Dissolving Yeast
Many beginner bakers are plagued by the seemingly elusive “warm water” temperature you’re supposed to use for dissolving yeast. Yeast is actually rather forgiving. An ideal water temperature to dissolve yeast in is between 95-115 degrees. To get an idea of this temperature, let cool water come to “room” temperature in the hot, dog days of summer when it’s close to 100°F outside. After an hour, the water will feel warm. Another method is to use water which is the same temperature as is comfortable for you to wash your hands in. The water temperature has to be 120°F which feels hot, before it will begin to kill yeast. And, it has to be 140°F degrees, which feels really hot, before the yeast is done in completely.
If your recipe calls for milk, especially whole milk, dissolve the yeast in a little water first. Yeast doesn’t like to dissolve in all the fat. To jump start it further, you can also add 1 Tbs sugar to the water.

Different ways to let Yeast Bread Raise
Overnight: To have fresh bread in the morning, make your dough the night before. After you have kneaded it, place it in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, let the dough warm to room temperature for half an hour, then punch down and shape into loaves and let rise for another ½-1 hour before baking. OR, let rise once at warm room temperature. Punch down, and shape into rolls or loaves. Place dough (in the tins) in the fridge and cover with plastic wrap. In the morning, let the dough warm at room temperature for ½ hour before baking.

Yeast bread in a hurry
After kneading the dough, let the dough rise in the bowl until double. Punch down, shape into loaves, and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. Place in cold oven and turn oven to 400°F degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Still not fast enough?
After kneading, let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes (this replaces the first rise). Shape into two loaves and place in a cold oven. Turn the temperature to 400°F and bake for 35-40 minutes. The texture of this bread will be heavier than one that has risen twice, but it saves time.