Is my yeast still active? How can I make sure my yeast is active?

It's such a bummer if you make the bread dough and then wait and wait and it doesn't rise. To check if your yeast is still active, sprinkle the yeast into some warm water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit) with a little bit of sugar. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. It should rise and foam up. It’s ready to use! If your yeast doesn’t do that, it’s time to get new yeast. P.S. Store your yeast in the refrigerator or even your freezer so it stays fresh longer.

How to prevent dough from getting dry and crusty while rising?

Cover the bowl and the bread pan with plastic wrap. You can also brush the top of the dough with oil for extra insurance.

Homemade bread doesn't have any preservatives in it like store bought bread, so it will not stay fresh as long. (This is never a problem in our family - it's so delicious, it gets eaten much faster!) Store the bread in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel if you don't want it to get softer. It will last at room temperature for a few days. If you want to keep it fresh longer than 3-4 days, store it in the refrigerator for 7-9 days.

Can you freeze bread?

Yes! Bread freezes really well. Make an extra loaf and freeze it, or, cut half a loaf in half if you have a smaller family. Make sure the bread is wrapped tightly, preferably in multiple layer. Freeze for 1-3 months. Thaw at room temperature. (Remove the bread from the bag/container, wrap it in a towel while thawing, so it absorbs any condensation.)

Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

A Simple Recipe For Homemade Bread

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5 from 9 reviews

An easy homemade bread recipe that always turns out great, uses simple pantry ingredients and makes your house smell amazing. The bread is so fluffy, delicious and is perfect for sandwiches.

Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf of bread 1x
Category: Miscellaneous

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup warm water, (110–115 degrees F)
2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar (or honey)
2 Tablespoons oil (olive oil, avocado, vegetable, etc.) (plus more oil for brushing the bowl)
3 – 3 1/4 cups flour (unbleached all purpose flour or bread flour)
1 teaspoon salt
butter, optional, for brushing on top of bread

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Instructions

Warm up the water until it’s a nice, bath water temperature. Sprinkle in the yeast and half the sugar. Mix it until the yeast and sugar dissolve. The yeast should get foamy within a few minutes.
Pour all the liquid ingredients (water, yeast, sugar and oil) into a large bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.
Add half the flour to the bowl and start on low speed and mix the dough with a dough hook attachment, until the it comes together. Ad the remaining flour and salt, gradually increasing the speed and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
Brush the bowl and coat the dough in a little bit of oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until it doubles in size 30-90 min.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
When the dough has doubled, place the dough on the counter and shape it into a rectangle. It should be about the width of your bread pan. (I use a 9 X 5 inch bread pan.)
Roll it up tightly, starting with the short side and then place it seam side down into a greased loaf pan.
Brush the top of the bread with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and set aside until the dough doubles once again, 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake in the preheated oven for 23-27 minutes.
Take the bread out of the bread pan within 5 minutes and let it cool on a rack. Brush the top of the bread with butter to make it more glossy and to make the crust softer.
Store the bread, wrapped or in a bag, at room temperature, for 3-4 days. Store in the refrigerator if you need it to last 5-9 days. Bread can also be frozen for 1-3 months.

Find it online: https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/autumn-favorites/a-simple-recipe-for-homemade-bread/