Artisan Bread Problem Solving

Is the dough too sticky? One common problem we've had is making the dough too wet so it is just too sticky to handle - this happened with our first batch. There is a simple solution. Next time add a little extra flour to the recipe. With a little experimentation we have developed a better feel for how the bread dough should feel so you can shape it easily into a nice loaf with a smooth surface. Don't give up - experiment and try again. By the way, even an ugly loaf of this bread is a treat to eat!

Sticking to the breadboard on the way to the oven? We don't own a pizza peel so we let the bread on a cutting board. Until we started adding enough corn meal to the board before we placed the formed loaf on it we had trouble. Be sure to add enough corn meal to the peel, breadboard, and pizza stone so that the loaf can slide easily. The corn meal will get brown but will not burn.

Issues with Raising the Loaf

If you get an ugly loaf that rises dramatically after you put it in the oven? Here are two cures.
First, we live in a motor home and right now we are in Texas, where it is HOT. Our air conditioner is on a lot, and cool air does not lead to good bread rising conditions. We set our convection oven to preheat to 100 degrees, turn it off, and set the bread to rise in the warmed oven. It rises better in a cozy place.

Second, let it rise longer. The article on forming the dough we said to raise it for 40 minutes. Go ahead, give it an hour - maybe more. It will be fine.