Hi Cindy,

>> I never had very good luck making bread by hand.  I think it was
>> because I probably used too much flour and had too stiff a dough.

> Flour is tricky. I've a Kitchen Aid(TM).

Those are the greatest mixers in the world, aren't they? :)  This year, I
had to replace the first one I bought long long ago, when one of the gears
died (that should give you an idea of how old it was, those machines are
built like tanks :) :) )

> The bread hook does all the
> kneading for me though my sister says ten minutes is how long she does
> it for. They give a much shorter kneading time. I think it depends on
> the kind of flour. Heavier flours (whole wheat) need more kneading.
> Less gluten in them I think is why.

:) just the opposite.. whole wheat flours have more gluten in them, but
you need to kneed them longer to develop the gluten.

> I've always had bad luck with the
> wheat breads so make it half and half (unbleached white to whole
> wheat) and it comes out better though doesn't rise very well.

Yes, for flours that are labled "Bread Flour" need 10 minutes
kneading by hand, so that the gluten had time to develop. With a less
powerful mixer like a SunBeam (yes, I beat one of those into the  ground
years ago ) you'd go the whole 10 minutes, typically.  With a
Kitchenaid 5 or 6 qt. mixer, about 5 minutes is right for Bread Flour..
I've now got that monster Kitchenaid "The professional" and that
sucker does several loaves of bread dough using Bread Flour in about 3
minutes .

For any type of flour, and any type of mixer, you can tell when you've
kneeded it enough by taking lifting the ball of dough in your hands, and
running your finger over dough.. if you see airbubbles interspersed in the
dough where you run your finger across it, it's done .

> The trick to the flour is to add onlly as much as until the dough is
> only slightly sticky. Put pan of boiling water on bottom rack in
> warmed oven too, this provides moisture during rising.

That does help with the rising.. Using more yeast will make the dough rise
faster when you're in a rush, but if you use WAY too much, your bread will
taste very "yeasty".. I use my microwave to proof bread since it
has powersettings from 1% to 100%. I put a two cup containter of water in
it first, and bring that to a boil on 100% power.. then I put the dough in,
and microwave the dough for about 5 minutes on power -1- (one) It's very
immportant that it's only set to one, or you'll cook the dough :) :) After
5 minutes, I turn the dough over and microwave it for another 5 minutes on
power-setting one.. voila, it's done 

> I tried using a bit more yeast and at tad of sugar in it too. I found
> out from an online tip site if you wait til the yeast is all foamy ,
> it's spent! ah ha! So proof for only three minutes. But still the
> elevation here in Texas is such that yeast has harder time. That's why
> I guess flat breads are more popular in flat countries ! :)

Don't put sugar in unless you think the yeast is old or dead, and really
just to test it.. when you put sugar in, you are feeding the yeast and yes,
it will be spent before it gets added to the dough.  A tiny pinch of sugar
is really ok, but you have to be careful how much you add.

>> I got a small bread machine last year, and, contrary to advice, I
>> decided to use only whole grain flours in it.  I found that even

I can't eat whole wheat flour type breads (they kill my guts!) so I don't use them.

>> though it was a bit heavy, it was always very tasty.  After a little
>> experimenting, I found that if I doubled the quantity of fast-acting
>> yeast called for, I got pretty decent results.
> It's usually one packet or 2 1/4 tsp from the jarred yeast, per
> loaf IIRC. (per 3-5 cups flour). When I make my half whole/white wheat
> bread again I'm going to try putting  an egg in and see if that helps
> with the rising. SO many things can kill it y'know? Cold drafts, too
> much salt, too much sugar, too much flour. The salt is another thing!
> It's supposed to keep the yeast in check. Well here we don't need no
> checkin' .. poor yeast needs all the help it can get! So Next time I'm
> going to cut back on the salt. (It does add to flavor so maybe not a g
> good idea to leave it out entirely.)

Do you live in the mountains? :)  Yes, if you are in a high altitude area,
your proofig (raising) time should be lower because yeast breads raise
faster there. A good hint would be to let it rise until just doubled in
bulk.  That way you don't spend all the yeast.

Take care,
Janis

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