Okay, I am not a new bride or a young cook but I am inexperienced in many
ways. Recently, I posted some questions about bread baking and got some
wonderful responses from folks on this group. The thing is, most of y'all
are experienced cooks (which is greatly appreciated) and assume a higher
level of knowledge than us beginners.

Here is what I have learned about making bread being shared for other
beginners.

Simplicity in ingredients is better. It is tempting to buy flour labeled
just for bread, etc. but the good bakers always use 'all-purpose' flour. It
is dirt cheap in 30 pound bags. If you go for large quantities, depending
on your environment, store it in air tight plastic containers. It is very
humid where I live and it keeps better this way.

I have bought expensive yeast (3 packages for almost two bucks) and yeast by
the pound at Sam's. I took the Sam's yeast and stored it in an airtight
container in the freezer. It is just as good as the expensive stuff and I
can't imagine having to buy any more in the near future.

Proofing yeast is a good thing. It is a sin and a shame to go through the
motions of making a dough and not having it rise. This happened to me a
couple of times before I got the bulk yeast at Sam's. To proof yeast, add
it to some warm water with a touch of sugar and wait for it to show signs of
life (i.e. bubbles).

I am not a precise cook and like to try different things and various
substitutions. This is great for soups and stews. When making bread, a
sense of adventure is good but must be undertaken with great discipline.
After a complete disaster, I was still convinced I could add steel cut
grains to some breads for texture. It worked but I began adding them 1 tbsp
at a time to find out the threshold.

Good dough is easily recognizable but difficult to explain. The best
example I can come up with is play dough an hour out of the jar. You can
still make things with it but it is a little dryer than fresh play dough. I
have also learned that different breads do have different textures of dough.

My hands love me when I make bread. I coat generously with olive oil before
playing with dough.

Making bread is not nearly the mess and trouble non-bakers think. I will
typically begin a recipe, and then set to rise. If you 'clean as you go',
life is sweet at the end of the day.

I thought that things like a bread stone or tile was just silly but I bought
one at Bed Bath and Beyond on a whim. It is a good thing. So many times,
my bread would burn or become dry on the top before the bottom was done.
The bread stone takes care of this issue.

Various cookbooks talk about the initial 'bloom' of a dough once it is put
in the oven. Using a squirt bottle made my oven lose heat too quickly and
thus the upper element came on and burned the top of my bread. What I do
now is preheat the oven 25 degrees higher than is called for and add a
couple of ice cubes just before putting in the bread. One day I might get a
better oven but this is working for me.

When adding things for flavor, if possible, go for small amounts of strong
flavors. For instance, adding sharp white cheddar or parmesan cheese is
better than adding twice as much mild cheese. I add these extra ingredients
right before baking. I roll the dough out with a rolling pin and then add
these ingredients and then roll into loaves. This works better than adding
too much of a milder ingredient.

I am such an excited new bread baker. I sincerely hope that those with
more experience will correct any of my errors.

j