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www.WeekendBakery.com

Weekend Bakery

The place for the ambitious home baker

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You are here: Home / About Us

About Us

501 Comments

Weekend Bakery

Weekend Bakery wants to offer and share information, tips, techniques, recipes and tools for the ‘professional’ home baker, with an above average interest in the art of artisan bread making. Weekend Bakery points to the fact that a lot of people, like us, concentrate their baking activities around the weekends and holidays. The moments you look forward to, thinking about what recipes to try or which favorite loaves to bake.

Weekend Bakery is serious about artisan bread making. We have our own ‘at home micro bakery’. Making bread in small quantities with time and attention will deliver great and rewarding results. So why not try and make your own too? It’s a hobby with great benefits for your mind as well as your body. Making good bread appeals to all your senses. Working with dough can be your own form of meditation. Your body can seriously benefit from the bread you make.

So there are lot’s of good reasons to make your own. Maybe you’ve already discovered them. So if you are serious about good bread making, Weekend Bakery is the place for you. Get your hands stuck in a piece of dough and smell the aroma of your own sourdough starter.

Our Artisan At Home Bakery

We are passionate home bakers. We have been sharing our quest for good food and especially good bread for over 18 years. We love sharing our homemade bread and recipes with friends and family and everybody who’s truly interested. We are especially enthusiastic about the ‘artisan’ way of baking. Traditional methods, few ingredients, lots of taste. It’s amazing and rewarding to discover you can make a wonderful bread with just flour, water and salt and a bit of homemade sourdough.

Our Bakery Tool Shop

We are proud to offer a range of bread baking tools that are perfect for the home baker and small bakeries. All bread baking tools are made within the European Union and of the highest quality. And there’s some very original sweet baking stuff too. Plus we ship all over the world. Come and take a look and get inspired to bake!

Things we love to bake and make

There are some items that we have really ‘made our own’ over the years. Next to our “Pain Rustique’ and Pain au Levain’ that has an ever growing enthusiastic following, we have perfected the art of croissant making and baguette baking. We also make traditional Dutch specialties like suikerbrood (sugar loaf) speculaas, cinnamon buns and roggebrood (rye bread). We love making our own pizza and flatbreads. We also make our own marmalade from the Sevilla oranges when in season and like to experiment with chocolate and caramel too and love to roast our own coffee beans.

Besides the baking

We love to travel. Our favorite destinations are Italy, France, Norway and Canada. Favorite cities: New York, Venice, Amsterdam.
Also fond of (outdoor) cooking, the Italian kitchen, Indian and Japanese food and much more…

Happy baking from Weekend Bakery!

Ed & Marieke
Netherlands

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The coming months we will take a break from answering comments on our Weekend Bakery site.

Due to recent events our priorities have shifted and we need to focus on what matters most and give attention to our family and people who need us.

Comments

  1. RE says

    January 24, 2017 at 00:43

    Hi Ed and Marieke
    I find the dough is always much stickier and wetter than what is shown in your videos. I use t65 french flour. Seem to get much stickier after water/salt stage, and through all the stretch and folds. Should I reduce the fluid ? Or adjust flour
    Thanks from Oz

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 27, 2017 at 19:16

      Hi Re,
      No flour is the same and no batch of flour is the same, there’s always the need for adjustment. In such cases we always adjust the fluid, so we suggest you reduce the fluid in your case and start with a reduction of a few % or around 15 g per loaf.

      Good luck with it and happy baking in OZ!

      Reply
  2. Christine Visser says

    January 23, 2017 at 18:05

    Dear Ed & Marieke
    I stumbled upon your website several months ago and I just want to say ‘Thank you!!!’ I had tried making a sour dough starter before with no success but yours worked the very first time. I have been making 2 loaves of ‘Our Favourite Whole Wheat Levain’ every week since and I’ve had success every time! Ed, your videos on technique – stretch and fold and shaping into loaves have been invaluable – thank you.
    I’ve had some trouble with my dough sticking in my cane baskets but I’ll think I’ll get that figured out in time (I did follow your instructions for breaking in a new batton).
    The only thing I’d like your opinion on is the smell of my starter – it is pretty nail polish-y. I refresh it every week (I use 30g starter, 30g water, 30g rye flour). The other day I decided to refresh it right after my last refresh hoping the smell would improve, it may have made a slight improvement but not much. I’m not sure what to do because I’m really happy with the bread I’m getting. I’d really appreciate your thoughts.
    Thank you
    Christine
    Manyberries, Alberta, Canada
    ps have also made your pain Rustique too!

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 26, 2017 at 11:30

      Hello Christine,
      Thank you so much for your comment. As far as the cane baskets go, just be generous in the beginning, adding some extra flour, brushing it off after baking and you will see you will be able to use less as you progress.
      Have you seen our tips for sourdough bakers? www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ough-tips/
      Here you can find some useful suggestions that can help with the maintenance of your culture. Hope it helps, but if the nail polish smell is really persistent after several refreshing and extra stirring attempts it could be time to decide to start again. But first read our tips and see how that goes!

      Good luck with it and many happy baking moments and more excellent loaves.

      Greetings from tiny Holland to your beautiful country!

      Marieke & Ed

      Reply
      • Christine says

        February 2, 2017 at 17:27

        Thank you for your reply, I wasn’t brushing out my baskets – just giving them a tap upside down to get rid of any excess flour.
        I began a new sourdough yesterday – we’ll see if that helps. Just a thought….maybe I’ve been putting my lid on my starter too tightly..I use a 400ml jam jar with snap lid and ring…maybe its not able to breathe. When I take it out of the refrigerator after a week in there it does ‘pop’ when I take the lid off. I’ve noticed after I refresh my started the left overs lose that nasty smell after its been sitting on the counter and airing out a bit.
        Have a great day!!

        Reply
        • Weekend Bakers says

          February 4, 2017 at 22:15

          Yes, make sure to loosely close the lid so it is not completely airtight.

          Reply
  3. Ronald says

    January 18, 2017 at 13:06

    Beste Weekend bakery ik vind jullie site geweldig en inspirerend maar mijn vraag aan jullie is weten jullie nog een goed recept/site voor lekker glutenvrije brood.Ik ben al aan de slag gegaan met boekweit en daar een starter van gemaakt maar de eigenschappen zijn natuurlijk totaal anders.

    Vr gr ronald

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 22, 2017 at 23:19

      Dankjewel Ronald,
      Om eerlijk te zijn is glutenvrij brood niet bepaald onze specialiteit en hebben we er heel weinig ervaring mee. Het is echt een uitdaging om er iets goeds van te maken, vooral met weinig ingrediënten.
      We hebben wel wat sites voor je waar je wellicht verder mee kunt:
      www.glutenvrijbrood.com/
      happybynature.nu/dossi…ij-bakken/
      www.foodandyou.nl/glute…fabriekje/

      Een basisrecept:

      happybynature.nu/basic…rij-brood/

      www.molendebente.com/van-d…lutenvrij/

      Hopelijk heb je er wat aan. Mocht je een geweldig recept ontdekken waar je enthousiast van wordt, dan vinden we dat natuurlijk altijd leuk om te vernemen.

      Succes ermee!

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  4. Jim Seguin says

    January 14, 2017 at 01:36

    Hi, I am wondering how you like your Haussler Alpha Mixer. I am a serious home baker and am not satisfied with the Kitchen Aid mixer I have. Thanks.
    Jim

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 20, 2017 at 14:28

      Hi Jim,
      The Alpha mixer is beautifully made and very sturdy and we have fine results with it, but it has one disadvantage and that is that with small doughs they tent to climb/stick to the hook and just spin around without any kneading action. This problem is more prominent with smaller quantities of dough 500 – 1,5 kg and not when making a full batch of about 4.5 kg in one go. We have removed the plastic security cover so we can ‘press / hold’ the dough down with a very big spatula during kneading. This helps to get a better kneaded dough even with the full 5kg quantity of dough.
      If we had to buy a new mixer at this moment in time, we would not choose the Alpha again for this reason, because now we would be looking for the optimum mixer for the type of baking we do the most and ideally not having to help the smaller batches of dough stay down in the bowl to get the optimum knead.
      Haussler has another type of mixer, the KA10, of maximum 10 kg capacity that is available with two speed and people claim it does not have this problem. But we have no first hand experience ourselves with this model. I believe it is only slightly more expensive.
      Next to the alpha we also use a Bear Teddy for smaller dough quantities and we really like it too. We would recommend it for anyone who is considering buying a bigger KitchenAid for example and to at least look at this mixer before making a decision.

      Good luck with it!

      Reply
  5. Ritika says

    January 11, 2017 at 10:34

    Hello Weekend Bakery,

    I am Ritika Bakshi from Mumbai – India, a budding home baker.

    I just landed onto your page while searching for a home bakers group in Hague.

    I have a small query and would really be thankful if you can help around.

    My friend is in Hague for 2 weeks and I am looking at buying Callebaut Cocoa Powder from there. Could you guide me as to where can I order online or where can he go buy that?

    Thanks! Good day! 🙂

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      January 15, 2017 at 16:17

      Hello Ritika,
      You will not usually find Callebaut in any supermarket store. You can find it in wholesale (Horeca) stores for food (Hanos, Sligro), where you can buy if you own a company and have a customer card.
      Online maybe this one can be an option: www.nevejan.eu/nl/ca…ebaut.html

      Hope you find what you are looking for.

      Greetings,
      Marieke

      Reply
  6. Alice McIntosh says

    December 22, 2016 at 18:18

    I discovered your website while looking for a stollen recipe last year. I made it and was pleasantly surprised how easy and simple it was compared to others I’ve seen. It was excellent. I have only bought stollen from the stores in the past and they are usually stale. Eating a fluffy, tender, and freshly baked stollen was truly a new experience for me. I am making it again this year. I also just discovered your version of cinnamon rolls. I have never heard or seen cinnamon rolls with pastry cream filling. I live in Canada and cinnamon rolls in North America are just filled with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon plus raisins and/or nuts. I will try yours very soon.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 27, 2016 at 21:57

      Hi Alice,
      Thank you for your wonderful comment. Your experience reflects ours from the past, very recognizable. If you want to try a fun and different version of the stollen, you could also give this recipe a try (we love it): www.weekendbakery.com/posts…en-bollen/
      We have a feeling you will like the cream filled version of the cinnamon rolls too. Let us know!

      Greetings from Holland,

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  7. niels hinse says

    December 11, 2016 at 15:37

    Beste Ed & Marieke,
    Wij zijn voornemens brood te bakken met jongeren die een zo genoemd ‘een achterstand tot de arbeitsmarkt’ hebben. Bij voorkeur 100% natuurlijk brood zonder toevoegingen van niet natuurlijke middelen. Wij gebruiken inderdaad het Dementer meel van Hermus-made.

    Ik dacht aan provinciaal broden van 300 en 600 gr. Hebben jullie een passend recept en tips?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 12, 2016 at 12:50

      Hallo Niels,
      Even een vraag: Willen jullie ook gist gaan gebruiken of desem?

      Marieke

      Reply
  8. Adrian Burke says

    December 9, 2016 at 17:10

    Hi Ed and Marieke
    Just been pointed to your great website and wanted to let you know how great it is. I have books by Andrew Whitley and Emmanual Hadjeandrou and took a course in a bakehouse in Sheffield where I live. I have baked our own bread exclusively for 3 years but always look for more help. Your site is great. Thanks

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 15, 2016 at 21:07

      Thanks very much Adrian, sounds excellent! Great to get baking experience this way.

      Hope to inspire you some with our recipes and tips too.

      Happy baking this Holiday season,

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  9. Barbara Ashland says

    November 27, 2016 at 00:04

    Hi, Can I use a sprouted rye flour for the sourdough starter that is on your website.
    Or, if possible, is there anything different that I need to do to prepare the starter?

    Thank you so much for your help. I love all of your recipes! This is my first time attempting to make a sourdough starter.
    Barbara

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      December 1, 2016 at 13:25

      Hello Barbara,
      Thank you so much. We would advice to use ‘regular’ whole rye flour (we use organic if possible) because the sprouted version is often used as a bread enhancer and has certain enzymatic properties, we think would not combine well with this process.

      Good luck with the starter and enjoy the bread baking!

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  10. Lida Wegkamp says

    November 26, 2016 at 23:15

    Hallo Marieke

    Het recept van de muesli bollletjes heb je dat ook in het Nederlands? Ik kan het Engels niet alles begrijpen maar ik wil het graag een keer bakken.

    Muesli zelf wil ik ook nog keer maken.

    Groetjes Lida Wegkamp

    Ps weet je al wat meer over jullie bakblikken nr 24 ?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 29, 2016 at 09:31

      Hallo Lida,
      We zijn bezig om recepten te vertalen, maar dat kost wat tijd en dat is onze uitdaging op het moment.

      We sturen je nog even een mail over de rest!

      Marieke

      Reply
  11. Sara says

    November 20, 2016 at 22:09

    Wat een super site hebben jullie, ik wil heel graag van alles maken maar met de hand is het niet altijd makkelijk.
    Waar en wat kan ik het beste kopen als mixer voor brood?
    Mvg
    Sara Broekhuis

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 27, 2016 at 16:17

      Dankjewel Sara,
      Dat is niet even zo te beantwoorden. Het is heel goed om met de hand te beginnen, een gevoel voor het deeg te krijgen. Wij hebben twee kneedmachines die wij naast onze handen ook veel gebruiken, vooral voor grotere hoeveelheden. Maar heel belangrijk is eerst te weten hoeveel je bakt (hoeveel deeg maak je in 1 keer) en wat je budget ongeveer is. Kun je dat aangeven?

      Mvg

      Marieke

      Reply
  12. M.D. says

    November 3, 2016 at 01:59

    Hi,
    I really like your site, I have recently become very interested in baking my own bread and creating a ssourdough starter hopefully that I may use for my future baking. I have made several attempts to create the rye sour dough starter from your site, I think I finally got it to double triple in size on day 7. I have placed my starter in the refrigerator it has been approximately 12 days, when I checked my starter it had a greyish film on top, I decided to try and save it so I carefully removed the top layer first (about half the contents) and then completely removed the rest of the starter from the jar, I washed it well, then placed the starter back in the jar and then replaced what I removed with water and rye flour.
    My question is, is this the right thing to do or should I have just thrown it out and started all over again? I won’t know until tomorrow yet if the starter will become active again and double in size.

    Thank you
    MD

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      November 10, 2016 at 20:28

      Hello MD,
      We have not really seen a greyish film on a rye starter, there is such a thing as ‘hooch’ a light liquid on top of a culture mainly seen on when using wheat. We say, trust your own eyes and ears. You did well removing the film as long as it smelled OK and looked OK. If you notice any signs of fluffy stuff and strange colors on your culture. Something moved in that does not belong. Throw it away and start again as always our advice!

      Good luck with it!

      Reply
  13. Sandra Stoop says

    October 23, 2016 at 14:09

    Hei Ed en Marieke,… ik kom maar gelijk met de deur in huis vallen. Is het mogelijk om bij jullie gedurende 3 weken voltijd een soort van opleiding te volgen om brood te leren bakken?? dit ivm een bakkerijtje wat ik wil gaan beginnen hier in Noorwegen waar ik woon…. nu snap ik dat dit niet wil zeggen dat ik dan gelijk een bakker ben… maar ben natuurlijk graag bereid om vaker langs te komen… maar ik kan nu alleen omdat ik een baan heb en dan mijnvakantiedagen hiervoor kan opnemen.
    Ik zou dan graag bv. 2 a 3 broden willen bakken, bv baguettes, croissants, en bv witte en bruine en krentenbollen. Is dit mogelijk?
    Ik hoop heel spoedig van jullie te horen….
    een warme groet,
    Sandra Stoop

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 25, 2016 at 20:11

      Hoi Sandra,
      Leuk te horen over je plannen in Noorwegen! We hebben even contact via de mail…

      Marieke

      Reply
  14. Anita says

    October 23, 2016 at 13:42

    Ha Ed en Marieke,

    Wat hebben jullie toch geweldig goede recepten!
    Dank voor het delen en goede uitleg!
    Ga vandaag voor de eerste keer jullie roze koeken maken, ben benieuwd!
    Mis alleen in het recept wanneer het vanille extract toegevoegd moet worden😉

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 25, 2016 at 20:13

      Hallo Anita,
      Dankjewel! Wat leuk te horen. Dank ook voor je opmerkzaamheid, we hebben het meteen even aangepast in het recept.

      Nog heel veel bakplezier,

      Marieke & Ed

      Reply
  15. star says

    October 11, 2016 at 16:50

    how do i get my sourdough of einkorn flour rise

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 16, 2016 at 22:03

      We do not have specific experience with einkorn. Maybe another baker reading this has…

      Reply
  16. berti peeters says

    October 11, 2016 at 13:26

    hai ed en marieke

    hebben jullie wel eens overwogen een nederlandstalig desemboek/ brood boek op de markt te brengen??? 🙂
    in het engels is er genoeg “vakliteratuur” maar in nederland mag er best nog wat gebeuren…

    warme groet
    berti

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 14, 2016 at 22:58

      Hallo Berti,
      Dank voor je suggestie. Ja, we laten onze gedachten er wel eens over gaan, maar we willen wel een heel origineel idee hebben als we dat doen (en voldoende tijd om het uit te voeren). Het moet inderdaad echt iets toevoegen. Wie weet…

      Alvast een mooi (bak) weekend!

      Ed en Marieke

      Reply
  17. Nancy Ho says

    October 11, 2016 at 09:00

    LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!
    HAVE BEEN BAKING WITH YOUR PAIN RUSTIQUE RECIPE SINCE LAST YEAR. TOOK A TRIP TO AMSTERDAM AND HAD DISCOVERED BREAD THERE IS WITH EXCELLENT TASTE AND TEXTURE. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANY BREAD BAKING COURSE (1-2 WEEKS) COULD BE RECOMMENDED IN AMSTERDAM.

    THANK YOU

    NANCY

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 14, 2016 at 22:05

      Hi Nancy,
      Thank you so much! We do have a list of addresses offering workshops in Holland. See: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…en-volgen/
      Maybe Pane Lento in Amsterdam would be a good fit. But most are shorter courses.

      Good luck and happy baking,

      Marieke

      Reply
  18. Cliff says

    October 7, 2016 at 05:09

    Hello, I am following your rye sourdough starter steps. I am on day 4, and it has been bubbling nicely since day 2. Thank you for the very clear and reliable procedure!

    However, I do have a question about the usage pattern once it is fully developed. Say I fed my starter a week ago and stored it in the refrigerator. Now I want to make bread, perhaps your whole wheat levian bread, and feed the rest of the starter for future use. The text of your article seems to suggest I take the old starter out of the refrigerator and immediately use some of it for the levian, and feed the rest for next week. However, in the answer to some of the comments, you seem to suggest a different procedure: take the starter out the day before and feed it, then use some of the newly fed starter for baking and refrigerate the rest for next week. The latter method would start the levian with much more active culture, I think. But which method would you recommend?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 11, 2016 at 19:07

      Hi Cliff,
      Our advice is as follows:
      When you store your culture in the fridge refresh it at least every three weeks (so also if yo are not baking). If it has been left in the fridge for over a week and you want to use it, you need to refresh it first so it will be ready and active the following day. Within less than a week, we indeed use it straight from the fridge and it works well for us, but the method of always refreshing a day in advance will never be wrong.

      Happy sourdough baking!

      Reply
  19. Dave. Leland - says

    September 28, 2016 at 01:41

    I have really enjoyed your website and am making my way through some of your recipes.
    I especially like your approach to sourdough (rye) and not using large quantities of flour to keep the starter going. between uses. Your Pain Rustique has become my standard bread and what I give to others.
    My son, a college kid, has also become enthused about baking. (Along with girls and parties.) What girl can resist a guy (His name is Guy) who cooks and bakes for them.
    Thanks again,
    Dave

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      October 1, 2016 at 12:19

      Hi Dave,
      Thanks for sharing, that is so true! I know from experience many women always get a certain look on their face when they hear I have a husband who loves to cook and bake. And after many years together I still feel so very lucky we can share our enthusiasm for baking and he will never say no to my plan to bake something at ten o’clock in the evening! Sharing your baking knowledge with your kid, also very special. He seems to be a very lucky Guy 😉

      Happy family baking!

      Marieke

      Reply
  20. Wouter says

    September 11, 2016 at 15:38

    Wat n Wonderlike tuisblad!! En al die resepte werk so goed!! Julle website is regtig awsome!!! N Groot Dankie hier uit Suid-Afrika!

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      September 16, 2016 at 00:03

      Hallo Wouter,
      Dank voor je vriendelijke comment. Dat waarderen we enorm! En zo leuk dat we elkaar kunnen begrijpen natuurlijk 🙂

      Heel veel bakplezier in het verre Suid-Afrika en groetjes in Holland,
      Ed en Marieke

      Reply
  21. jessica says

    September 5, 2016 at 21:16

    Hello Ed and Marieke,

    I’m writing to let you know how much your work is appreciated. I stumbled on your site serendipitously. Here’s why:
    I visited Europe this summer with my 13yo daughter for her first visit, spending most of our time in Amsterdam because A. we are Dutch (the maternal side of my family anyway), and B. we loved Amsterdam so much we extended our stay. I have been to Holland several times because my mother, and her whole side of the family, is Dutch, and all live in Holland (Leiden, Delft, Naarden, Zeist…). So we were there to visit her, but also to show my daughter this part of her heritage.
    But back to the bread. Being in Europe reminded me of what real, good sourdough can be. I grew up in San Francisco but no longer live there, and where I live, great artisanal bread is not available. So I came back from our travels determined to make the bread I miss. I started an internet search and yours was the first site I found. Not only a wonderful resource but from Holland and available in Dutch (which is my other goal in addition to sourdough; finally learn Dutch – which is hard to do in the States as there are NO classes; it must all be done as self-study. My mother, sadly, did not speak Dutch to us as children).

    So far my loaves show that I have much to learn. Flavor is good, crust is good, but oven spring is lacking and texture is too tight. I think Im over-proofing (I think my dough temp. is too high. Next purchase is a thermometer). So I continue to experiment

    Thanks for the help,
    Jessica

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      September 11, 2016 at 11:02

      Hallo Jessica,
      We love your story! Thank you so much for sharing. Learning to bake bread is a journey of discovery and it takes some time to get the skills under your belt and get a grip on all the different factors involved. We applaud you for investing in a thermometer, it will be a great help we are sure. There are lots of things we can tell you, and suggestions we can make, but maybe (if you have not seen them before) we can direct you to our top tips, that you can keep in mind as you journey from bake to bake, learning and improving: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…king-tips/
      As you mention oven spring we also want to point out to first take a closer look at points 4 and 7 to start with.

      So nice to read you want to learn Dutch. I know it can be a little bit more of a challenge than it would have been when you where young. I tried to learn a bit of Norwegian the last years and maybe I can help you with this tip. I watched children’s programs, read comic books, like Donald Duck in Norwegian and also tried to read supermarket brochures. Both for the ‘simple’ language used and also for the practicality of it. And it is fun to do.
      The best way is to be in Holland and talk to people of course, but otherwise my tips may be of use.

      Hope you will continue to bake for a long time and maybe get your daughter to join you.

      Lots of loaves & veel bakplezier!

      Groetjes van Marieke en Ed

      Reply
  22. David Burnett says

    August 13, 2016 at 03:11

    When I rolled out my croissant dough and cut 4×4 squares for the danishes/pinwheels the dough shrunk to 4×2, I’m assuming because of the gluten.

    Do you know how I can overcome this?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      August 16, 2016 at 19:50

      Hi David,
      What you have to do is make sure your dough does not stick to the worktop after rolling because it can look longer than it really is. So lift the pieces regularly to see what you are dealing with measurement-wise, let the dough (gluten) relax and roll again to the right size. Next to this it is important to use the right flour and aim for moderate gluten development to avoid having to ‘fight’ the dough too much because it gets too elastic.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
  23. David Swift says

    July 30, 2016 at 17:41

    Ed & Marieke, I just wanna say thanks you.
    you are amazing. thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us.
    I’m exploring your site for days now, and i was starting with “Brioche: The no knead version”. It was my first time baking a bread and my family was amazed. I want to thank you for writing a distinct remarkably recipes.

    I think my next challenge gonna be “Sourdough pain naturel”. It will help to know what proofing basket size should i use.

    Thanks & love from Israel
    yours, David Swift.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      July 30, 2016 at 17:55

      Hello David,
      Thank you very much for your kind comment and for liking our recipes. The pain naturel is a wonderful loaf and lots of fun to make too. For the recipe as described you can use a proofing basket for around 750 grams dough. So a round basket of approx. 19 to 20 cm in diameter or an oval one that is approx 24 x 14 cm. Of course you can also adjust the amount of dough you make to fit your basket if needed. But it does not have to be exact, a basket for 750 grams can also fit 700 or 800 grams of dough for instance.

      Let us know how the pain naturel turns out and happy baking!

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  24. Jon Mettrick says

    July 15, 2016 at 14:59

    Ed and Marieke:

    I am serious about baking. I live in Southern California. I am a retired University Professor who never went to college until 1994 and then degreed in Psychology with a declared breadth in Methodology and Neuroscience.

    I began baking at 20 years old but have been alive for almost 7 decades. When I began baking I owned a bakery along with some friends. Artisan baking was yet to be awarded that name. Back then we made Organic Bread in Santa Cruz using a big Hobart mixer and a deck oven without steam.

    I just bought a Haussler Alpha 2 mixer. is accurate to say my baking ranges from artisan wild yeast to Artisinoid. I would like to correspond please.

    Thanks for your kind attention. I don’t know the norms in your country, but, and I hope I am not being impolite, I share your angst. Yesterday my time zone sucked. I was fixing my air conditioner when I heard about Nice. Once again I share your angst. Being a psychologist can buffer . . . somewhat. REspectfully, Jon Mettrick Riverside Southern California USA

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      July 20, 2016 at 10:03

      Hello Jon,
      Thank you for sharing your story with us. Seems you where there making real bread, when many people where on the path to more and more factory bread. If you want to drop us a line do so via www.weekendbakery.com/contact-us/
      We still use our Alpha with only one speed. We love your word Artisinoid!

      Yes we live in a strange world and try to keep a healthy balance between sympathy and compassion for other people, caring about what goes on in the world and still enjoy our live with friends and family, doing the things we love most, like baking bread of course and sharing it.

      All the best.
      Greetings from Holland,

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  25. Rosie says

    July 4, 2016 at 17:36

    Do you have a recipe for the Dutch crunch or tiger bread. I have had it a couple of times and would love to try it and it seemed you might be a great resource. Thanks and btw I am going to try your brioche today.

    Thanks and love your blog.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      July 10, 2016 at 17:18

      Hello Rosie,
      Thank you for asking. At the moment we do not have a recipe on our website. We can tell you that you can basically make a white loaf. You add the tiger ‘porridge’ just before the final proof. The tiger porridge is made by making a mixture of 75 grams rice flour, 60 grams water, 2 grams instant yeast, 2 grams sugar, 2 grams salt and 4 grams vegetable oil. Combine the ingredients and leave to proof about 1 hour before use. Apply with a brush. (add an extra drop of oil if the mixture is not spreadable, but it needs to be thick). Hope you can maybe already experiment with this.
      We want to add a recipe in the future, but it will be a while before we get to it.

      Happy baking and crunching,

      Marieke

      Reply
  26. Nancy in NJ says

    June 30, 2016 at 17:57

    Dear Ed & Marieke, Thank you so much for this wonderful site. I found it from a link on Amazon.com about making speculaas and can’t wait to try some of your recipes. My love is cookie and pastry baking but I hope to start spending more time with breads too. Also, I live just across the Hudson River from Manhattan where the Dutch were truly the first Europeans to come to America so I’d like to thank you and your countrymen for bringing your love of baking to our shores. Where would we be without you?!

    Nancy

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      July 6, 2016 at 20:57

      Hi Nancy,
      Thank you so, so much. We love it when a bit of our baking culture is still alive and well across the pond. We know a little bit about the history of ‘New Amsterdam’ and Manhattan and it is fascinating to us, especially when it is baking related of course. The most famous is the word cookie, from our Dutch ‘koekje’. But also candy (Kandij), coleslaw (koolsla literally meaning cabbage salad) cruller (krul), snoop (snoepen / eating candy) and waffle (wafel). Walking through the streets of Manhattan can feel vaguely familiar to a Dutch person, not only because of street names, but the whole ‘hustle and bustle’. Until recently we lived in an area called ‘Haarlemmermeer’ here in Holland and to our surprise we found it to also be the name of a lake in Central Park.

      Hope you will enjoy making speculaas and other recipes. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

      Greetings from our tiny country and happy baking!

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  27. David Burnett says

    June 12, 2016 at 22:41

    I have attempted croissants multiple times. I have the outsides perfect, there are distinct layers, but the core never merges to form the honeycomb structure. (I exagerate a little but you can almost unroll the croissant into its original triangle)

    Can you tell me what I am doing wrong? Longer proof?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      June 18, 2016 at 20:57

      Hi David,
      The proofing does play an important role and you should aim for the perfect proof, even if it takes a while longer. From what you tell us we think you might use too much flour when laminating, make sure to keep it to a minimum.

      Good luck with it!

      Reply
  28. Florean says

    June 8, 2016 at 15:15

    Dag superbakkers,

    Ik zou graag het roggebrood met Rozijnen maken zonder zuurdesemen maar wel met een voordeeg (biga of poolish). Welke verhoudingen moet ik hiervoor dan rekenen?

    Groetjes

    F. Uit Gent

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      June 13, 2016 at 16:52

      Hallo Florian,
      Wij hebben dit met dit recept zelf nooit gedaan, maar als we dit zouden doen dan zouden we de hoeveelheden van stap 1 en 2 samenvoegen tot 1 voordeeg en daar een kleine hoeveelheid gist aan toevoegen. Als je dit een nacht wil laten fermenteren, dus rond de 12 uur, dan kun je daar de minuscule hoeveelheid gist van 0.3 gram (ongeveer 1/8 theelepel) aan toevoegen.
      Succes ermee!

      Reply
  29. Cheryl jean says

    June 4, 2016 at 05:26

    I love to cook, we travel to different lands because of work contracts. Learning how to convert things to the USA measures is a challenge. Your formation is most helpful.
    I also convert things to make them G.F., corn free, tapioca free, and even potato starch free, if you have any help in these areas I would be most grateful.
    Thank you for taking time to read & ponder over this reply, request.
    Thank you for your help.
    Cheers,
    Cheryl Jean Email is: sewing_art@ run box.com

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      June 10, 2016 at 09:05

      Hi Cheryl Jean,
      Thanks for your comment. That sounds very adventurous and we understand you can face new baking challenges in each country. We know we would use scales wherever we go, being European of course.
      Our simple but effective baking conversion table might come in handy: www.weekendbakery.com/cooki…nversions/
      The ingredients you mention, we almost do not use them in our baking and only use organic flour for bread baking. But of course it is not such a challenge, knowing where to get them if you live in one place.

      Good luck with your international baking!

      Reply
  30. Sandy Worth says

    May 25, 2016 at 00:04

    Hello and thank you for helping me to become a better baker. My very favourite recipe is your adaption of the Tartine recipe I use it almost daily some times I leave the dough in the bannetone over night in the fridge and bake in the morning and it still works well. I get such good oven Spring and the flavour is great. How do I post you a picture of my beautiful bread ?

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      May 31, 2016 at 19:59

      Hello Sandy,
      Thank you for your wonderful comment. You can share pictures of your loaves here, that would be excellent!
      www.weekendbakery.com/send-…your-loaf/
      Hope to see it soon and wishing you lots of delicious loaves.

      Marieke

      Reply
  31. Ako says

    May 7, 2016 at 10:37

    Hello! I’ve just jumped here from YouTube “stretch and fold”. Your videos are really helpful and I love the BGM you use for your videos. I’ve been a weekend baker for few years and just started to bake with my own sourdough starter since last week. I’m looking forward to watching your new “technique” videos with wonderful BGM.
    Cheers,
    Ako

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      May 11, 2016 at 10:17

      Hello Ako,
      Thank you so much. Seems we have a similar taste in music 🙂

      Happy sourdough baking, hope you will try some of our sourdough recipes.

      Greetings from Holland

      Reply
  32. Steve Perkins says

    May 3, 2016 at 23:47

    I just found your website and love it. How can I purchase one of your lames? I live in the USA.

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      May 4, 2016 at 09:13

      Hi Steve,
      Thank you very much. As for the lame, may we point you to our WKB shop: www.weekendbakery.com/websh…-lame.html
      You can pay with PayPal or CC. Please let us know if you need our help.

      Greetings from Holland

      Reply
  33. Ariane de Roos says

    April 25, 2016 at 13:00

    Ik ben zo blij met jullie prachtige website! Zo sympathiek met de filmpjes en duidelijke instructies en schema’s! Ik maak regelmatig de pain rustique en nu staat er een desembrood te rijzen, de pain naturel. Heb ook al diverse artikelen in jullie webshop gekocht. Heel hartelijk dank voor jullie inspanningen het ons, thuisbakkers, makkelijk te maken. Groetjes van Ariane

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      April 27, 2016 at 19:20

      Hallo Ariane,
      Wat ontzettend leuk dat je dit met ons deelt. Dat waarderen we enorm natuurlijk!
      Blij te lezen dat onze informatie je echt ondersteunt bij het bakken. Ons enthousiasme om te bakken en te delen neemt daarmee alleen maar toe.

      Veel bakplezier en veel mooie broden,

      Ed & Marieke

      Reply
  34. Igor says

    April 23, 2016 at 19:56

    How do you do,
    I’m an amature vegan baker and I’m looking forward to try some of your amazing recipes, tips and techniques! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      April 26, 2016 at 19:43

      Thank you Igor, let us know about your results
      & happy vegan baking!

      Reply
  35. Berti says

    April 20, 2016 at 21:49

    Hai. Ik ben Berti en woon in Eindhoven. Eigenlijk ben ik heel benieuwd waar jullie wonen. Zou vraag in contact komen 🙂 autodidact desembakker en omdat passie delen en bij leren leuk is!

    Reply
    • Weekend Bakers says

      April 23, 2016 at 23:23

      Hallo Berti,
      Op het moment zitten we op een tijdelijke locatie in de gemeente Nieuwkoop. Dat is niet erg dicht bij Eindhoven helaas. We zijn druk met verhuisplannen en het zou zo maar kunnen dat we toch ons wat zuidelijker gaan vestigen. Er gaat een hoop tijd zitten in het zoeken en daarom gaat het bakken soms even naar de tweede plek maar we proberen het toch zo veel mogelijk te doen want we blijven het geweldig vinden.

      Reply
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