Making home made bread

Bread making is about as old as history itself. There is a science to it. You sort of have to know that certain things are catalysts and other things are just plain important.

Make sure your yeast is fresh. Avoid a disaster by checking the back of the yeast packet. There is an expiration date plainly printed on it.
Yeast is what makes a yeast bread rise. It is combined with warm water and that causes the yeast to grow and multiply rapidly. Another thing that helps it grow is sugar. Yeast loves sugar. The biproduct of yeast fermentation is carbon dioxide which gets caught in the bread substance and makes bubbles that rise upward causing your dough to rise.

When you add water to flour you get the proteins glutanin and gliadin which combine to form gluten, a protein that makes a sort of web through the dough and catches the air bubbles from fermenting yeasts.

Depending on what type of flour you use, your bread will have different texture, color, and flavors. If you use a whole grain flour, remember to also add all purpose flour, as that is where the gluten is that makes the web to trap the CO2 bubbles that makes the bread rise.

Water gives the bread a crispier crust. Milk will give it a finer texture. Oil, butter, and other fats added to the bread give it flavor and moistness. Eggs can be added to breads to give it a delicious flavor.

Salt is added to a yeast bread recipe because yeast can and will become over zealous, and the dough will over rise. It also adds flavor to bread.

If you are planning to add seeds to the top of your bread, you have to have something to stick it to the crust. And egg yolk glaze works well. It gives the bread a shiny and golden crust as well.

The important thing is to know why you use the basics that go into a loaf of bread. Otherwise, you may court disaster.

Kneading the dough is one of the most important parts of breadmaking.
Kneading does three crucial things for bread: it distributes the yeast and other ingredients evenly and thoroughly, it develops the gluten in the dough, and it introduces air. The gluten, or wheat protein, is what enables the dough to stretch instead of collapsing when the yeast grows inside it. If the gluten isn't developed, the dough won't rise well and will produce a heavy loaf - rather like a brick. (So THAT'S why we had our doorstop in Texas.. yeah.. )

Now, don't you feel smart?!

COFFEE POT

This morning I made coffee.. my coffee pot is not old..but it is an inexpensive one. It made coffee, and that's the point of it. Except that every day when I put the coffee on, it took a few minutes longer for it to brew. I hear you all saying.. 'when's the last time you cleaned that pot..?? ran some vinegar through it??'.. well, not long ago when it first started slowing down.
This morning was the last straw.. I waited 40 minutes for it to fill halfway, and then it went on from there. I pulled my first cup from the half pot. Wendell and I had been planning to get a new one when we move- one with features I wanted and that made the coffee quickly and efficiently. So I went looking today. I didn't get the brand I'd been hoping for, but I did get one with the features I wanted.. like a timer set for 8am. Now when I get up at 8:30am, the coffee will be made. I tried this new pot out tonite- 10 minutes from start to finish! AMEN.
I also like the shutdown feature.. after 2 hours, it automatically shuts itself off. WOW! No more worrying if I turned the pot off.
It also has the interruption feature.. I can pull the pot out and fill my cup mid brew cycle if I want, and no coffee is spilled anywhere!
I like the little fabric basket that came with it too. If I run out of filters, no problem!
Simple operation, fast brewing, and the coffee tonite was stress-free and delicious!
The price was right too...not on sale, but not really expensive either.. I love it! and we now have our first small appliance for our new place.