I just sent a comment/question asking for the flour measurement by weight. When I went back to the recipe I noticed you can switch back and forth between volume and weight, so please disregard previous email. I do have another question, though. Please explain the difference between instant yeast, bread machine yeast, Rapid Rise and plain old yeast in a packet. When do I need to use one versus another? In this application, would bread machine yeast be suitable? Would it affect the dough differently than the instant yeast? Thanks, PJ, for the blog. The pictures are invaluable. I’ve never known how to shape the dough - and now I do! Hi - that the $64,000 question, Elizabeth - and not even the yeast manufacturers can seem to agree, because we've talked to them all! Plain old yeast is active dry yeast; it's yeast dried at a fairly high temperature, so that many of the cells die, and then "encapsulate" the live yeast. That's why you should dissolve active dry yeast in water before using - to wash away the dead cells. Instant yeast and bread machine yeast, as far as I can ascertain, are the same thing. They're dried at a lower temperature, more of the cells remain alive, and thus no proofing is necessary. Rapid Rise seems to be a slightly different creature - though this is where Fleischmann and SAF disagree. Fleischmann claims Rapid Rise is instant yeast - and maybe it is, by their definition. SAF says no. My experience is that Rapid Rise does indeed work quickly - like instant - but unlike instant, it also poops out fairly quickly. You wouldn't want to use Rapid Rise for, say, a no-knead fridge dough, or a long-rise loaf of any kind. My choice is SAF Red - first, last, and always. It's my best friend in the kitchen, AND cheaper than the little supermarket packets, BY FAR. Hope this helps - PJH

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