Father Dominic, the bread monk, demonstrates how make a "bambino" braided loaf, bread shaped like a baby swaddled in a blanket. This braid is shaped in four simple steps and makes a charming gift for a baby shower. Transcription: Hi, I'm Father Dominic the Bread Monk, author of "How to Be a Breadhead" and this is a Breadhead Minute. I know it looks like I've rolled out a snake here but I'm going to make a beautiful bread called Bambino bread. It's a wonderful gift for a baby shower. Notice I've got a little larger piece at the end, a little rounded. I tie an ordinary knot just like that and tuck that end under. Then, I twist this side into a figure 8 with that open end just like that. And then I pull this through very gently and carefully. And there's the baby's head and you get a beautiful Bambino wrapped in his blanky. Let rise and bake and you'll have a great gift for a new mother. I'm Father Dominic, become a Breadhead and you'll be blessed. This Breadhead Minute made possible by the Home Baking Association, resources at http://homebaking.org.

Many people have trouble rolling out even ropes of dough to make a braided loaf of bread. Fr. Dominic, the bread monk, demonstrates how to make a braided loaf that uses a simpler technique: start with a flattened oval and cut strips with a pizza cutter. Super easy!

Fr. Dominic, the bread monk, demonstrates how to tell if a loaf is fully baked using three different methods: baking time, gently tapping the crust of the loaf, and using a thermometer. Transcript: Hi, I'm Father Dominic the Bread Monk, author of "How to Be a Breadhead" and this is a Breadhead Minute. So how can I tell if the loaf is fully baked? Well, I can tell by time of course but every recipe is a little bit different and every oven is a little bit different. The time honored method is to thump the top. If it sounds hollow, then it's baked. Better still to use an instant read thermometer. A fully baked loaf of bread reads 190 degrees or above. 190 to 195 and then you know it's fully baked in the middle. For some breads like multi-grain breads you can go all the way up to 200 because they can be a little bit denser. And then you'll know you'll have success with your loaf. But remember, bread continues to bake once it comes out of the oven. Moisture begins to come out of the center. If you cut it now it will be really doughy. I'm Father Dominic the Bread Monk, become a Breadhead and you'll be blessed. This Breadhead Minute made possible by the Home Baking Association, resources at http://homebaking.org.

Fr. Dominic, the bread monk, provides a useful rule of thumb for converting the amount of cake yeast in a recipe into the corresponding amount of active dry yeast. Transcription: Hi, I'm Father Dominic the Bread Monk, author of "How to Be a Breadhead" and this is a Breadhead Minute. Sometimes in an older cookbook like this one or in a recipe from your grandmother, you might find a reference to cake yeast or fresh yeast. It comes in a two ounce package and it's usually in the dairy case but it's increasingly rare to find fresh yeast these days. However, that two ounce package is the equivalent of a three strip of active dry so you can kind of do that math like that. Better still is to use the basic rule of thumb with regard to any recipe, one package of yeast for every four cups of flour. So you look at that old recipe and you see, let's say six and a half or seven cups of flour you'll know that you need two packages of yeast. With this rule of thumb, you can translate pretty much any old recipe. I'm Father Dominic, become a Breadhead and you'll be blessed. This Breadhead Minute made possible by the Home Baking Association, resources at http://homebaking.org.