Haha Trudy-based on yours and Linda's experiences I can see the headline now: "Artisan bread in 5, fast but deadly method!" virginia-funny you should post that. In searching artisan breads yesterday I came across the Mother Earth website which prompted me to remember how much I liked that magazine when I'd read a copy a year or so ago. I promptly ordered a subscription and am anxiously awaiting the first issue. As far as the method of adding the yeast goes...like skeip said: "Bread isn't like "baking", there is no chemistry, it's yeast, flour, water, salt and flavourings." That's a great thing for me since I get so distracted around this house, I nearly always forget to do something in the order the recipe calls for and so far (knock on wood) I've been lucky to have good results the majority of the time! Robin

LOL, Teresa, you and me. I made my first loaf when I was 7, in the kitchen with Grandma. Let's see, that was 46 years ago.... Everything was mixed and kneaded by hand, but now I just toss everything into the bread machine then bake it in the oven. Somehow, I don't think Grandma would mind, and I still use her recipe. It's just as good as ever. Terri, I made the cheddar beer bread for today's office potluck, it's soft and good: CHEDDAR BEER BREAD 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer 2 tablespoons margarine 2 tablespoons milk 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons yeast 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 8 ounces reduced-fat extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons margarine, melted Grease two (9x5 inch) loaf pans. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm beer slightly. Stir in milk and 2 tablespoons margarine to melt. Pour contents into bread machine pan. Pour in flour. Make a well in the center of the flour, and sprinkle salt onto one side of the mound that forms. Into the well, pour the sugar and yeast. Sprinkle with pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Begin the dough cycle. Meanwhile, slice the cheese into pea-size crumbles. Avoid using shredded cheese, as it may clump. Once the dough forms into a sticky ball, gradually add the cheese crumbles. As the cycle continues and the cheese fully incorporates into the dough, the ball should still be somewhat soft and sticky. If it is too dry, add a bit of milk. When the cycle has completed, punch down the dough, and divide it in half. Place each half into a greased loaf pan, and allow the dough to rise, about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). When the dough has risen, bake for 1 hour, or until the loaves are golden brown and make a hollow sound when thumped. Immediately turn out onto a cooling rack, and brush with melted margarine. Cool completely before cutting. This recipe came from the Bread Machine cookbook that Momto4kids sent me. In spite of the instructions I used a package of pre shredded cheddar and it wasn't low fat, olive oil instead of butter and some Bud Light that was left from a couple of weeks ago when David was here and they were using the pool. I put the cheese in the machine right along with the beer. It could easily be made by hand too, dump everything in the bowl, mix and then knead, just like any other bread. Oh, and my machine has a pre-heat cycle at the start so I don't warm anything up either. Annie

I reckon what happens with thermal shock on the granite is it's the rapid expansion of the hot part. Most slab granite is only 2 cm thick, which means that up and down is an easier way for the stress to go than side to side. But it can't dissipate much up and down if the pot is still there, wood is an insulator, and the heat is pushing out into the cold stone on all sides. Little earthquake :) Granite is crystalline, and rather brittle. Stands to reason it could crack, especially if there are seams of different materials (all the pretty stuff). I know vectors a lot better than geology, but that's what I think is happening. But I've never heard of granite exploding like pyrex! Chloe's Mom, I'm glad you're okay! Melanie, Thanks for explaining why I don't like the new Pyrex. According to Wikipedia European Pyrex is still borosilicate. Hm...

Going to the school might be a fun vacation, but I would suggest already having some breads under your hands before you do it. From what I'm reading in between the lines, other than a fun vacation project, which the KA school would be, and I'm sure you'd learn stuff, you might be happier with a proper culinary school. There are culinary programs in your state (though perhaps not close to where you live). I don't know if they have pastry specialties, but they might have baking as part of the general program. Have you checked if they have bread baking as a specialty? Or if you can take bread courses without enrolling in the whole program? Rather than starting with coursework, however, I really suggest asking around and finding out if there's someone who bakes bread who lives near you who'd be willing to bake with you. Baking bread is really a lot easier than most people believe. A lot of it is experience. Really, go to a food service supply store and buy a fifty pound bag of bread flour and bake your way through it. Be willing to fail. The best bakers have had a "brick" or two show up while they were learning, Use a scale for your ingredients. It's far more accurate than volume. Go through your books and watch some videos. Find recipes by weight with a lot of directions and tips and follow them precisely. Learn how to feel whether a loaf is fully baked by touch and check yourself with a probe thermometer (looking for 195-205°F in general). By the time you've baked your way through the big bag of flour, you might not need any more help. Or you might decide you need to find a great bread bakery that will let you intern more than a school. Or you'll at least feel confident in your abilities to turn out a decent loaf of bread, and have the attention to pay to nuances and tips while you're taking your course to improve on what you know. Whatever you decide on, have fun! I learned from my mother. I'm not an expert, but I love baking bread. :)