Basic Ingredient: Yeast, sugar and salt

Ok...the title feels like a bit of academic, don't you think? Yes and no...
Yes, because I need to share a thing or two theories from what I learned during my many experiments.
No, because this is actually a thing that I encountered this afternoon when I was talking to a fellow colleague. She was saying, hey your bread looks really nice and fluffy but mine was hard and I also having a hard time with the yeast because I always kills it, probably water is too hot.

Here is the facts:
1. Yeast + sugar = ALIVE
2. Yeast + salt = DEAD!

Yeast eats SUGAR and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol as it grows and multiplies. You know what?...the alcohol produced by the yeast is actually the element that gives the bread flavour. Yummy!!!

Normally and of course to my convenience, I am using rapid rise or dry active yeast. This type of yeast, we do not have to dissolve it into warm water and it save yourselves from mass murdering them!!! :P
Just whisk it with the flour and sugar before adding liquid into it.

Just a note, if you really wanted to test whether your yeast is active or not....dissolve one teaspoon of yeast and 1/4 tsp sugar with 3 tbsp of LUKEWARM water ok...not hot water...orang kata suam2 kuku like your own body temperature. It is active when it bubbles after 5 mins, if it does not...you probably killed them already.

SALT....from most of the books that I read and some notes given by my son Naim after watching too many cooking shows and food science programs, yeast will die when it comes into direct contact with salt. So it best to add it after you mix yeast with the flour and sugar.