.

  12. I have been making bread for almost 35 years and I found
    your instruction 2 weeks ago. I’m so happy I have made the
    most wonderful bread like the one I ate in Italy. Me and my husband are so happy. THANKS A LOT.

    Gracie

  13. Celebrate my success. After two failed attempts (third *’s the charm), here are some delicious bagels. Wish I could share with all of you. Have a nice week.

  14. And there it sits on the top of my kitchen cabinets, an old Roemertopf someone gave me years ago and that I’ve never used. Now here comes Breadtopia telling me I can make my bread in it! Glory! Anyone kind enough to offer instructions for this? Wet? Dry? How hot?

    • I use mine dry and preheat it before dropping the dough in to help prevent sticking. You can preheat to whatever baking temperature the recipe calls for. I almost always bake at high temps of 450 or more and that works for me with the Romertopf (and other ceramic bakers).

      Enjoy. They’re great for bread baking.

    • What is a Roemertopf? Something like a cloche?

      • Roemertopf is a clay baking dish (usually has a cover to lock the moisture inside).

  15. As promised, I proofed a sourdough loaf last night. I wanted to bake it for dinner tonight, so I stored the dough in the fridge (after the initial rise: 13 hrs) for another seven and a half hours, then removed it for baking. Next time I need to plan better and take the dough out a bit earlier. We were waiting dinner for the bread. After reading several tips, I lined a bread pan with foil and then parchment paper sprayed with oil. I wanted to form this loaf differently. When it was time to place in my clay baker, I lifted the paper/foil and set it in the La Cloche and covered for 30 min. at 450. After the 30 min, I noticed the bread wasn’t at the normal stage of baking, so I lifted out the parchment paper and foil, so the bread was sitting directly on the La Cloche. I covered it again for another 10 min. Then I removed the lid and baked for another 10 min. It turned out to get a bit dark and crispy on the top, so 10 min. was probably a bit too long, although, it looked and tasted well. I did replace the whole wheat flour for oat flour. Next bake, I’m going to try rye flour. Still exploring to find just the right shape, crunchy crust and of course, that strong sourdough taste. Tks for all your feedback.

  16. Oh my…My husband and I were on the verge of eating half a loaf of the sourdough cranberry walnut bread that I just made this morning. Of course, I found the recipe off of this blog, but instead of adding whole wheat flour along with the bread flour, I added oat flour instead. The warm crust bread made in my La Cloche baker is better then any of the breads that I have options to buy in our area. What a wonderful feeling to enjoy starting a sourdough starter (which, by the way I ordered from Breadtopia), giving it life (so over dramatic) and then seeing those bubbles appear. If anyone would like the recipe that I used, please shout out at [email protected]. I had to promise my husband to make him a loaf without fruit and/or nuts so that’s next up. By the way, after reading several tips, after 19 hrs., I gently kneaded this dough with a bread scraper, then cut two pieces of parchment paper and laid them in my proofing bowl and lightly sprayed them with PAM. I then gently turned out the dough onto the parchment paper and covered with a plastic bag for the next two hours. Transferring the dough into the baker was then a no brainer. Love all the tips, pictures, etc.

  17. thanks guy for this forum am happy atlease i can get ideas on how to get started i need to set up a bakery in my country nigeria

  18. I ordered a La Cloche Clay Baker earlier this week and it was just delivered to my door. Amazing delivery service. Yes, of course, I paid for delivery, but in many cases, it usually takes much longer when ordering online, etc. Hats off to the guys at Breadtopia. They are my go to for baking supplies. Looking forward to enjoying many loaves of bread baked in my La Cloche Clay Baker. Happy baking my friends.

  19. Thank you very much Breadtopia! I am a novice, and due to your informational tips and educational videos, many successful breads have been created and baked in my kitchen. I recently placed an order from you for additional proofing and baking items just to keep up. My family and neighbors just love your bread recipe. Keep up the good work!!!

  20. Acccidently pulled up video on baking bread. Enjoyed it very much, would like to have some recipes since I am retired now I have the time to experiment. Thanks Shiely

    • Hi Shirley. Glad you found us. There are a fair number of recipes on our site. Just scan down the left column of our home page http://www.breadtopia.com and you’ll see some of them.

  21. Perhaps this idea has already been on Breadtopia? If those who don’t like a heavy crust of charred base on their bread, here is what I do:
    I take a cookie sheet with edges as large as my cast iron pot and put it under the pot on the next shelf, and put water into it. I still cook at 500 preheat and 450 bake, it takes a little longer to finish.

    • Paul Again,
      I found a 10 inch Pyrex pie dish that belonged to my mother years back, and it works better then the cookie sheet for holding water under the cast iron pot. It’s also easier to remove when done. My last loaf of rye was so good even my wife loved it, and generally she doesn’t like rye!

  22. Question on Storage of Starter.
    Generally instructions on the proper care and feeding of Sourdough Starter have you place the Starter in a Glass or Ceramic Container.
    Would I become an Breadtopia Iconoclast if I used a Supermarket plastic container?

    • Never Mind

  23. My bread comes out of the oven with a very hard crust and a soft crumb. Within 15 minutes the crust begins to soften. I’ve left it out on the counter or wrapped it in a paper bag or muslin or perforated plastic and nothing makes a difference.

    • My guess is that a hard Crust by definition is dry. As the Hot Moist inside cools the moisture migrates toward the surface moistening the Crust.

      • Assuming you are correct how could I prevent it from happening? Fresh baked bakery bread remains hard. How do they do it?

        • Sorry no Idea although If I put my Thinking Cap on maybe after the loaf cools down they pop it back in a hot oven just long enough to dry the crust again or maybe they have just mastered the Art to the point that their isn’t a lot of extra moisture left in the baked loaf .

          • just a thought …If you really want to know why not pop into your bakery and ask them. All they can do is say NO

  24. I think I did everything right…my Bread looks like a big pancake!
    help, fellow bakers!

  25. I lost culture of 46 year when I moved. Devastating! I had at least one loaf every week. So I knew I had to find a new, high-qualigy live starter and started searching and found Breadutopia with advice from a pro baker. The live starter arrived very quickly and by the second evening I knew I had a great starter again. Two more days and sourdough bread will finally be cooking in my new kitchen! Cannot thank you enough for your special and qualify starter!

  26. thankyou Sherry
    I will surely try it.
    my oven overbakes the bread at 500 for 30 min
    I am trying different bakers and times till I get the crust I want.
    the cast iron makes the toughest crust of all!
    I was too afraid to preheat an empty clay!

  27. Claire, re: yr. 2/01 post…I have a 25 y/oval Schlemmertopf (glazed on the bottom only) and upon checking the instr. booklet that came w/it. I found these golden rules about its use
    1. Before each use soak the LID for 10 Mins. in water. (If new, soak for 30 mins the 1st time only,then only 10 mins ea. time you use it.
    2. Do not add cold liquids during cooking time.
    3. Do not use abrasives to clean. only mild dish soap.
    4. Start cooking process in an oven that had NOT been preheated.
    I made my first NK bread in it today (using KA All Purpose flour) and after the 2nd rise in a covered bowl for 2 hrs. I then sprayed the pot with a light coat of olive oil & put the bread in the ‘cold’ Schlemmertopf in a cold oven with the top on and turned the oven on to 45o degrees. When the temp. reached 450 I started the timer for 30 mins and baked the bread. It was done perfectly at the end of 30 mins. (my old therm. showed 220 degrees in the middle of the bread) It looked beautiful. At this point I then took the top off and cooked it an add’n. 15 mins to brown it more. I wish I hadn’t cooked this add’n. 15 mins. as the crust got a little too hard for my liking, (had trouble slicing it) but the inside was perfect. The bread did not stick at all. I’ll be making another test loaf tomorrow & I will try taking it out after 30 mins. with NO additional cooking. I think a softer crust will be more t0 our liking.
    I’m learning claire, but I hope this infor. helps you.
    Regards,
    Sherry

    • I’ve heard the Schlemmertopf interior is enameled is this true?

      • The inside bottoms are glazed.

  28. I have been enjoying your site and blog, thankyou for providing this.
    I have a schlemmertopf with a glazed inside; bottom only. For the no-knead bread, should I soak this before the pre-heat? or heat it dry?
    prior to this, I have been using either a Le Cruset dutch oven or my iron oval small roaster. I want to see if the clay makes a different crust.
    thanks again

  29. Dear Breadtopia, Well I made a FLATBREAD for dinner last night for just my husband and me. My first mistake was trying to mix it w/my small elec. mixer. The dough crawled up into the beater connection hols. big mess. I should have maybe sprayed the beaters with Pam first. I’ll try that next time. then I probably made my 2nd mistake by putting it into a 11 x 9 four sided pan. This did not create flatbread as it rose way too high. (I used 1 TBSP. of Rapid Rise yeast as the recipe called for). I probably should have put it on a flat baking sheet so it could spread out & be thin like a Pizza Hut crust would be. But, I’m counting it as a learning experience.
    Since this made way too much bread for 2 people could I keep this dough in the refrig. and just take out a small portion all week to bake just enough for 2 for dinner each night?_________

    I also would like to comment on Julia’s Jan. 18 post. With all due respect, I do not believe this is the proper forum to express your religeous views. This website is viewed by a very diverse people all around the world with many differing views on Religion. I’m sure Breadtopia would not want to express their views on this subject through their logo for fear of offending any group of people who are only interested in learning about ‘Bread’. Religion is a very personal thing and your own beliefs on these matters should be practiced at Home and not be interjected in a universally read Bread-making Website.

  30. Dear Breadtopia, pls. indulge me w/one more question.
    I love the look of the Coiled Bread Proofing Basket, just not sure what purpose they serve? Do they just put a nice coiled design on the bread & wouldn’t that be negated if you lined it with something?
    Doesn’t dough get down in the crevices of the coil & stick without a liner?. I thought I remembered seeing that you can’t wash them with soap (only use water)
    Couldn’t you just use a plain old large glass bowl for this step ?
    Thank you, Sherry

  31. Dear Breadtopia, I am so excited to find your site. I’m getting all my supplies together to start making my very first NK bread. Lo & behold I found a beautiful 25 year old large Romertopf Oval covered baker in the top of my cabinet. I think it will be what I need, but I have a quest?
    do I soak the whole thing in water? if so how long? Can it by put in a hot oven with nothing in it to preheat w/o fear of cracking?_____.
    If so Should it be sprayed with a no stick cooking oil while it is preheating or how do I keep the bread from sticking?______
    I also purchased a Round 4 qt. covered Stonewear pot from Target for $19.99 that says it is oven safe to 500 degrees. Do you think this would be better for my first attempt. Pls. answer same questions as above re: sticking for this pot.?_____
    I bought & Returned a Lodge Cast Iron 5 qt.Covered Dutch Oven, as it was so heavy I couldn’t manage it & I thought weight, use & care were too much for the cast iron (for me anyhow).
    I’m stressing over what cooking pot is the best and wether to preheat in that hot oven without fear of cracking or stuck bread…. Pls. help!

  32. Hello to all. I’m new here . I just typed in flat bread recipe and found your site. I hope I can find a flat bread recipe. I love baking bread from scrach and using my hands not the bread machine. I live at 7200 feet and it took me a while to figure out how to bake this high up but when I figured it out I just baked to my hearts contint and I still bake sometimes in the summer time when ist hot and sometimes in the winter time when its cold and windy. But I feel in love with the flat bread so now I need to find a really good recipe.

  33. Dear Eric and Madeleine! Thanks for sharing your expertise with us, we’re enjoy and benefit from your videos! But there is lack of something important on your site.
    I am suggesting to use this blessing as a slogan.
    “Blessed are you, LORD, our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” I believe, that prior to everything, all humans should appreciate an original cause. He deserve it.
    Best, Julia

    • I agree with Jason. Breadtopia is not the place to express your religious views. Being Jewish, I would not consider using the prayer used before a meal as a “slogan”.

      • If that was the slogan I would have passed by a great site. Thanks for the help I am know making bread much better than before.

  34. I successfully revived a neglected starter of over several months. It seems as healthy as the original and doubles in about 2-3 hours. My concern is how the neglect has effected the quality and flavor of the yeast.

    • Sounds good to me.

  35. I just came across your website after reading some articles from Mother Earth News. I’ve greatly enjoyed watching some of these videos and plan on trying to make some sandwich bread tomorrow. In all honesty, I’m kinda sick of the rock that comes out of the bread machine and I’m lookin’ for a change. Thanks so much for the wonderfully easy to follow how to videos!

    • Thanks Jackie. Good luck with your (new) baking.

  36. I baked the no knead rye today. The crumb was a bit soft, but the flavor was to die for. It is a forgiving dough, allowing for variations.

    I’m hooked. Thanks for your video. I ran and reran to make sure I got it right.

  37. Hi, I just discovered your website and have enjoyed the videos on No-Knead Sourdough Bread and Grilled Sourdough Pizza. Is there a way to print out the recipes without printing the sidebars and video links? I would like to have hard copies of the recipes to work from in the kitchen. Thanks.

    • Hi Rodney,

      You should be able to copy and paste the text into any text editor and print that out.

  38. What is purified water?

    • Hi Paula,

      For the purpose of bread baking, I just consider purified water as tap water with the chlorine filtered out.

  39. Re: spritzing bread baking in dutch oven or la cholce.
    From what I have been reading this week, the bakers have stated that purpose of an enclosed pan is to keep the moisture in, and create a thick crispy crust. So it really is not necessary to spritz.
    Hope this helps prevent and cracked pottery or cast iron.

  40. Just found this site and have downloaded several recipes to try. I looked at a video but the sound was not good enough to understand.
    I see that you use a French oven or similar for cooking. I don’t have one and just use a conventional oven and bread tins. What changes would you suggest to your recipes to accommodate this variation?
    I am trying to perfect sourdough breads, and while have had some good ones I’m not happy with my ability to make them reliably, so I’m hoping your recipes help sort me out.

    • Hi Peter,

      If baking in a tin, I’d just lower the baking temp about 20-25% vs using a Dutch oven.

      • Funnily enough I cooked a loaf today and had done just that.
        I did 30 mins at 190C, then 10 m ins at 160C. Stilling cooling but looks good.
        I did try to cook one at the high temp in your guide, about 260C, but chickened out after 20 mins or so and took it out. Seemed very good though so I will compare the two now.
        This seems to be a very reliable recipe, and I love the no-kneading. I will add a bit more water next time to see if I can increase the height.
        They are above the top of the tin but only just.

  41. Iam looking for amaranth bread recipes. thank you for your help. john

  42. I’m new here and a novice bread maker. I was a cook for years but never a baker. I think I was intimidated by the chemistry! I started with making challah yesterday from a smitten kitchen recipe, I’m making italian loaves tonight and have started a pineapple juice whole wheat starter to make spelt bread in a few days when it’s ready. I’m really enjoying it and want to learn everything! Your video is wonderful for the spelt bread and starter instruction and I will be using that for my next bread in a few days….but waiting for the starter!

  43. I am a big fan of the NK Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. However, my husband refuses to eat it saying that it is “too yeasty.” Is there a way to make it less yeasty?
    Thanks, Ginger

    • Are these rrecipes posted somewhere? I’d like to see it. I’m new to this site and don’t know whether you have to buy them or if they’re posted somewhere. Thanks!

      • Yes, Julie, feel free to have a look around. http://www.breadtopia.com. There are recipes and videos for your enjoyment. No charge.

  44. Please notify me when the LaCloche baking pans are back in stock.

  45. I am in a quandary as to, how to make a challah bread on a pizza stone using my new Minden nat gas grill… Just some dumb a– idea I have..
    I would any ideas you have before I have a go at it.

  46. Hello;
    I have had a terrible time getting my sourdough starter active. I have tried the pineapple juice and the original sourdough recipe. I have now tried the buttermilk, yogurt, flour recipe starter and now I can’t seem to keep it under control. I am going to refrigerate it.
    Does anyone know if I use the same amount as the original recipe.
    With thanks and appreciation.
    Lorraine, from Vancouver Island, B.C. CANADA

  47. Hi Eric, Today I baked my 1st no-knead round loaves. They proofed over night & came out beautifully. I watched you & the methods you use & did as close to them as possible. I also saw the Sullivan St. method & another couple. You gave a very clear & helpful presentation so I thought I’d say thank you for the help. I’ll be trying more of your breads. I’ve been baking bread in the traditional way for about 15 yrs. All sorts but never this kind. After eating some similar bread at lunch in Little Italy, I was grateful to find these breads on-line. Thanks again, Lulu

  48. I am really interested in making artisan bread with a bosch mixer. I can’t seem to get the kneading time down and am getting very discouraged. Any help will be appreciated.

  49. Thanks Eric for helping me make my first successful loaf of bread. I received Carl’s sourdough starter 5 years ago and was afraid to try it. If I can’t make a Rhode’s frozen bread successfully there was no way I was going to succeed at fresh bread. These days there aren’t many sweet little grandmas with white curly hair and aprons to teach the younger generation. Thankfully I found your website and the videos and recipes are clear and easy to follow. Now all you need is an apron.

  50. Thanks, Eric. I am glad you are willing to take on the ‘Tartine Challange’. I have attempted Chad’s method twice with varied, unsuccessful results. Hopefully your success (there is no doubt in my mind) will catalyze mine! 😉
    Yes, he is a gem for putting his method out there for home bakers to replicate.

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