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A week ago, i shared some bread baking tips in my post, Let's Break Bread .  (I would read that post before reading this one, if you haven't already.)  From that post arose some questions about the use of Rapid Rise/Bread machine yeast, and about the benefit (or lack) of rolling out and rolling up the dough to make loaves.  So i thought i would do a little experiment and see about it. Question #1:   Will it work o.k. to treat Rapid Rise yeast the same as Active Dry yeast in a recipe calling for Active Dry yeast?  Almost every bread recipe instructs to allow the dough to rise "until doubled" after kneading.  This is the "first rise," and it usually takes close to 1 1/2 hours at my house (with active dry yeast).  Today, i used rapid rise yeast, and instead of allowing it to "rest," as is directed by the package and other sources i have read, i allowed it to rise until doubled. Here it is right after kneading.  After 30 minutes.  After 45...

Let me start by saying that i am NOT an expert in bread-making.  I like to make bread, and my husband likes me to make bread, and i have messed up a lot of bread.  Also i have done a lot of reading and experimenting to learn how to stop messing up the bread. This i will share with you. Today i made basic white bread from a very old Betty Crocker cook book, and i took pictures for you. Every yeast bread recipe made with kneaded dough has certain elements to it, and the following very few tips can be used with any of them......no matter what the recipe says you should do. Tip #1, Take Your Temperature :  The recipe will tell you to take a liquid, usually water or milk, and dissolve the yeast in it.  Usually the recipe says something like "warm water," or "almost hot to the touch," or something else i can't properly decipher with my finger tips.  So i use a wonderful modern invention called a thermometer.   The two types of yeast readily available in th...