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Thanks for your reply Sand, yes I was referring to other sites, particularly allrecipes. I wanted to filter out the bread machine recipes so thank you (I didn't realize 'yeast breads' would accomplish that ), I am still fairly new to cooking and baking lol.

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Maybe you could help me with something else... I want to try a recipe but here is the first step...

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# In a small bowl if using a bread machine, or in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix a 1/3 cup of the warm water (105-115 degrees) with the yeast and let stand until foamy.

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Is there any way make this without a bread machine or a standing mixer with dough hook. I do have a handheld electric mixer.

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I think this is just written funny - the author got lazy. You don't need the dough hook - or an electric mixer - to get the yeast and water mixed.

- If you're using a bread machine, the author wants you to mix the water and yeast together, let it stand, then dump it in the machine. Thus the "small bowl" instruction.

- If you're not using a bread machine, it sounds like the author wants you to mix the water and yeast in the bowl you're going to use to make the bread, so you need a bigger bowl - whatever bowl you're going to put everything else in. The rest of the recipe should involve you dumping flour, salt, whaever, into the yeast mixture.

The dough hook attachment on a standing electric mixer does the ingredient mixing (and maybe the kneading - I'm not real clear on that) but you don't need it.

Since you're not using a dough hook, ignore all the electrix mixer stuff. All you need to do is get the water and yeast mixed - put them in a bowl, give them a quick stir, and leave them alone until they get foamy. Then proceed as the recipe directs using a spoon (preferably wooden) to get the flour, etc., mixed into the yeast/water mixture until it forms a dough. This is actually a pretty definite event - all of sudden you've got a mass of dough instead of little globs of flour everywhere. Once the dough is formed, you knead by hand.

Here are a couple of nice tutorials on how to knead:

web page (this also has a tutorial on making bread in general)
web page

It's great exercise for the arms and shoulders.

Have fun. Do let us know how this comes out.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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