DEAR DAME EVELYN , I am a city dweller and would-be bread baker. My problem is that I have trouble getting my doughs to rise. I have a good stand mixer and follow the recipes to the letter, at least until I come to the part about setting the dough aside "in a warm, draft-free place until it triples in bulk." There is no such place in this town! I have tried a sunny windowsill, the top of the water heater, a bathroom full of shower steam, but to no avail. It always seems to be cold and drafty here, and my bread doughs remain inert and lumpy. I have even tried adding more yeast, but that doesn't work, either. My father-in-law has offered to give me a bread machine (he has several; I don't know why). He says they solve the problem. But, first, I don't believe it, and second, I don't want more counter clutter. What do you say?

Lumpy

Breadcrumb,

Although there is much to be said for being a Luddite, I am with your father-in-law on this issue. Let us not look a gift bread machine in the mouth. Dame Evelyn too was skeptical when one of these clumsy-looking devices first presented itself in the kitchen, hogging precious counter space. But to my surprise, the machine actually worked and has been useful over the years. Not for actually baking bread, God knows! No, those loaves are monstrosities, and the idea that you put all your ingredients into the machine before you go to bed and set the timer so that you will awake to a fresh loaf is nothing more than the fantasy of marketing gurus with MBAs. But, at least in our fair, gelid city, the machines are useful as proofing boxes. Their heating elements do provide a gentle bath of warmth that helps yeast do its job in raising dough. Dame Evelyn also likes the timed-mixing function, which makes it possible to do other things in the kitchen (such as enjoying a glass or two of sherry) without having to worry whether one has done enough kneading. With a bread machine, the answer to that question is always yes. So tell your father-in-law you accept already!

Warmly, E.G.-S.