A couple of points. First of all, a packet of yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoons. Yeast actually doesn't have to be precisely measured. You can use more--if you like a yeasty taste to your baked goods and want a shorter rising time. You can use less, and let your dough rise longer. As to the instant/regular yeast. I've seen experts on both sides of the fence--I've seen bread baking experts say they're the same, and you can use them 1 for 1; I've also seen that they're a little different. In practice? I've used both, and measured the same, and haven't seen any difference in my bread, so go ahead and use the amount the recipe calls for. More importantly, if you're using a bread machine, keep an eye on the process. Monitor the mixing stage so that you know the dough is achieving the proper consistency (so many things affect bread baking, that it's pretty hard to get perfect results UNLESS you adapt the recipe to the conditions of the weather, ingredients, etc.)

I store mine in the freezer, and I use it directly from the freezer. I was surprised at first that this worked, but I've read that because it's granular it pretty much defrosts instantly--kind of like when you need room-temperature butter and all you have is frozen, you can grate it to get it to room temp right away. Apparently it's a surface-area thing.

Oh Renee, I couldn't agree more. I'm tired of being bullied because my view is stated in a different way than another poster's. There is a very small minority who think their recipes or techniques are the be-all/ end-all, "ubiquitous, know-it-all approach with narrow-minded views" of the culinary world. That is when unpleasantness rears its ugly head. When that happens, it is unfair to the whole forum. I for one would have left this thread a few posts ago, especially when I realized that one particular member refused to see the passive/ aggressive nature of their posts, then devolving into personal attacks to other posters. It's difficult to not defend one's integrity when it's called into question. Imagine how you would feel if someone referred to you as condescending, superior, a liar, a know-it-all. I believe that everyone but one person in this thread has agreed to disagree. I, for one, appreciate the beautiful photos many of our talented contributors generously post. It certainly takes additional time on their behalf to photograph the food, choose the appropriate photo for their post, then to share it with everyone. I learn how to plate food to make it look more appealing. I don't find it competitive, I find it encouraging. I think it has given a lot of us in this digital age the impetus to become more artistic, not only in our food preparation, but also in the art of presentation. How is that ever a bad thing? I think the main spirit of this forum is quite pleasant - these kinds of threads are very few and far between. I think that there will be a few of us that will be checking back to make sure no one else is being treated unfairly. Lori

When to add salt… Not only does salt control the yeast and add flavor, it also strengthens and tightens gluten. If you wait to add salt after the gluten has been well-developed, the dough is easier to knead and the gluten develops faster. Once the salt is added, the dough will literally tighten. Adding salt early or late is a choice. It’s usually added early when using the direct dough method just to keep things simple and make dough quickly. If you tend to be forgetful, add it early because bread/pizza crust without salt is at best, insipid. If you want to develop the gluten quickly, add it late during the last minutes of kneading to strengthen the dough, just before it’s set to rise. Just don't add the salt to the proofing water with the yeast/sweetener. That's a place where salt can kill the yeast. If you are using a bread machine you can still choose to add the salt late – wait to add it at the add-in beep. It will be easier on your bread machine since the dough will be less “tight” during kneading. Depending on the type of crumb I want to achieve, I may wait to add the fat AND the salt at the add-in beep. If you add fat early in the mixing it “shortens” the gluten strands and you will get a close, even crumb (better for sandwich-type bread when you need the bread to hold a spread like mayo). By waiting to add fat late in the kneading, you will get a more open and irregular crumb (better for toasting – butter and jam setteling in all those nooks and crannies). You can make the same enriched recipe and add the fat early on one loaf and add the fat late on another loaf, and get different results in the crumb structure and the size of the loaves. The one where it is added early will be smaller/shorter than the loaf where it is added late. Tip if you are adding salt late. The type of salt can make a difference in how well it gets mixed in. If you are adding salt late, DON’T use regular table salt because it doesn’t mix in quickly and won’t get distributed throughout the dough. Choose flaky sea salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt because they blend in faster. Another tip, or rule of thumb: If you are reducing the salt in yeast bread, be sure to reduce the yeast by the same amount. Example: If you reduce the salt by 50%, then reduce the yeast by 50%. If you don’t, you’ll find the dough will proof too rapidly and you could easily over-proof it, especially if you normally use a timer rather than checking the dough. Use a dough-rising bucket so you know by looking when the dough has doubled in bulk. If the dough comes up to the 1-quart line in the dough-rising bucket when you pat it in, when it reaches the 2-quart line you will know it has doubled in bulk. Dough can’t tell time…. It’s more about the strength of the yeast, hydration of the dough, and the ambient temperature that determines how quickly or slowly it takes to rise.