Baking Heirloom Artisan Bread

By William D. Theriault
Text copyright ©2015 William D. Theriault
All Rights Reserved
Contents
Preface
1. Things You Should Know*
2. The Ingredients
3. The Process
4. Bread Shapes
5. The Oven and the Cloche
6. Making Your Own Starter
7. The Basic Recipe
8. Baking Your First Batch at Home
9. Developing Your Own Recipes
10. Bibliography
Appendix A. Bread Recipes You Can Bake at Home
About the Author
 Preface
What is Artisan Bread?
Go into a bakery or supermarket today, and you’ll probably encounter the word
“artisan” associated with some bread product. “Artisan” can have a number of meanings,
ranging from a suggestion that it is a natural food with a variety of health benefits to a
promise that it is an exact replica of the food our ancestors ate.
From an historical perspective, artisan bread is made by hand in a way that was
traditional in Europe and Britain from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution. It
was brought to America with the colonists and produced here extensively until the 1820s.
Specifically, this means that the bread is produced using flour, water, salt, and a culture
derived from wild yeast. It is mixed by hand, allowed to rise naturally over an extended
period, and baked in a wood-fired masonry oven — or in a fireplace using a Dutch Oven
or similar container. By implication, this type of artisan bread is free from preservatives
and other artificial ingredients that make it rise quicker, last longer, or look prettier. By the
time of the Civil War, new technology and mass production techniques had generally
replaced artisan bread with a product that looked and tasted much different.
I use the phrase “heirloom artisan” to characterize bread baking that uses these
traditional, pre-industrial techniques. This approach has several merits. First, for the
student of history, it helps you understand our ancestors’ way of life by doing something
the way they did. For the aspiring bread baker, it encourages you to bake using all of your
five senses, rather than relying heavily on prepackaged ingredients and automated
processes. For environmentalists, it helps you create healthy food inexpensively, free
from additives, using less energy. For survivalists, it can help you make life-sustaining
food when you are off the grid.
There are other approaches to baking artisan bread that use modern equipment and
ingredients as well as time-saving processes. These changes make the baking process
more efficient and reliable, and they are widely used in commercial bakeries that produce
artisan bread. Both the traditional and modern approaches to baking artisan bread have
their merits and drawbacks.
This book helps you learn how to make heirloom artisan bread at home, with simple,
inexpensive utensils and ingredients. If you get hooked on this kind of baking, maybe
you’ll want to take another step, back in history, and learn how to bake this kind of bread
in a colonial style wood-fired brick oven. But that’s another topic for those who have
mastered the basics and are ready for new challenges.
Bill Theriault
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 1. Things You Should Know
What is Heirloom Artisan Bread?
Created with fresh starter made from a wild yeast culture (not from dry quick-rising
yeast)
Uses flour, salt, and water as its major ingredients
Mixed by hand
Rises slowly over several hours
Baked in masonry oven, Dutch oven, or cloche
Characteristics of Artisan Bread
Multi-colored crust ranging from tan to dark brown
Top slashed to prevent air pockets forming under crust
Thick, brown, chewy, flavorful crust
Crumb has substantial structure and irregular air pockets
Basic Classes of Wheat Grown in the United States
Growing Season
Winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested in late spring or early
summer.
Spring wheat is planted in the spring and harvested in early fall.
Color
Red wheat contains a slightly bitter tasting pigment
White wheat does not contain the pigment; it has a milder taste
Hardiness
Hard wheat contains more protein
Soft wheat contains less protein
Types of Wheat
Hard Red Winter Wheat: Moderate protein content, used for breads, rolls, all-
purpose flour.
Hard Red Spring Wheat: The highest-protein bread wheat, made into bread flour.
Soft Red Winter Wheat: Low protein wheat, used for pastries, flatbreads, and
crackers.
Hard White Wheat: Similar to Hard Red Winter Wheat, but with pigment production
bred out. Used to make milder-tasting whole wheat products such as bread, rolls,
 bulgur, and tortillas.
Durham Wheat: Very hard high-protein wheat, used to make semolina flour for
pasta.
Note: The sources noted in section 10.Bibliography have been used to provide this
information.
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 2. The Ingredients
I teach folks how to make heirloom artisan bread, using traditional ingredients and
techniques. Students often want to know if they can substitute one ingredient for
another, use modern appliances, and speed up the process so it will fit into their busy
lifestyle.
With artisan bread, as with many things in life, what you get out of it depends on what
you put into it. My advice is simple: learn how to make it by hand, understand the how
and why, and experience the taste, smell, and feel of the finished product. Realistically,
that will take a few weeks of flying solo, recording what you did and how you did it, and
learning from your successes and failures.
At that point, you will know what you gain or lose by modification and whether it is
worth continuing the journey. Let the journey begin.
A. The Ingredients
1. Wheat Flour
This chapter focuses exclusively on baking bread using wheat flour. Although you can
experiment with different types of flour made from different varieties of wheat, the
preparation and baking process will remain uniform throughout. Most readers are
surprised by how their choice of flours can affect the finished product.
Understanding the anatomy of a wheat seed is the key to knowing how various types of
flour will perform.
 The outer protective shell or bran, includes fiber and often pigment. Hard Red Winter
Wheat is the variety most frequently used to make bread flour, and the bran contains a red
pigment that gives its flour a distinctive “wheaty” flavor. A variety know as Hard White
Winter Wheat lacks the red pigment. Its flour has a milder flavor but is otherwise
identical to the red variety.
The inner endosperm includes carbohydrates and proteins. When some of these
proteins are combined during the mixing process, they form gluten, an elastic ingredient
that traps the carbon dioxide and alcohol produced by the yeast as it digests the
carbohydrates.
Bread flour contains more gluten-making proteins than all-purpose flour. Without them,
bread won’t rise as high or have the chewy texture and open structure found in artisan
bread. Unfortunately, some flour manufacturers label their all-purpose product “bread
flour” even though it lacks the protein needed for a high rise and a strong structure. You
can use it to make bread, but it will NOT rise as high or have the same texture.
When you have made heirloom artisan bread using high gluten flour, you may want to
try the same recipes using all purpose flour. Personally, I sometimes substitute one kind of
flour for another to deliberately change the taste or texture. Colonial bakers used the flour
available in their area, so results probably varied from one region to another.
Fortunately, flour sold in the United States must contain a list of ingredients, and it’s
easy to determine if it can be used to make artisan bread. Typically, the ingredients list
contains the weight of a serving size (for example, 30 g) and the protein content of the
serving. The protein content should be 4 g or higher. Some labels might list only the
percentage of protein, but it’s easy to do the math for yourself:
Protein Content (4g) / Serving Size (30g) = 13.3%
Thus high protein bread flour will have a protein content of 13.3% or higher.
Serious manufacturers of bread flour, such as King Arthur Flour, blend together several
flours to produce the correct protein content and test it frequently to ensure consistent
quality. You can buy gluten separately to increase the protein content of your flour, but
it’s easier to buy the proper flour in the first place.
Because artisan bread is made with a more delicate, slow rising wild yeast instead of a
robust, quick rising variety, the flour you use SHOULD NOT BE BLEACHED OR
BROMINATED. These additives and processes can retard yeast growth. Because bread
flour contains more protein and is not bleached or brominated to make it whiter or last
longer, it usually costs more than other types of flour. If you plan to bake bread
frequently, or in large quantities, it pays to read labels and shop around. You can realize
substantial savings if you buy in bulk, providing you have a cool, dry place to store it and
a pest-proof container.
Fresh, organic flour is supposed to contain a small amount of the yeast that grows
naturally on wheat. It’s not enough to make your bread rise better, but it can add vitality
to the starter you maintain. More about that later.
When wheat is ground and its three components are not separated, the product is known
as whole wheat flour. White flour has the bran removed. Both wheat bran (the outer
skin) and wheat germ (the oily kernel inside the seed) can be bought separately. They are
sometimes added to bread recipes to provide additional fiber, nutrition, or taste.
2. Water
Yeast is a living organism, and cultures made from the wild yeast that grows naturally
on wheat are more sensitive to treated water than are brewers’ yeast and the quick rising
varieties used in most modern commercial bakeries. If your water is chlorinated or
contains other additives, use distilled or spring water instead. Spring water or well water
may contain some minerals, but I’m not convinced that they affect the health or vigor of
your culture or dough.
3. Salt
Salt affects the taste of bread, but more importantly it strengthens the gluten and helps
regulate yeast activity. Although you can make bread without salt, I don’t recommend it.
Salt-free bread is more likely to over proof and collapse than do recipes that include salt.
Most recipes use table salt as their standard. Sea salt or coarse kosher salt is less dense
and if you use it instead of table salt, you will need to measure out the same weight as that
used for table salt. Other than this important difference in measurement, one type of salt is
not inherently better than the other. I use coarse kosher salt or sea salt as a topping (e.g.,
on pretzels), where its size, color, and texture may be noticed by the consumer.
4. Yeast
Using the right kind of yeast is the key to making good artisan bread.
The yeast used by most modern bakeries, and the baker’s yeast you get at your grocery
store, are products of the industrial revolution. They are designed to develop quickly and
reduce proofing time. They let you create a loaf of bread in a couple of hours, but they
can’t produce the amazing flavor and texture found in sourdough artisan bread. Here’s
why.
To make sourdough bread, both yeast and bacterial fermentation must occur at the same
time. The yeast fermentation converts the starches in the flour into sugars that produce
flavor and that, when heated, caramelize into a delicious brown crust. If the proteins in
flour have been sufficiently mixed to produce strong, elastic gluten, the dough traps the
carbon dioxide and alcohol that the yeast produce through fermentation. When the bread
is baked, the carbon dioxide expands and the alcohol vaporizes, producing the thousands
of miniature dough “balloons” found in artisan bread. But that’s only half the story.
The “sour” in sourdough bread is produced by lactobacillus and acetobacillus, bacteria
that create lactic acid and acetic acid, respectively. If you’ve tasted sauerkraut and vinegar
you’re familiar with both of them.
Modern, fast-acting bakers’ yeasts can’t survive in an acidic environment, but wild yeast
thrives on it. The bottom line is that fast-acting yeasts can’t go the distance so they can’t
do their part of the job. A starter made with wild yeast creates a mini-environment where
both they and acid-producing bacteria can thrive and where other types of yeasts and
bacteria can’t.
One added benefit: the acid found in sourdough bread retards the growth of bacteria and
mold, eliminating the need for preservatives. Sourdough bread won’t keep forever, but it
will remain edible for about a week when stored in a paper bag at room temperature. (You
can also store it in a plastic bag if the bread has thoroughly cooled. Don’t store it in a
plastic bag in the refrigerator — it will become gummy.)
Sourdough bread will go stale quicker than most modern, commercially made bread.
When it starts to go stale, do what our ancestors did: use it for toast, bread pudding, or
French toast.
I will show you how to make your own sourdough culture. Chapter 4 tells you how to
store it and how to refresh it before you bake. Chapter 7 contains instructions on making
your starter from scratch. You can also buy sourdough starter on the internet. (If you
want the famous San Francisco sourdough taste, look for a starter that contains
Lactobacillus sanfrancisco!)
One more important point: yeast grows faster and dough rises quicker in a warm, humid
environment. Using a sourdough starter and a humid, warm environment (80 to 90
degrees F), you can get your dough to complete its first rise in a couple of hours and the
final proof in about the same period of time. However, it won’t be as flavorful and acidic
as dough that is allowed to rise longer under cooler conditions. We’ll talk about proofing
times and temperature in the following sections. When you bake on your own, record
temperature and humidity. They may help you understand why one baking session was
successful and another was not.
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 3. The Process
From Bowl to Oven
Now that you know what kinds of flour, salt, water, and yeast to use (and why), here is
an overview of the baking process. More detailed instructions are provided in chapter
8. Baking Your First Batch at Home.
Here too, you may wonder if you can use bread machines, mixers, and other appliances
to make artisan bread. Simple answer: using appliances to learn how to make artisan
bread is like giving your kid a calculator to learn basic math.
Baking heirloom artisan bread is not a complicated process, and it requires few utensils
to do so. Here’s a basic outline of what you need to do and how you’ll know if you’ve
done it correctly. We’ll start with the simplest task possible: baking a single loaf of white
bread.
Day 1. Building the active starter (the day before you bake)
Measure 1 cup (8 oz.) of the refrigerated, inactive starter and combine it with 3.5
cups (16 oz.) of high-gluten flour and 2 cups (16 oz.) of water at room
temperature. The mixture should be wet and sticky. Cover the container with
plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for about 12 hours — by then
it should be bubbly.
Measure out one cup of the fermented mixture and combine with enough high-
gluten flour to make a firm ball. Return this to the crock (surrounded by flour)
and refrigerate in an air-tight container. This will now become your new stored
starter, which you can use for future baking.
Measure out one cup of the remaining fermented mixture and combine it with 3.5
cups (16 oz.) of high-gluten flour and 2 cups (16 oz.) of water at room
temperature. Cover this new mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate
overnight. It will be ready to use the next morning and will remain viable for
three days (if refrigerated). During that three-day period, you can use it to make
more bread as needed.
Day 2. Part 1. Making the dough and first rise (one 2-pound loaf)
One hour before you begin the kneading process, measure out 3 tablespoons of the
refrigerated starter into a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it warm
for 1 hour at room temperature.
Combine 3 cups of high-gluten flour and 1 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl.
Add starter and combine the ingredients, adding just enough water to let you form it
into a ball.
Place the mixture on the counter and knead for 20 minutes, adding small amounts of
flour or water if necessary. The dough should be pliable enough to pass the
window pane test. [1] If it doesn’t, continue kneading and repeat the test at 5-
minute intervals until it passes.
Place the dough in a bowl or container, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 3
to 4 hours, until it has nearly doubled in size.
Day 2. Part 2. Shaping and proofing the loaf
Gently remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a boule [2] (round loaf).
Place the boule, bottom side up, in a floured colander, flour the bottom, and place in
a plastic bag with a damp paper town. Seal it and let it rise for 2-3 hours.
(Alternatively, you can proof the boule on a board or countertop that has been
sprayed with vegetable oil. Drape a damp cloth over the loaf to prevent it from
drying out.)
Day 2. Part 3. Baking your loaf
About 30 minutes before you want to bake, place your cloche in the oven and heat it
to 500 F.
When the oven reaches the desired temperature, open the oven and remove the top
of the cloche.
Sprinkle the base liberally with corn meal. Gently set the boule on the base and
slash it with a razor blade or sharp knife. [3]
Cover the loaf and return it to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the cover, lower the temperature to 425 F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes —
until the internal temperature has reached 190 F.
Place the loaf on a cooling rack and let it cool for at least an hour before cutting.
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Notes
1. To perform the windowpane test, compress and stretch a walnut-sized piece of
dough using your thumbs and index fingers while holding it up to the light. If
you can see light shining through the dough before it starts to separate, it has
passed the test. If it fails, continue kneading and testing until you are successful.
If you have added other ingredients to your dough (e.g., butter, nuts, or dried
fruit), the test may not work. Try adding large ingredients to you dough after it
has passed the test.
2. When you make a boule, you should strive to construct a blimp, not a bowling
ball. You have already created an elastic dough, capable of trapping thousands of
small balloons inflated by carbon dioxide and vaporized alcohol. The dough also
serves as the skin of the blimp, stretching (not tearing) as the dough balloons
expand during proofing and baking. It will probably take you several attempts to
master the shaping process, but well-made boules rise higher and look better than
those just formed into bowling balls.
3. Use a razor blade or very sharp knife and slice (not saw) an X on the loaf about
1/4” deep. When the loaf is placed into the hot oven, a crust begins to form
immediately and any moisture not trapped in the dough “balloons” will rise to the
top of the loaf. The slash lets this steam escape instead of forming a large
bubble.
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Tools of the Trade
To bake heirloom artisan bread at home you will need the following:
Organic wheat and rye flour
A round cloche (or two)
Plastic colanders (small ones are best)
A one-pint crock or plastic container for storing the yeast culture
Cloth liners for the colanders
Single-edge razor blades
A dough knife
A food thermometer (preferably clip on pocket variety)
Unbleached, unbromated high-gluten wheat flour (for baking)
Table salt
Unchlorinated water

Cloche
 Dough Knife

Plastic colander, scale, and dough knife

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 4. Bread Shapes
The crust on artisan bread is thick and has a distinctive flavor different from the crumb
(inside). Depending on the shape of a loaf, a slice of bread can have a high ratio of crust
to crumb (baguette) or a low ratio (boule). Thus the shape of the loaf affects its flavor.
Baking time varies with the size and shape of the loaf.
Baguettes - Long and thin; more crust than crumb. Can be made as long as the oven
can accommodate.
Boule (bowl) – The fundamental shape from which many other shapes can be made.
The key step is creating a light surface tension. More crumb than crust.
Batard (torpedo) - Torpedo-shaped loaf 6 to 12 inches long. Balance between crust
and crumb. Forming bread into this shape is a preliminary step to shaping a
baguette or sandwich loaf.
Couronne (crown) - A boule with a hole in the center. For large loaves or those
cooked at a low temperature (e.g., rye bread) this shape helps to eliminate the
problem of an underbaked center.
Sandwich loaf. Normally baked in a loaf pan, it is created by flattening the dough
into a square sheet, rolling it up, and tucking in the ends.

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 5. The Oven and the Cloche
For early settlers, most of the day-to-day cooking, including bread baking, was done in
the fireplace. The bread was baked in a Dutch oven or similar container, placed far
enough from the fire so it would cook from the heated air. Some families also had a small
“beehive” oven built into the kitchen or a freestanding version located outside the house.
These ovens could normally bake up to a half dozen loaves at a time.
This book shows you how to use a Dutch oven (or cloche) to bake artisan bread in your
oven at home. Except for the modern oven we use today, the baking process is the same
as that practiced by our ancestors, and the bread is pretty close to the bread you would find
in a colonial kitchen.
Large farms or village bakeries normally had a larger oven, of a beehive or vaulted
design, that could hold up to two dozen loaves. (We use these wood-fired brick ovens at
interpretative sites to bake large quantities of artisan bread.) The brick oven baking
process is similar to that followed using a cloche, although some changes are made to
bake a large batch (20-24 loaves). Bread baked in a wood-fired brick oven has a thicker
crust than its cloche-baked cousin. Other factors also come into play, such as outdoor
temperature and humidity.

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Making Your Own Cloche
You can buy a cloche for under $50 or make your own for under $20 using materials
bought at your local hardware store. The specially made cloches are lighter and easier to
handle than the ones made from flower pots. I use both frequently and am generally
happy with the results. However, loaves tend to burn on the bottom more easily in the
commercial cloches than they do when you use a flowerpot saucer or a baking stone.
Remember that you will need to take your cloche (containing a loaf of bread) out of a 500
degree F. oven, so you need to use something that you can lift and maneuver easily.
The flower pot cloche is made from a beehive or azalea pot and a 12” diameter saucer.
The wide-based azalea pots work better than the narrower generic pots. The pot should fit
into the saucer — the goal being to trap moisture released from bread as it bakes.
I’m able to fit two of these snugly in my kitchen oven. If you don’t have that kind of
space, you can bake one loaf at a time. (More about that later.) You can also scale down
the size of your cloches to accommodate one-pound loaves. You will need to work out the
baking times for the smaller loaves, but the rest of the process is the same.
You can also bake in a cast iron pot with a tight-fitting lid. The temperatures
recommended in this book are for ceramic, not cast iron containers, so you may need to
tinker with the time and temperature if you decide to use cast iron. I recommend that you
start with a cloche and then experiment with cast iron once you have mastered the basic
process.

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 6. Making Your Own Starter
Starter goes under many names, depending on the culture, firmness, and ingredients.
The important thing to remember is that starter normally consists of water, flour, and
yeast. When the mixture becomes dry or chilled, the yeast becomes dormant. In general,
the longer a starter is dormant, the longer it takes to refresh it to full vigor.
You can buy starter on the internet, so you really don’t need to make some unless you
want to, or on the rare occasion that your starter dies. (That rarely happens if you follow
the simple storage instructions.) If you want to give it a try, here are the ingredients you
need and the steps to follow:
Ingredients
Fresh organic whole wheat flour, fresh organic whole rye flour, and pure water (no
additives). Tap water or even hard (well) water should work fine. If your water is
chlorinated, buy a jug of distilled water or spring water.
Day 1. In a clean jar or small bowl, mix 2 oz. whole wheat flour, 2 oz. whole rye
flour, and 4 oz. water. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at 60 to 65 degrees F for
about 48 hours.
Day 3. Throw away half of the mixture and add 2 oz. of the whole wheat/rye flour
and 2 oz. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for one
day.
Day 4. Repeat the process you used on Day 3.
Day 5. By now the culture should be somewhat active, with bubbles you can easily
see. Let stand for 2 more days. At the end of this period it is ready to use.
Why discard part of the mixture during the process? It eliminates some of the waste
products of fermentation that can retard growth or kill the culture.
Your culture will improve with age as it evolves to suit your local environment, the
flour you are using, and any local airborne yeast that sneaks into your mixture.
Remember: DO NOT use flour that has been bleached or bromated – it can kill or weaken
your starter.
This process doesn’t always work, usually because the organic flour was not fresh or
because it was heat treated. If you are not getting good results after a couple of tries, find
another source for fresh organic flour.
To store your starter, mix one cup of it with enough flour to make a stiff dough. Place it
in a crock or plastic container and surround it with flour. Cover it with a lid or plastic
wrap, and put it in your refrigerator. When you use the starter for baking, first reserve
enough to make the storage starter mentioned above.
Your refrigerated starter should last several months with no maintenance. However, at
least once a month, if I haven’t used it for baking, I take out the refrigerated starter and
mix it with eight ounces of water and an equal amount of flour. This mixture stands
covered for about 12 hours at room temperature and then I prepare it again for storage
using the directions I mentioned earlier. This periodic regeneration helps keep your culture
strong and active.
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 7. The Basic Recipe
The following ingredients are used to make a 2-pound loaf in your oven (with a cloche):
3 cups high-gluten flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 2/3 cups water (use just enough to make the mixture workable)
3 tablespoons starter
Depending on the type of flour used, you can produce breads that look and taste
different. For example:
100% Whole red wheat flour produces a dense loaf with lots of flavor.
100% Whole white wheat flour produces a dense loaf with a milder flavor.
100% High gluten white flour produces a higher rising loaf with a mild flavor.
Try a 50/50 mixture of a whole wheat flour and high gluten white flour to produce
some intermediate flavors and textures.
Add up to 20% rye flour to any mixture to produce a denser bread with more flavor.
Loaves containing whole wheat or rye flour won’t rise as high as those made from
100% high-gluten flour.
Adding other ingredients to your bread
Although purists may frown on bread that contains more than flour, salt, water, and
yeast, you can produce some great tasting loaves by adding other ingredients. Some
ingredients, such as spices or flavoring, can be added to the other ingredients before you
knead. Other ingredients are added to the dough at the end of the kneading process. As a
rule of thumb, add up to one cup of dried fruit or nuts and up to one tablespoon of spice
per loaf. (Adding ingredients to a loaf increases the weight that the dough “balloons” have
to lift, so these loaves won’t rise as high as ones made from flour alone.) Dried herbs
often produce a different flavor intensity than fresh ones, so keep a record of what you use
and the results.
Here are some combinations I’ve tried that turn out well:
Dried figs and anise seed
Sun dried tomatoes and basil
Raisins and walnuts (½ cup each per loaf)
Dried cranberries and sage
Kalamatta olives (pitted and packed in brine) (one cup per loaf)
Blue cheese and walnuts (½ cup each per loaf)
Chopped fresh rosemary (2 tbsp) and olive oil (1 tbsp)
Traditionally, adding certain spices (such as cinnamon) to bread dough not only gave it
flavor but also inhibited yeast and bacterial growth. You may need to increase proofing
times to compensate.
The recipes found in part II of this book contain specific instructions for these and other
flavor combinations.
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 8. Baking Your First Batch at Home
Once you have developed your own starter and assembled the requisite ingredients and
baking utensils, you are ready to bake some heirloom artisan bread at home. That means
no bread machine, no dry yeast, no mixer. Just your hands, your oven, and your five
senses. After mastering the process on this level, you’ll be better prepared to scale up
your operation for baking in a larger oven or under various environmental conditions.
And if you decide later on to try automating parts of the baking process, you will know
what your product should look and feel like at each stage.
If you decide that you are ready to leave the comforts of your kitchen and move the
baking operation to an historic site, you may find the conditions much more variable. The
basics you learned at home should serve you well, but you will also need flexibility,
determination, and ingenuity to thrive in a frontier kitchen.
Setting up a baking schedule
From start to finish, baking a single batch of artisan bread takes about a day and a half
(about two hours during that period). Use the following schedule for your activities:
1. On the morning of the day before you bake, mix your starter with a pound of flour
and a pound of water (16 ounces). Cover and set it aside at room temperature.
2. About 12 hours later, reserve half the starter and mix it with two pounds of flour
and two pounds of water. (You’re making enough for baking and reserving some
to refrigerate for future baking.)
3. On bake day, remove enough starter to reserve for future baking. Prepare and
refrigerate it as described in the previous chapter.
4. Measure 6 cups of white flour into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix a cup
of starter with 1 2/3 cups of water and 3 3/4 teaspoons of salt.
5. Lightly flour the surface where you will knead the dough, and have some flour
and water within reach in case you need to adjust the consistency of the dough.
Have your dough knife handy and use it to manipulate the dough.
6. Combine the flour and liquid in a mixing bowl and mix by hand until the mass
starts to stick together.
7. Turn the mixture out onto the surface where you will knead the dough. Knead it
for 20 minutes. By this time, it should be a smooth, consistent mass that feels
moist but doesn’t stick to the counter. During the kneading process, you can
sprinkle flour or water on your mixture and work them in to adjust the
consistency.

Kneading the dough

8. Spray some nonstick cooking oil in a bowl, put in the dough, cover it with a towel
or plastic wrap, and place it in a warm place (80 to 85 degrees) to rise for three
hours. (I call this stage First Rise.) For future reference, you can change the
proofing time and temperature to alter the characteristics of your finished loaves.
In general, the higher the proofing temperature, the shorter the proofing time.
 First Rise

9. At the end of three hours, turn the dough out on a countertop and cut it in half
with the dough knife. You should now have two pieces of dough that weigh about
two pounds each. (When you start mixing larger batches, you’ll want a scale.)
The dough should have risen by about a third. When you press into it about an
inch with your finger, it should slowly rebound.
10. Gently flatten the dough into a disk about an inch thick. (Do NOT “punch it
down.” You want to keep the dough as inflated as possible.) Then fold the four
sides into the middle and seal them together by pressing your finger into the
dough.

Shaping the boule

11. Turn the dough over and shape it into a boule by bringing the outer edges of
your hands together under the loaf, pressing the dough together on the bottom
until it forms a foot.
 Shaping the boule” folding the disc

12. Turn the dough slightly and continue the process several times until the top
surface of the dough is stretched tightly and the bottom is firmly held together.
Your goal is to make a dough “balloon” that will let the dough rise up rather than
spread out.

Rounding the boule

13. Place the proofing cloths into the colanders and sprinkle enough flour in them so
that the dough will not stick to the cloth.
14. Let the loaves rest for about 15 minutes and then gently repeat the shaping
process.
15. Place the loaves in the colanders bottom side up. Sprinkle some flour on the
bread bottoms and fold the cloths over them.
16. Set the colanders in a warm place (80-85 degrees F) for three hours. (This is the
proofing stage.) If your house has little humidity and the surface of the dough
dries out, place the dough-filled colander in a large plastic bag, seal, and proof.
 17. You will need to heat your oven and the cloche(s) to 500 degrees F before you
bake, so start the oven in time to reach the desired temperature by the end of the
proofing stage.
18. To put the loaves in the oven, pull the hot cloches out and remove the tops. Then
sprinkle corn meal on the bottoms of the cloches and set the loaves on them.
Slash the tops of the loaves with a single-edge razor blade. Replace the tops and
return the cloches to the oven.

Slashing the loaves

19. Bake at 500 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove the cloche tops and bake for 35
minutes at 425 degrees F.
At the end of this period remove a loaf and tap it on the bottom. It should sound hollow.
Insert a thermometer in the center of the bread. It is ready when the internal temperature
has reached 190 degrees F. Bake longer if necessary.
When the loaves are done, place them on a cooling rack. They will continue cooking for
several minutes. Wait at least an hour before cutting a loaf, or it may be soggy and
undercooked on the inside.
When the loaves are thoroughly cooled, store the ones you will eat during the next week
in paper bags outside of the refrigerator. (Refrigerating this type of bread in plastic bags
makes it gummy.)
You can freeze the bread you can’t eat immediately in gallon freezer bags. When you’re
ready to use a loaf, open the bag slightly and microwave it for two minutes. Thawed bread
toasts well, and it can be warmed in the oven. (Wrap it in foil when you heat it so it
doesn’t dry out.)
See the schedule below for a typical home baking schedule for a small, single batch.
Sample Baking Schedule for Baking at Home
Day 1
7:00 am Mix starter
5:00 pm Remix starter
Day 2
5:30 am Mix batch
7:00 am First rise
10:00 am Cut & shape
11:00 am Proof
1:30 pm Insert cloche(s) in oven; heat oven to 500 degrees F.
2:00 pm Place loaves on cloches; replace top; bake bread for 15 minutes
2:15 pm Remove cloche top; reduce temperature to 425 degrees F.; bake for 35
minutes
2:50 pm Test loaf with thermometer (internal temperature should be 190 degrees).
Let loaves cool on wire racks for at least an hour before cutting
Expanding your repertoire
If you have completed the process I’ve just described, you have baked a typical batch of
white bread under average conditions. It should have a thick, chewy crust and a resilient
crumb containing large irregular openings.
Now try the same process using 100% whole wheat flour. You should get a denser, more
strongly flavored loaf. Typical whole wheat flour is light brown and contains a pigment
that contributes to its distinctive flavor. You can also buy white whole wheat flour that has
a milder flavor.
Repeat the process again using a mixture of 50% white and 50% whole wheat flour.
Finally, substitute one cup of rye flour in the 100% white flour recipe.
When you have tried these alternatives you should be ready to experiment with different
proofing temperatures and times.
Mix a batch of white bread and limit the first rise to an hour at 80-85 degrees. Shape the
loaves into boules, place them in colanders, and let them proof about 8 hours at 60-70
degrees. Near the end of this period, poke the dough periodically. (If it doesn’t rebound in
a few minutes it has over proofed.) Bake the bread as previously described. The result
should be a bread with a high acid content and a strong sour flavor (i.e., sourdough). You
may need to tinker with the temperature and proofing time until you get it right.
Mix a batch of whole wheat bread and let it ferment for 6 hours at 60-70 degrees. Then
proof the loaves at 90-95 degrees and 100% humidity for 90 minutes before baking. The
bread should have a moderate sour flavor and a strong whole wheat flavor.
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 9. Developing Your Own Recipes
The basic bread recipes you have learned thus far were probably used by thousands of
colonial housewives and commercial bakers. They are adequate as the mainstay of most
interpretative programs. However, early bakers, like their modern counterparts, liked to
experiment with the ingredients at hand.
You’ll also find that, authenticity aside, if you’re baking bread to raise money, non-
traditional recipes often sell well. At the Peter Burr farm in Jefferson County, WV, we
stick to authentic recipes for interpretative programs but on monthly bake days we also
provide a variety of exotic and specialty breads.
Most of the non-traditional recipes are based on the standard recipe for white bread I’ve
described earlier: 6 cups of flour, 1 cup of starter, 1 2/3 cups of water, and 3 3/4 teaspoons
of salt for two 2-pound loaves.
To these basic ingredients, you can add up to ½ cup of dried fruit, ½ cup of nuts, and
various quantities of herbs or spices (combined). You can also substitute up to 2 cups of
corn meal or flour made from oats, rye, or other grains. You can bake all of these recipes
at about the same temperature and for the same time as white bread.
The main exception to these general guidelines is that you may need to add dry active
yeast to a recipe if any of the ingredients inhibit yeast growth. (Follow the package
directions.) Cinnamon, cloves, and mustard are strong inhibitors of yeast growth, and
recipes that incorporate them will need to be supplemented with dry yeast. Allspice, bay
leaf, caraway, coriander, cumin, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme are moderate
inhibitors of yeast growth — you can usually overcome their effects by adding dry yeast
or by increasing the standard durations for the first rise and proofing stages. Tea and
ginger are very toxic to wild yeast, so don’t use them.
Black pepper, red pepper, chocolate, and coffee have little or no effect on yeast growth.
Yeast love olive oil, but your bread may burn unless you lower baking temperatures
slightly.
Sugar and ingredients that contain it (such as candies, chocolate morsels, molasses, or
honey) will tend to caramelize in the surface crust. This can produce some delicious
flavors, but it can also cause the crust to blacken or burn. In general, recipes containing
sugar should be baked at a lower starting temperature, for example 475 degrees F rather
than 500 degrees. If you substitute honey for sugar in a recipe, you will need to slightly
reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe.
It is possible to substitute milk, buttermilk, olive oil, eggs, or butter for some of the
water in the basic recipe. However, these ingredients tend to change the consistency of the
dough while it is being mixed (usually making it stickier) and often produce a bread with a
moister crumb. To compensate for these changes, you may want to reduce the total
amount of liquid ingredients or try baking the loaves longer at a slightly lower
temperature. Finished loaves should still have an internal temperature of 190 degrees F or
above.
The milk products just mentioned also inhibit yeast growth, so use scalded milk cooled
to room temperature.
All of the ingredients just mentioned are more susceptible to spoilage and bacterial
contamination than are the breads made with just flour, water, yeast and salt. Be extra
vigilant about refrigeration of these ingredients and of cleaning work spaces.
Try each new recipe at home, noting your successes and failures in a journal, and
modify the ingredients, proofing intervals, and baking time and temperature accordingly.
Once you have perfected a recipe under the controlled conditions of your kitchen, you’re
should be ready to make it at an interpretative site.
Potential ingredients for new recipes are all around you. Think about a flavor
combination you like in another food and see if you can translate it into a recipe for artisan
bread. For example, I added dried cranberries, sage, and walnuts to the basic white bread
recipe and produced a bread that tastes like stuffing. It’s great for turkey sandwiches!
Another source for ingredients and flavor combinations are recipes for quick breads.
See if you can add the fruits, nuts, or flavorings found in these baking powder-based
recipes and leave the rest behind. You should greatly reduce or eliminate the sugars or oils
used as ingredients in quickbread recipes.
All of the recipes found in this book have been successfully tested in a conventional
oven using a cloche and then baked in wood-fired brick ovens. I have tried many of them
in a convection oven with good results.
The crust of artisan bread is thick and has a distinctive flavor that is different from the
crumb inside. The baking times and instructions presented in this book are for creating
boules (round loaves). Depending on the shape of a loaf, a slice of bread can have a high
ratio of crust to crumb (baguette) or a low ratio (boule). Thus the shape of the loaf affects
the flavor. Baking time varies with the size and shape of the loaf.
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 10. Bibliography
American Husbandry. Containing An Account of the Soil, Climate, Production and
Agriculture of the British Colonies in North America and the West Indies with
Observations on the Advantages and Disadvantages of settling in them,
compared with Great Britain and Ireland. By an American. In two Volumes.
London. Printed for J. BEW, in Pater-Noster-Row MDCCLXXV
Cunningham, Marion. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. 13th revised ed., 1990.
Glezer, Maggie. Artisan Baking Across America. New York: Artisan, 2000.
Hamelman, Jeffrey. Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes. John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., 2004.
King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook. Woodstock, VT: Countryman
Press, 1990.
The King Arthur Website - www.kingarthurflour.com
Reinhart, Peter. Crust & Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers.
Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1998.
Robertson, Laurel. The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book. New York: Random House,
1984.
Schlebecker, John T. Whereby We Thrive: A History of American Farming, 1607-
1972. Ames, IA: The Iowa State University Press, 1975.
Silverton, Nancy. Breads from the La Brea Bakery. New York: Villard, 1996.
Treuille, Eric, and Ursula Ferrigno. Bread: Artisan Breads from Baguettes and
Bagels to Foccacia and Brioche. New York: D.K. Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Wing, Daniel, and Alan Scott. The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry
Ovens. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 1999.
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 Appendix A. Bread Recipes You Can Bake at Home
I have personally developed and baked all of the recipes shown on the following pages.
Some are adapted from other bakers and are so acknowledged. When fruits, nuts, and
other dry ingredients are included in recipes, the loaves will often rise less than those
produced with only wheat flour. Temperature and humidity will also affect the rise of the
dough as well as the moisture content of your flour. Store your flour tightly sealed in a
cool, dry place.
NOTE: The baking times given in this chapter are for loaves shaped into 2-pound
boules. If you decide to bake a different shape loaf, you will need to establish your own
baking times and use different utensils (besides colanders) for proofing.
When measuring flour by the cup, fluff it up in the storage container and scoop it gently,
leveling the top off with a knife. A cup of white flour measured this way will weigh about
4 ounces.
If you find that your loaves do not rise as high as you expected, you may want to
decrease the amount of non-flour ingredients in a batch. In general, recipes using whole
wheat flour will require more water than those using white flour.
Try keeping a baking journal in which you record temperature, humidity, and weather
conditions as well as the results of your proofing efforts and the size of the finished, baked
loaves. This information will help you adjust your baking techniques to your environment.
Use the table of equivalent measures on the following page to help you expand recipes.
 Equivalent Measures for Baking*
3 teaspoons 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons 1 oz. (liquid)

8 tablespoons 1/2 cup or 4 oz.

2 cups 1 pint, 1/2 quart, 16 oz.

Brown sugar 1 pound = 2 1/3 cups

Butter 1 tablespoon = 1/2 stick, 1/2 ounce

8 tablespoons, 1 stick, 4 ounces

32 tablespoons, 4 sticks, 1 pound

Confectioners’ sugar 1 pound = 4 cups

Flour, unsifted 1 tablespoon = 1/4 ounce

1 cup = 5 ounces

3 1/2 cups = 1 pound

Nuts, chopped 4 ounces = 3/4 cup

4 ounces = 1 cup, loosely packed

Nuts, ground 1 teaspoon = 1/8 ounce

Salt or Sugar (granulated) 1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce

1 cup = 7 ounces

*From The Fannie Farmer Cook Book

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 Apple Cheddar Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup rye flour
2 cups apples, chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, cubed and dried
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
Directions
Use a firm, tart pie apple, such as a Granny Smith for this recipe. Peel and core the
apples and slice them into sections about 1/2” by 1/2” by 3”.
Toast the walnuts on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Cut the cheese into cubes about 3/4” square.
Add the walnuts to the dry ingredients before mixing.
Add the apples and cheese to the dough after you have finished kneading. To do this,
roll the dough out to about 1” thick, lay the apple slices on half the surface, and
then fold the other half over it. Once the apples are incorporated, repeat the
process with the cheese.
You can substitute apple juice or cider for some or all of the water — just make sure
that the juice DOES NOT contain any preservatives. Since apple juice contains
sugar, watch the loaves as they bake to make sure the crust does not burn. Lower
the temperature if necessary.
If you would like these loaves to have more of an apple pie taste, you can add one
teaspoon of ground cinnamon for each loaf. Since cinnamon inhibits yeast
growth, you may also want to add one teaspoon of dry active yeast for each loaf
to help the bread rise — particularly if your proofing environment is cool. (The
dry yeast will reduce the first rise and proofing times to 90 minutes each.)
To bake in a cloche:
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
To make rolls:
Cut the dough into 4 oz. pieces and flatten each into a square about ½ inch thick.
Chop four Granny Smith apples into small pieces and add a small amount of dark
brown sugar.
Place a couple of tablespoons full of the mixture in the center of the dough and roll
up, pinching the ends together.
Place a sheet of parchment on a cooling rack, place the rack on a cookie sheet, then
place the rolls on the parchment. Cover the rolls, allowing them to proof for 3
hours.
Just before baking, brush them with the melted butter.
Bake on the cookie sheets at 375 degrees F for 27-30 minutes, until they are golden
brown on the outside and sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
These are best eaten when they are still warm. If you can’t eat them then, warm them
gently before serving by microwaving for 30 seconds. Great for breakfast or as a snack
with coffee. The two-loaf bread recipe will make eight four-inch rolls.
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Apricot - Orange - Chocolate Bread
Makes two -2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 2/3 cups water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup starter
1 tsp orange extract
2 tbsp orange peel, grated or minced
Directions
Toast the walnuts on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Cut the apricots into quarters and chop the walnuts into large pieces.
Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine.
To bake in a cloche:
Bake covered for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then uncovered for 40 minutes at
400 F. The internal temperature should reach 190 degrees F.
The bread has a distinctive orange flavor if eaten within a few hours of baking but it
will fade soon after that. But still very good! I’ve also made this recipe using orange juice
instead of water and omitting the orange extract and orange peel. The loaves do not rise as
high and have a tangy, more acidic taste, with little or no orange flavor.
If you find that the loaves do not rise as high as you like, try decreasing the amount of
walnuts, apricots, and chocolate chunks slightly.
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Cheese and Walnut Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup rye flour
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup bleu cheese, cubed
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
Directions
Three days before you bake, cut the block of cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. (If only
crumbled cheese is available, try to find a container with pieces about the size of
the cubes.)
Place a wire cooling rack on a cookie sheet, cover it with a paper towel, place the
cheese on it, and cover with another paper towel.
Set aside until you are ready to use it.
Toast the walnuts on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes at 375 degrees. Stir the nuts 3
minutes into the process.
Chop the walnuts into fairly large pieces. Add them to the dry ingredients after you
knead the dough.
When you are ready to knead the dough, separate 1/2 cup of the largest dried cheese
chunks and set aside.
Knead the dough without adding any cheese until it passes the window pane test.
Then knead in the smaller pieces of cheese until they disappear.
Add the walnuts to the dough and knead until they are evenly distributed.
Finally add the cheese chunks and knead gently, trying to retain their individuality.
Shape into a boule.
To bake in a cloche:
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
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 Cranberry Chocolate Rolls
Makes eight 4-oz rolls or one 2-pound loaf
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup starter
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded (or water)
8 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey
Directions
Combine the starter, salt, scalded milk (or water), honey, and 2 tbsp of melted butter
in mixing bowl.
Add the flour and 1 cup of cranberries and knead for 20 minutes. Add more flour as
you knead if necessary. The dough should be light and elastic but not stick to the
counter.
Place in greased container, cover and let rise in warm place (about 85 degrees F) for
3 hours.
Cut the dough into 4 oz. pieces and flatten each into a square about ½ inch thick.
Place one heaping tablespoonful of semi-sweet chocolate chunks and an equal
amount of dried cranberries in the center and roll up, pinching the ends together.
Place on greased cookie sheet and cover, allowing them to proof for 3 hours.
Just before baking, brush them with the melted butter.
Bake on the cookie sheets at 375 degrees F for 27-30 minutes, until they are golden
brown on the outside and sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
These are best eaten when they are still warm and the chocolate center is soft. If you
can’t eat them then, warm them gently before serving by microwaving for 20 seconds.
Great for breakfast or as a snack with coffee. This recipe also works well when you
substitute dried cherries for cranberries.
To make a loaf from this recipe:
Add the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate to the dry ingredients and mix.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then uncovered for 40 minutes at
400 F The internal temperature should reach 190 degrees F.
Check the bread during the last 15 minutes to make sure the crust doesn’t burn. Lower
the temperature if necessary or lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the loaves to shield them
from the heat.
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Cinnamon Carrot Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dry yeast
1 cup water
4 cups starter
Directions
Toast the nuts on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Use a vegetable peeler to produce long, thin slices of carrot. Unlike grated carrots,
they don’t get lost in the finished bread, plus they look more impressive and have
a distinctive taste.
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another.
Mix each thoroughly, then combine and knead for 20 minutes.
Follow the usual techniques for taking the dough through first rise (1 1/2 hours),
shaping into boules, and final proof (1 1/2 hours) when dry yeast is included.
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 400 F.
This loaf always takes either first or second place in our bread tasting events.
This recipe produces a bread that tastes much like carrot cake and has a cake-like
texture. The crust is delicious. Great toasted with butter or cream cheese. Even with the
added dry yeast, it can be a slow riser, so you might need to add an hour to the 1 1/2-hour
final proof.
This bread contains sugar, so watch it carefully during the last 5-10 minutes of baking to
make sure it doesn’t burn. You may need to lower the oven temperature at the end of the
baking period. You can also try laying a sheet of aluminum foil over the loaves half way
through the baking process.
If you want to limit your family’s sugar intake, try baking this loaf without it. Substitute
one cup of raisins for the chopped walnuts to provide some sweetness.
Note: If you add dry active yeast to these recipes, the first rise and final proof normally
take half the time as using just sourdough starter alone; i.e., 1 1/2 hours for each stage
instead of 3 hours each.
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Cranberry and Pine Nut Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup oat or wheat bran
3 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
Directions
Toast the pine nuts on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees F. for 5 minutes, shaking them
occasionally so they don’t burn.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F. and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
This bread has a delicious, subtle flavor that is easily masked by spreads, so try it
toasted or fresh, plain or with melted butter.
Note: If you can’t find oat or wheat bran in your area, substitute plain bran flakes cereal.
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 Dark Chocolate Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups white bread flour
2 1/2 cups cocoa powder
8 tbsp sugar
3 3/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups water
4 cups starter
Directions
Bake in a choche for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and then 30 minutes at 400 F.
This bread has a deep, bittersweet chocolate flavor that some people have compared to
an intense devil’s food cake. Spread cream cheese on it for a dessert item. Or combine 1
pound of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of honey, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Spread this
mixture on toasted or untoasted bread, or spread it on untoasted bread and put it under the
broiler for a few minutes. Toasted, chopped hazelnuts or almonds are a good addition.
It’s also good as an accompaniment to stew or chili.
Leftover stale bread can be used to make an excellent bread pudding (add some toasted
hazelnuts) or French toast (serve with an orange glaze).
Recipe adapted from Treuille and Ferrigno, Bread.
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 Fig Anise Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup rye flour
2 tbsp anise seed
2/3 cup dried figs
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
Directions
Add the anise seed and rye flour to the white flour and mix well before adding the
liquid ingredients.
Cut the figs into quarters and incorporate them into dough after you have finished
kneading.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
This has a delicious, subtle flavor and is great toasted with butter.
Materials that poke through the top of the loaf when it goes into the oven may char. You
may want to pick them off the surface as you place the loaves in the cloche, or you can
remove them from the finished loaf if necessary.
This recipe is adapted from Glezer, Artisan Baking.
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 Five Pepper Cajun Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves or eight 4-oz. rolls
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
1/2 cup corn meal
3 3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp garlic powder
3/4 tbsp dried parsley, or 2 tbsp fresh
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
3 tbsp hot sauce (your choice)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, roasted then seeded, peeled, and chopped
2 cups 2ater
1 cup starter
Directions
Mix starter with water, hot, sauce and salt.
Combine dry ingredients separately. Then mix wet and dry ingredients to make
dough.
To bake in a cloche:
Bake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F. and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
To make rolls:
After first rise, cut the dough into 4 oz. pieces and flatten each into a square about ½
inch thick.
For filling, roast red bell peppers or poblano peppers, remove skin and seeds, and
slice into strips about 4” long.
Place the mixture in the center of the dough and roll up, pinching the ends together.
Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet, cover with the rack with a sheet of
parchment paper, and set the rolls on top.
Proof for 2 hours.
Just before baking, brush the rolls with the melted butter. Bake on the cookie sheets
at 375 degrees F for 27-30 minutes, until they are golden brown on the outside
and sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
These are best eaten when they are still warm. If you can’t eat them then, warm them
gently before serving by microwaving for 30 seconds. The two-loaf loaf recipe will make
8 four-inch rolls.
This bread gets great reviews in our bread tasting sessions. It has a warm taste that
grows as you eat it. It’s excellent with cheese. Try adding a tablespoon of cilantro. Also
try these ingredients with the sourdough corn bread recipe.
We used Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce for this recipe, but you can substitute hotter or milder
products. You can also tinker with the mixture of dry peppers, although the proportions
listed above produce a distinctive flavor that won’t overwhelm the foods it is served with.
IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO HOT PEPPERS, YOU MAY WANT TO WEAR
GLOVES WHILE PREPARING THIS RECIPE. WHEN FINISHED, WASH YOUR
HANDS THOROUOGHLY. DON’T RUB YOUR EYES!
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 Kalamata Olive Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup rye flour
1 1/2 cups kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
Directions
Combine all ingredients except the olives and knead thoroughly.
Flatten the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. (Use a rolling pin if necessary.)
Place some of the olives on top and roll the dough up. Then knead gently — try not
to crush the olives.
Repeat the rolling and kneading two or three times, until the olives are thoroughly
distributed, then shape into boules.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
I use well-drained, pitted Kalamata olives that have been packaged in brine. I don’t
think the bread tastes too salty, and the yeast love it. You can reduce the amount of salt by
about one third if you like. Olives packed in oil or wine vinegar will give the bread a
different, but still pleasing flavor.
Don’t use black, domestic canned olives. They don’t have enough flavor to contribute to
the loaf.
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 Multigrain Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
3 cups white bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup corn meal
2/3 cup bran
2/3 cup rolled oats
6 tbsp cooked brown rice
3 3/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 2/3 cups scalded buttermilk (or water)
4 tbsp honey
4 cups starter
Directions
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
There are hundreds of recipes for multigrain bread. This mixture of grains produces a
well-balanced loaf, but feel free to experiment with other combinations of ingredients.
Whatever combination of grains you use, make sure that your wheat flours account for at
least two-thirds of your dry ingredients. The loaves will not rise well if higher proportions
of grains with little or no gluten are present.
Oat or wheat bran work equally well. If you can’t find either, substitute all bran cereal
(preferably one with as little sugar or additives as possible). You can also add 2/3 cup of
wheat germ with good resilts.
The protein in the buttermilk may reduce the ability of the bread to rise, so you should
scald it or substitute water for the liquid part of the recipe.
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 Pane al Cioccolaro (Chocolate Bread)
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 cup almond slivers
2 cups water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 cup starter

Directions
Melt the butter, let it cool to room temperature, and add it to the other liquids.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine.
Bake in a cloche at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then 45 minutes at 400 F.
This bread is much less intense than the Dark Chocolate recipe listed earlier. Here the
chocolate chunks and cherries are dispersed through the loaf, providing a different flavor
with each bite. This is a good bread for breakfast. Try it fresh or toasted with cream
cheese.
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 Sourdough Corn Bread (Portugese Corn Bread)
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
2 cups yellow corn meal
3 3/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups scalded milk (or water)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup starter

Directions
Scald the milk and let it cool to room temperature. You can substitute water for milk
if you like.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
This bread has a distinctive taste and can be used in the same way as traditional corn
bread made with baking powder and baking soda. It’s good toasted.
For a loaf that can be served in place of corn bread stuffing, try adding sage to the
dry ingredients (about 1 tablespoon per loaf).
You can also add the garlic and pepper ingredients from the Five Pepper Cajun
Bread recipe if you want to try something spicier.

Chili bowls:
Bake one-pound boules (500 degrees F for 10 minutes then 425 degrees F for about
28 minutes).
Hollow out the loaf leaving about an inch of corn bread all the way around.
Fill with chili. A spicy chili with some liquid works best so the flavor dominates the
corn bread. The liquid is absorbed by the crust, making it easier to tear into
pieces.
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 Pear Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups firm pears, 3/4” x 3” slices
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dry yeast

Directions
Mix the wet ingredients and add the dry yeast.
Mix the dry ingredients (except the pears) then combine with the wet mixture.
To incorporate the pears without mashing them, cut the pears into 3” chunks, about
1/4” thick.
Divide the kneaded dough in half and flatten out both portions.
Press the pears into one half, overlay the other dough layer, and roll up.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F and then 40 minutes at 400 F.
This is a moist bread with a delicate flavor. It seems to be more flavorful the day after it
is baked. Good served with cheese. Also good as French toast, but omit cinnamon from
the batter and use butter rather than maple syrup so that you can enjoy the bread’s flavor.
Since the dough contains sugar, the crust can caramelize and burn, so watch it carefully
during the last few minutes of baking.
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 Persian Sesame Flat Bread*
Makes four 1/2-pound loaves
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup starter
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or a mixture

Directions
Mix salt, starter, water, honey, and olive oil and then combine with flour.
Knead for 20 minutes.
Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 3 hours in warm place (about 85
degrees F.)
Cut into 1/2-pound pieces and flatten into discs about 1/2-inch thick.
Place on greased parchment and cover.
Proof for 3 hours.
Just before baking, use your fingers to make indentations in to bread, brush each
loaf with olive oil and sprinkle with the seed mixture.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
The loaves are about one inch thick and 8 inches in diameter. They are great as an
appetizer with olive oil or topped with some combination of feta cheese, black olives, and
diced tomatoes. They can also be sliced horizontally and used for sandwiches.
Since the loaves bake at 425 degrees F, the crust will not get as thick as that found on a
loaf initially baked at 500 F. Bake them on the cloche bottom (or on a baking stone)
without covering them.
For a sweet treat, substitute scalded milk for water in the recipe. Brush the loaves with
milk and sprinkle with white or brown sugar before baking.
This recipe is adapted from Treuille & Ferrigno, Bread.
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 Raisin Spice Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup raisins
1 tbsp dry yeast

Directions
Add the dry yeast, water, and salt to the starter.
Mix the flour, spices, and raisins together separately.
Then combine the wet and dry ingredients to make the dough.
Bake in a cloche for 15 minutes at 500 degrees F and then 35 minutes at 425 F.
This is one our customers’ favorite recipes. They like the distinctive blend of spices, and
the raisins provide enough sweetness without adding sugar to the loaf. (Some people want
even more raisins, and you can add another 1/2 cup of them to the above recipe without
affecting the dough’s ability to rise.) This bread makes a great bread pudding.
Spices such as cinnamon and cloves retard yeast growth, so dry baking yeast is added to
this recipe to help the bread rise. Because of the added dry yeast, the first rise and proofing
stage for this recipe are each 90 minutes instead of the usual 3 hours.
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 Rum Raisin
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter
2 tsp rum extract
6 tbsp unsulphured molasses

Directions
Bake in a cloche at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, then 45 minutes at 400 degrees F
This recipe contains sugar (molasses), so watch it carefully during the last 5-10 minutes
to make sure it doesn’t burn. You may need to lower the temperature during the last few
minutes of baking, or lay sheets of aluminum foil over the loaves about half-way through
the baking process to slow down the browning of the crust.
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 Rustic White Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
6 cups white bread flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup rye flour
1 2/3 cups water
1 cup starter

Directions
Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then mix together.
Knead for 20 minutes, then try the windowpane test for elasticity. If the dough
passes proceed to the first rise process. If not, continue kneading until the dough
is acceptable.
Bake in a cloche at 500 degrees F for 15 minutes, then for 35 minutes at 42 F5.
This is our basic bread recipe and the starting point for variations that include herbs,
nuts, and other ingredients. The rye flour gives the bread a rustic look and adds to the
flavor.
If you decide to add other ingredients, don’t let them exceed one-third the volume of the
wheat flour or there won’t be enough gluten to let the bread rise. (For example, a recipe
containing 6 cups of wheat flour can be modified to 4 cups of wheat flour and up to 2 cups
of other flour or grains.)

Variations
Add Roasted Garlic: When you shape the loaves in the final proofing stage, make
about six or more 1”-deep incisions in the top and insert peeled garlic cloves so that the
tips just poke through the surface. These will roast as the bread bakes.
Add Rosemary and Olive Oil: Mix two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons
of fresh chopped rosemary to the dry ingredients. The olive will impart a golden color to
the finished loaf, but it will be more susceptible to burning. Lower the bake temperature
from 425 to 400 degrees F and check it five minutes before it is supposed to be done.
Use Different Types and Combinations of Wheat Flour: In my Beginner’s Artisan
Bread Class, we bake only no frills wheat bread in the following varieties:
 100% high gluten white flour
100% red whole wheat flour
100% white whole wheat flour
50% high gluten whole wheat flour and 50% red whole wheat flour
You will find that loaves containing whole wheat flour will require more water to make
them kneadable. They will require more kneading to make them elastic, and they will also
be denser and smaller than those made with 100% white bread flour.
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 Scottish Baps
Makes eight 4-ounce baps
Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
1 1/5 tsp salt
1 cup starter
1 1/2 cups scalded milk

Directions
Scald the milk and cool to room temperature.
Mix salt, starter, and milk and combine with flour.
Knead for 20 minutes.
Place in greased, covered bowl and let rise in warm place (about 85 degrees F) for 3
hours.
Cut into 4-oz pieces and shape each into discs about 1/2-inch thick.
Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, cover, and proof for 3 hours.
Just before baking, make an indentation in the center about the size of a quarter.
Glaze with milk and dust lightly with sifted flour.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes on a cloche bottom or baking stone, until
golden brown.
This is a variation on a traditional Scottish bread often served for breakfast. It is a good
choice if you want to bake something that people can eat as they walk around at an event.
These baps are about an inch thick and six inches in diameter. They taste a little like an
English muffin. Try them warm with a spoonful of melted butter or jam in the center or
slice them horizontally (like a bagel) and toast lightly. They are also good for sandwiches.
This recipe is adapted from Treuille and Ferrigno, Bread.
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 Sourdough Pretzels
Makes four large 8-oz pretzels
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups starter
2 eggs, for glaze

Directions
Mix salt, starter, and water and combine with flour.
Knead for 20 minutes.
Place in greased bowl and cover.
Let rise for 3 hours in warm place (about 85 degrees F).
Divide the dough into 1/2-pound pieces and roll each into a tube about 18 inches
long. The center section (1/3rd) should be about an inch thick, and the ends about
½ inch thick.
Shape each into a pretzel shape (normally a bow or a stick).
Place on greased cooking sheet, cover, and let rise for 3 hours.
Just before baking, mix the eggs with 1 tsp of water for each egg used and brush on
the pretzels.
Bake these on the cookie sheet, or transfer them to a cloche bottom or baking stone
if you want a crisper product.
Sprinkle with coarse salt or sesame seeds and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 to 25
minutes, until golden brown.
If you like hard pretzels, let them bake a minute or two longer. Don’t let them burn.
These are large pretzels, the kind you are used to seeing at county fairs, but they have a
sourdough flavor and tend to be lighter. Great with mustard. Unlike many pretzel recipes,
this one does not use a lye bath.
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 Harvest (Sweet Potato) Bread
Makes two 2-pound loaves
Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup starter
1 1/4 cups sweet potatoes (or yams)
1 1/3 cups raw pumpkin seeds
5 tbsp. wheat germ
1 tsp cumin

Directions
Roast sweet potatoes at 400 F. for 1 hour. Let cool, peel, and mash. (You can leave
some chunks of potato in the mash if you want the color contrast in the bread.)
Toast pumpkin seeds at 350 F. for 15 minutes.
Mix the salt, starter, water and mash separately.
Mix the flours, pumpkin seeds, cumin, and wheat germ separately.
Then combine wet and dry ingredients. The dough will be sticky.
Add a little white bread flour as you knead to prevent dough from sticking to
counter. Knead 20 minutes.
Bake at 450 F for 40-50 minutes.
For years, I looked for a harvest bread that had pumpkin as the main ingredient, but
most recipes included the traditional pumpkin pie spices. When I omitted these spices, the
pumpkin usually tasted bland. Finally, I took the lead from Nancy Silverton’s Breads from
the La Brea Bakery and adapted her recipe that used sweet potatoes. I think most of our
customers prefer this to the “pumpkin pie” version.
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 About the Author
William D. Theriault received a PhD in American Literature from The George
Washington University and has taught at that institution as well as at American University,
Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, and Mountain State University. His career
also includes positions as publications manager and senior technical writer and editor at
several research institutions.
Dr. Theriault is the author of How and Where to Look It Up: Resources for Researching
the History of Jefferson County, West Virginia (2001), and the West Virginia Explorer
Program (1996), a CD-based information resource published by the West Virginia
Division of Culture and History. He is the creator of the West Virginia GeoExplorer
Project and has been its project manager since development on it began in 2010. Theriault
has published numerous books and articles related to historic preservation, local history,
and public history.
Theriault has been baking heirloom artisan bread for almost 20 years. He has developed
interpretative “Wheat to Bread” programs, built or supervised the construction of wood
fired bread ovens, and teaches beginners and advanced courses in artisan bread baking in
West Virginia and Maryland. He is the author of Artisan Bread Baking for Living History
Organizations (2008).