A valuable lesson in bread making...

Tonight I'm making yeast bread. I read a tip on the internet, and it said that you should microwave a glass of water, and set your dough in the microwave with the glass of hot water. The heat helps the dough rise faster. So I tried it, and it works. One little problem: I microwaved the water three times, and I didn't notice that most of the water had boiled out. So the third time, I microwaved it for 1:35 and there was only about an inch of water left in the glass. When I opened the microwave door, the water exploded! It almost got me, and it would have really scalded my hands. It was too close for comfort. I've heard of "Exploding water" before, but I never thought it would happen to me. Next time I'll be more careful.

Exploding Water - Microwave
A 13 year-old girl decided to make herself a cup of hot chocolate. She used the microwave to heat her mug of water, which is something I'm sure all of us have done. When the timer went off, she removed the cup from the oven. Just as she noticed the water was not boiling, the water in the cup 'blew up' into her face. Nothing happened to the cup, until she dropped it and it broke. It seems the water had exploded in her face because of some kind of energy build-up. Her whole face blistered and she suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns to her face that will probably leave scarring. There is also a chance she may have lost partial site in her left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who treated her explained that this happens a lot and water (alone) should never be heated in the microwave. If you absolutely have to heat water in a microwave, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. From the sounds of it, using a tea kettle or even a pot would be a safer choice.

http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp

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Here's the recipe I used:

Easy Yeast Bread
1 (1/4 ounce) package - Active Dry Yeast
3/4 cup - Water
1/4 cup - Sugar
2 tbsp. - Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp. - Salt
1 - Egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups - Flour, plus more for kneading
Margarine
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Heat the Water to between 105 and 115 degrees. Dissolve the Yeast in the water in a large bowl.
Stir in the Sugar, Oil, Salt and Egg.
Stir in 1 cup of Flour until smooth.
Cover with a dishcloth and set in a warm place (over a bowl of warm water, in a slightly warm oven, in the microwave beside a cup of warm water, etc.).
Let rise for 15 minutes.
Stir down the dough, and add 1 1/2 cups Flour. Blend until well mixed.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 3 minutes - adding Flour if the dough is sticky.
Grease a 9" pan.
Put the dough in the pan, and smear the top with softened Margarine.
Cover the pan with the dishcloth and set back in the warm place.
Let rise for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°.
Bake at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown.
Remove from pan to a rack or plate to cool.
Brush the top with melted Butter.