Aurora, it sounds like you might be adding too much flour to your dough, which is causing it to be dry and not rise well. To ensure you're using the right amount, we recommend either measuring your flour by weight using a scale, or fluffing and sprinkling the flour gently into your measuring cup one spoonful at a time before leveling off with a knife. (Watch this video here.) This will help you measure light cups of flour that weigh about 4 1/4 ounces per cup. If the recipe calls for all-purpose flour, you'll have the best results if you use it instead of bread flour (which requires even more water).

You can use instant and active dry yeast interchangeably--use the setting the recipe calls for regardless of either kind of yeast you use (just avoid using RapidRise Yeast, which only promotes one strong rise). Mix-ins can be added when your machine starts beeping; use a recipe that calls for mix-ins for best results. As for the liquids, eggs and extracts are both considered liquids so put them in the bottom of the bucket. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

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