I said this in another thread, but I still think it's a good tip.
Subject: RE: BS: Bread maker problems, 14 Feb 09 - 07:47 AM

On one of the threads here, or on a recipe thread somewhere, I found the one piece of advice which made a big difference to the texture of the bread in my bread machine. The advice was from a professional baker.

All the recipes in the books which come with machines with timers are based around, e.g. setting it up the night before so you can put the timer on and have fresh bread when you wake up. This is why the dried yeast is just thrown in with all the other ingredients.

If you are not using the timer, then while you are organising the dry ingredients use about half a cup of the milk or water, heat it to lukewarm - not hot - then dissolve about half a teaspoon of sugar or honey in it. Then stir in the recommended amount of dried yeast. Let it stand in a warm place until it gets frothy and then pour it into the dry ingredients in the bread bucket as the last ingredient. To keep it warm I put some hot but not boiling water in a dish and set the cup into that. Too hot and it can kill the yeast.

Make sure you adjust the total amount of milk or water and sugar, to take into account the amounts you use for the yeast.

If you are using the timer this probably won't work at all because by the time the breadmaker starts the yeast will have sunk.

But after I started doing this my bread has consistently turned out well.

P.S. For my favourite recipe I start frying a medium to large onion to golden brown colour and add it to the dough, while it is still mixing in the first stage but after it has all mixed together into a ball, i.e. just before the machine stops mixing and starts the rising process. The recipe uses a teaspoon of sugar but I use the half teaspoon in the yeast/milk mix only. If you didn't tell people it had onion in it they probably wouldn't pick it. It has a slightly sweet flavour but is not savoury. Yummy with just butter on it.