Thank you, Linda. Now, for the yeast cake, does that mean that it doesn't matter which size I use for the recipe? And can I use regular yeast instead? If so, how much? I will have to cut the recipe down to make anyway, as I will have to use the KA to mix it and knead it some. I don't have the strength in my hands and arms to do by hand. Darn arthritis anyway! Tami

Yeast bread is a many wondrous thing..... I agree, cake yeast may be the key, but it's nearly impossible to find these days unless you can find a place of business that uses it and they are willing to sell you some. Most restaurants and bakeries use SAF-Instant yeast around here for their fresh breads because that's what is available from the restaurant supply store. Active Dry Yeast and Instant Dry Yeast brands don't have the same yeasty flavor that Fresh Cake Yeast has. Restaurants could also be using recipes where they have more yeast in them to make rolls faster. I have used a recipe from "Whole Wheat Cookery - Treasures from the Wheat Bin" by Howard and Anna Ruth Beck for 30-Minute Hamburger Buns, which is a good example of this method. It uses 6 T. of yeast for 10-1/2 cups of flour, and it literally takes you 10-minutes to mix and knead the dough and then you form the buns (eliminate the first rise), 10-minutes to let the formed buns rise, and 10-minutes to bake them. They DO taste yeasty, but it's not the "best" bread recipe, but it works when you need rolls or buns quickly. This type of recipe makes sense for a restaurant who may need fresh rolls quickly. You could switch to recipes from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoe Francois - where the dough is quickly mixed by hand, allowed to rise and then stored in the refrigerator and see if you like the flavor of those breads. Pizza dough is refrigerated in most places, where it has time to develop flavor. If dough is frozen first, it has more yeast in the dough than a regular recipe will because a percentage of yeast dies when frozen, so more is used in order to have it rise when thawed. A good recipe designed for freezer dough will have more yeast in the recipe. When dough is refrigerated (aka retarding the dough) bacteria produce wonderfully tasty acids in the cool temperatures. The cold forces the yeast into dormancy so it's not consuming the available sugars. Now the bacteria can feed and produce flavorful acids. You may even find a difference in flavor of your yeast breads if you have a cold kitchen temperature in the winter, and the dough takes longer to rise, than in the much warmer summertime kitchen. There are also tradeoffs from retarding the dough - it reduces ovenspring and loaf volume. Chilling the dough also influences the texture of the dough and you will get a slightly more open texture. A little tip if you use an overnight chilling method. After chilling, you can dissolve a little yeast (1/2 t.) in a few tablespoons of warm water and knead this into the dough before shaping. This will help compensate for the reduced volume. For every rule there is for making yeast breads, there are exceptions, and it's often the exceptions that make a great deal of difference. -Grainlady

Another "palm-er" here. Once you recognize certain things, like less yeast, more time, equals better tasting bread. more yeast equals quicker bread...but not as developed a flavor. 2/3 of a cup of liquid will make one loaf big enough for bread for dinner for 4 and a couple of slices for morning toast. Back when I made 8 to 10 loaves of bread every week, I would startw ith a quart and a half of liquid....milk, beer, water. Then add sweetener, honey, molasses, sugar, brown sugar, sorghum and 2 1/2 teaspoonsful of salt. Then I can add upo to 2 cups of "extras"...like blue cornmeal, buckwheat, rye flour, kasha, oat bran, 7 grain cereal, Malt o Meal... And some dry milk of it want it to toast well and maybe butter for flavor, or oil for keeping qualities, maybe an egg or 2 if I want to add richness. Then add white flour until it's "kneadable", and knead it until your arms fall off and your hands get numb, let rise until double, punch down and fold, allow to rise again and shape, rsie and bake. But if I want fresh bread NOW...I mix 3 3/4 cups of flour ( up to 1/2 a cup whole wheat if I wish) a "palm" of yeast ( about 2 1/2 teaspoons), 1/2 a palm of salt ( 1 1/2 teaspoons), into the FP, let it run to mix and slowly add 1 1/3 cups of cold water. Run the processor until the dough feels warm but not hot, dump onto a floured board. Put a 2 cup measure of water into the micro and bring it to a boil. Shape the dough into 2 baguettes or batons, place on parchment and put into the warm micro. It should rise in about 30 to 40 minutes.... Preheat the oven to 375, place the parchment with the risen bread onto a cookie sheet ( warmish....not icy cold from my cold cupboard), shash the loaves, top with egg wash and seeds if you wish and bake... About 1 1/2 hours start to finish. All the same yeast... Linda C

Happs: Like someone said before, " do not get too tech, just do it ". In my Pizza place I bought Bread flour and one pound packs of Yeast. Now I use a different recipe, AP flour and some WW Flour, with Active Dry Yeast The difference in time is negligible ( for me ). I make Prebaked Dough and freeze or use it fresh. You can Google : " Lou-s Pizza Dough " and go down to the, Garden Web Post, To get more info. ************************************ Here is my recipe. An alterative to baking on a stone is to use pans. A 12 inch round pizza will take from 8 to 12 ounces of dough. According to thickness you want. After the dough is made weigh it out and roll into balls. Oil the pans and place a dough ball in the pan , smooth side up and flatten slightly, working the dough towards the side of the pan, with the palms. Then let it rest a few minutes. Repeat this every so often until the dough reaches the side and up, enough for a crust about one half inch. Let it raise slightly , pinch the dough all over, with a fork and put into the oven to bake at 400 deg. If it bubbles while baking pinch it with a fork again. When light tan specks show ,take them out onto a rack to cool fast. Then you can use them right away or freeze , to use later. When baking the Pizza, place the Pre Baked dough back in the oiled pan , Or cook on your Stone. Put a latel of sauce on the dough and swish it around, sprinkle some Parmesan or Romano , put it in the oven for a few minutes. Take it out and spread the topping of your choice and the Cheese Topping. A good topping cheese is a mixture of Mozzarella and Provolone chopped and mixed. The provolone gives it a good flavor and doesn't get like rubber when it cools. I use all Provolone. A little trick for baking. Keep a cup of water and brush handy, to baste parts that are cooking too fast. If you can get new metal pans, (uncoated) they have to be cured in the oven, so they won't stick. Coat them with oil and bake them for at least 6 hours. Never clean them with soap and water. Just rinse with water & wipe with a paper towel. Dough recipe: 1 cup of warm water (not hot) 1 Package of Active Dry yeast 1 tablesp sugar ,in a half cup of warm water Quarter Cup of Veg. Oil 1 teasp.Salt About 3 1/2 cups Flour half cup of Whole Wheat flour or up to 1 cup Place in a mixing bowl, the Water, 1 cup of flour, wheat flour , yeast if risen Add the oil and salt and more flour. Add enough flour to make a soft ball of dough, that doesn't stick to your hands. Knead until smooth. Put it back in the bowl , Smooth side up and Rub on some Veg. Oil Cover and set in a warm place to rise until it doubles in bulk. I put it in a warm oven, Covered with a damp towel. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf It will rise in about 1 hour. When doubled, punch it down and knead it well. Divide into Balls , about 11 to 12 ounces and place in oiled pans. 12" round Dough should be about three sixteenth thick on the bottom and about half inch around the edge. For Sicilian Pizza , I used most of the dough in a 11" X 16" pan Follow the previous instructions. Good luck, Lou