One of the biggest make or break ingredients when it comes to your breadmaker bread - or any bread, for that matter - is the yeast. Yes, of course, bread wouldn't be bread without flour or water or a little bit of salt and some sugar or honey for the yeast to feed on. But there's that ever important yeast that makes the bread rise that's going to make or bread your loaf of bread. However, when you go to the store, you'll notice that there are a number of varieties of yeast available for purchase. And you may become a little overwhelmed. It may seem as though the bread machine yeast is, of course, the best - after all, it says bread machine. But the other yeasts available may be less expensive and you may be tempted to buy those. Here's a rundown of what yeast is, the different types, and what's best for you.

What is yeast?

First of all, you should probably understand what yeast is in the first place. It is a single-celled organism, classified as a fungus. Yes, a fungus among us! The yeast that you'll find in a store is usually dormant, and will need warm water in its floury, starchy environment to come back to life. Once it does, it eats the starch, converts it to glucose, thus fermenting the sugar, which then turns into alcohol and carbon dioxide. It's the carbon dioxide that's responsible for the "rising" of your bread.

See, that wasn't too difficult, now was it?

Yeast in Breads

Usually, if you're making a bread by hand, you'll have to keep an eye on the dough and make sure that after you've initially kneaded it, you let it rise in a warm spot with a towel over it to keep it dark.

Over many years experienced crystal stemware experts*, by trial and error, have deduced that the shape and size of a wine glass dramatically affects the bouquet and taste of alcoholic beverages. The same wine will display completely different characteristics when served in a variety of stemware so much so that experienced oenophiles thought they were tasting different wines.

Although the grape variety is a key factor in determining the relationship between fruit, acidity, tannin, and alcohol, they were able to create shapes in which the wine made from specific grape varieties seemed to improve. This led to the recognition that size and shape of crystal stemware play a complex role in conveying the message of a fine wine.

In fact the quality and intensity of aromas are determined by the personality of a wine and by its affinity to the glass shape. Bouquet will only develop in a limited temperature range; low temperatures will temper the intensity and high temperatures will mainly promote alcoholic fumes. Therefore the shape of the glass is very important, but it cannot function properly if the serving temperature and the right serving quantities are not correct. Ideal serving amounts for wines are about two or three ounces for white wine, and three to five ounces for reds.

Wine when poured starts to evaporate and the aromas quickly fill the glass in flavorful layers, depending on their density and heaviness. Thus it follows that the size and shape can be fine tuned to the typical aromas of a grape variety. The lightest, most fragile aromas are those reminiscent of flower and fruit which rise right up to the rim of the glass. The heavier aromas such as wood and alcohol remain at the bottom of the glass, while the green and more vegetable like scents and the earthy, mineral components occupy the middle of the glass.