Hello everyone. I'm new to this list as of today. I've been using
a Westbend ABM for about a year and really enjoy it. My wife, who
does not like to cook anything loves the bread but doesn't like anything
else I cook (but that's another story).
My biggest problem is getting the bread to rise consistently. I've
had several nice ladies help me and we have tried everything. I can
get it done in a most contorted way: I start the yeast in the warm
water and sugar for 30 minutes while I get all ingredients to room
temperature. Then I put everything in the ABM and start a "Basic"
cycle that has a 30 minute warm/rest at the beginning. I then stop
the machine and start it on a "Sweet" cycle. The Sweet cycle has longer
rise periods than the Basic cycle. So I've got the yeast roaring before
starting, all ingredients warm, and long rise periods.
The thing that floors me is that I read so many recipes that say "do
not let the yeast near the water until the knead cycle". Can anyone
please explain to me why you don't want the yeast going as fast as
possible to get the most rise?
TIA,
Tom Greaves