Bread Baking Tips and Tricks

* Salt kills yeast, add it with the 2nd cup of flour, not the yeast.
* Yeast can also be killed by hot water, use only lukewarm (110-115 degrees).
* Add liquid ingredients to the yeast then add the dry ingredients.  Make sure all ingredients are room temperature, melted or heated butter will need to be cooled.  Take eggs out of fridge a few hours before you begin.
* The dough is ready when it starts to pull away from the bowl, the dough should be a little sticky, as well as smooth and elastic.  You may end up adding a little more or less flour then the recipe calls for, this is ok.
* The dough has to be greased on all sides with butter before it rises, this will prevent sticking to the bowl. (You can use Pam or non-stick spray)
* You can test yeast by adding a teaspoon of yeast to 1/4 cup warm water with a little sugar dissolved in it.  In 10 min the yeast should have dissolved and become a sludgy, frothy liquid.  If it looks like a gray/brown liquid with no foam it is stale or dead.
* Milk gives bread a more tender crust then water. 
* Basic breads need to be needed for 8-10 minutes, when kneading is complete, use both hands in opposing positions and shape into a ball.  Dough rises best when it has been rounded and smoothed.
* If the room is too cold, it retards the rising.  Ideal temp is 85 degrees. On the lower shelf of the oven place a large shallow pan, pour in boiling water.  Place the covered dough on the shelf above the water.  Remember not to turn on oven until rising dough has been taken out.  You can also place the covered dough next to a hot oven
* Press the dough on the topwith the tips of 2 fingers lightly and quickly about 1/2 inch into the dough, if the impression stays the dough is doubled and ready to be shaped, it the indent disapears quickly, it needs more time, cover and let rise.
* The best pans for bread are light colored metal pans.

Quick bread tips
* Don't overmix the batter.
* A crack in the top of a loaf of quick bread is typical.
* Wrap these breads tightly in plastic wrap or plastic bags. They get better with age.