Bread Making Tips

Let me be the first to admit that I am not that great at making bread. I have had more failures than successes, but it has taught me a lot, so I thought I'd pass it on to any other non-successful bread-makers out there so at least you don't repeat the same mistakes I have already made. Oh, and I don't use a bread machine, so if you do, this probably doesn't all apply.

1.) Bring your ingredients to room temperature. This is especially important for the yeast! I keep mine in the fridge and I know others who keep their yeast in the fridge or freezer. It's also good for the eggs and the flour, but not as vital as with the yeast. (I keep whole wheat flour in the freezer as well.)
2.) The right temperature of "warm water" to activate your yeast is just like making a baby bottle - test it on your wrist. If you can close your eyes and place a drop on your wrist and not feel it, you've got the right temperature. Too hot kills the yeast and too cool won't activate it. (this is why it's important to bring it to room temp too - don't want to shock the little fellas)
3.) Use plastic or glass when activating your yeast and when letting your dough rise - I'm sure there's a technical reason why, but it just works better than a metal bowl.
4.) Plan to be home for at least 3 consecutive hours. You won't be busy the whole 3 hours, but you do need to be there. Timing is important. (I say 3 hours because in general you have 30 min prep, 1 hour 1st rising, 1 hr 2nd rising, and 30 min baking, give or take.)
5.) Laundry day is a good day for bread making. The warm, humid laundry area is a great place for your bread to rise - just don't set it on a wobbly machine.
6.) Don't knead in too much flour - it can make your bread harder to rise and taste too "flour-y." Stick pretty close to the recipe til you are familiar with how the bread feels during kneading compared to how it turns out after baking - then you'll know just when to stop adding extra flour when you knead.
7.) Cover LOOSELY with sprayed plastic wrap, not just a towel. It keeps the dough from drying out as it rises. (And you can see how the bread is doing at a glance)

I'm sure some of this is "Duh" and some of it is probably wrong, but... that's what I've learned so far. I thought of this last night as I was making Sweet Rolls for YW.. they came out successfully enough that none of the rolls may actually make it to the activity tonight! Hooray for learning!