tips

While you can't control the weather and humidity level, you can control the amount of added moisture to the flour.

After the first 7-10 minutes of kneading, if your dry to liquid ratio is correct, your dough will be a smooth and pliable ball.

If there is not enough liquid, your dough willbe crumbly and your bread machine may grunt because it's working too hard. Add Liquid 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get a smooth pliable ball of dough.

If there is too much liquid, your dough will not form a ball and will stick to your finger if you touch it. Add bread flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until your dough forms a smooth pliable ball...unless your recipe tells you otherwise. Some bread doughs are meant to be extra sticky early on until the liqiuds have a chance to absorb into the ingredients.

Always Always Always check the yeast to make sure it's not outdated. Many supermarkets sell outdated yeast. Old yeast will make your bread flat and heavy.

If you want to check your jar of yeast to make sure it's good, add 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast to 1/4 cup warm water and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir until dissolved. If this mixture foams to the 1/2 cup mark, your yeast is good.

Too much sugar will also kill your bread. The general rule is no more than 2 Tablespoons yeast per cup of flour. If you bread is an extra sweet one and your bread machine has the "Sugar Blues", youmay try using dough enhancer. (recipe is included at botton)

Check your dough after a couple minutes of kneading to see if you need to use a rubber spatula to push down the ingredients. Some heavier breads such as ones with cornmeal have a tendancy to float on top of the liquids. Again, this on;y happens in some models of bread machines. Some ingredients will just ride up the side of the pan and not get mixed in.

Never use time delay on your bread machine when you are using eggs or milk.

If you don't have a pre-heat cycle on your bread machine (machine sits idle for 10-15 minutes before it starts kneading), make sure your butter is soft and your liquids are lukewarm.

If you are continually having problems with your bread rising in your machine, there could be a variety of problems associated with it. Try this bread dough enhancer to see if this corrects the problem.

1 c Lecithin granules
1 tb Vitamin C powder
1 tb Ginger, ground

Mix all ingredients and store in tightly closed glass jar.
Add to breadmaker in amount equal to yeast with other dry ingredients.
The ginger kicks the yeast in the butt and makes it act more swiftly, the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) strengthens the gluten, and the lecithin aids the oil in causing the strands of gluten to slip against each other more easily and gives the bread rise better.


	_Deep Frying Tips Use any brand of vegetable shortening or cooking oil (not olive oil, butter or margarine) and a temperature of 375º. This allows whatever you're frying to get crispy without absorbing too much oil. If your deep fryer doesn't have a temperature indicator, you can test it using a candy thermometer or by dropping a cube of crustless white bread in the oil. It should be golden brown in about 60 seconds. While frying, don't crowd foods or the temperature will drop and the food will absorb more oil. Be sure to use the right amount of oil with the brand of deep fryer you are using. Too little oil ...food won't cook properly. Too much oil...may bubble over when food is added. It's always best to pat dry the foods you are frying before you bread them. If you don't, foods will be soggy instead of crispy and crunchy. Make sure foods are completely coated to keep the food moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. You can reuse your oil if you strain it through cheesecloth after it's completely cooled. Canola works best with this process as it doesn't retain the flavor of the food you are frying as mush as some other oils.
	Bread Making Tips While you can't control the weather and humidity level, you can control the amount of added moisture to the flour. After the first 7-10 minutes of kneading, if your dry to liquid ratio is correct, your dough will be a smooth and pliable ball. If there is not enough liquid, your dough willbe crumbly and your bread machine may grunt because it's working too hard. Add Liquid 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get a smooth pliable ball of dough. If there is too much liquid, your dough will not form a ball and will stick to your finger if you touch it. Add bread flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until your dough forms a smooth pliable ball...unless your recipe tells you otherwise. Some bread doughs are meant to be extra sticky early on until the liqiuds have a chance to absorb into the ingredients. Always Always Always check the yeast to make sure it's not outdated. Many supermarkets sell outdated yeast. Old yeast will make your bread flat and heavy. If you want to check your jar of yeast to make sure it's good, add 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast to 1/4 cup warm water and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir until dissolved. If this mixture foams to the 1/2 cup mark, your yeast is good. Too much sugar will also kill your bread. The general rule is no more than 2 Tablespoons yeast per cup of flour. If you bread is an extra sweet one and your bread machine has the "Sugar Blues", youmay try using dough enhancer. (recipe is included at botton) Check your dough after a couple minutes of kneading to see if you need to use a rubber spatula to push down the ingredients. Some heavier breads such as ones with cornmeal have a tendancy to float on top of the liquids. Again, this on;y happens in some models of bread machines. Some ingredients will just ride up the side of the pan and not get mixed in. Never use time delay on your bread machine when you are using eggs or milk. If you don't have a pre-heat cycle on your bread machine (machine sits idle for 10-15 minutes before it starts kneading), make sure your butter is soft and your liquids are lukewarm. If you are continually having problems with your bread rising in your machine, there could be a variety of problems associated with it. Try this bread dough enhancer to see if this corrects the problem. 1 c Lecithin granules 1 tb Vitamin C powder 1 tb Ginger, ground Mix all ingredients and store in tightly closed glass jar. Add to breadmaker in amount equal to yeast with other dry ingredients. The ginger kicks the yeast in the butt and makes it act more swiftly, the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) strengthens the gluten, and the lecithin aids the oil in causing the strands of gluten to slip against each other more easily and gives the bread rise better.