I really can’t take credit for this tip at all because I saw it on the Food Network’s Good Eats with Alton Brown. I don’t watch much television at all, but I do try to watch either television or a movie if I have any scrapbooking time without the girls at home. Last week the girls went to their Nana’s and I scrapbooked while I watched this show. I was tickled when I saw that one of the night’s episodes was “Dr. Strangeloaf” and it was all about bread making. This was perfect for me because I got a bread machine for Christmas! While I enjoyed learning all the chemistry behind yeast and the rising process, the best tip I got was how to create your own warm environment. I don’t always have a warm place to let my dough rise (if I’m not using my bread machine). Alton Brown did it this way: he put a shallow pan of very hot water on the bottom rack of the oven and then placed the container of dough on the middle or top rack (just above the water). This allows the dough to rise quickly and stay moist. I used that very trick when I made chicken pesto pizza (which I rave about here), and it worked perfectly!
For more kitchen tips, head over to Tammy’s Recipes!
