When everything works as planned, fresh-baked muffins are a moist, tender and flavorful breakfast pastry. However, despite muffins' simplicity, things can go wrong in several ways. Inaccurate measurements, stale baking powder and overmixing all can cause their texture to suffer.

Yeast is a live organism that when combined with water, sugar and flour makes baking magic by creating crusty, airy bread. Unfortunately, yeast remains fresh for about one year before it begins to lose potency. If you've had disappointing results with bread making, try using fresh yeast.

Pancakes can be found around the world. They are made from varying proportions of flour, water, milk, eggs, sugar and butter. Two well-known styles of pancake are the Swedish pancake and the French crepe.

Top Ramen is ubiquitous in college dorms, providing a quick, inexpensive meal to hungry students. A package of Top Ramen contains dried noodles and a small packet of powdered seasoning mix. Because it is very inexpensive and cooks quickly, ramen is often eaten as-is, with only boiling water added to make soup.

Coating your favorite foods in breading not only adds taste, it also adds calories and fat. Traditionally, breadcrumbs are mixed with eggs to make them stick to chicken, fish or vegetables. However, by mixing olive oil instead of eggs with breadcrumbs you can make breaded dishes that are a little healthier.

On a basic level, chocolate pancakes are made by adding cocoa powder to pancake batter. In reality, the process is not that simple. All recipes are like a science experiment, where the balance of the ingredients and their chemical makeup is needed in specific proportions to achieve a successful end result.

Combining an egg with oatmeal creates a powerhouse breakfast. In addition to the vitamins and minerals in both foods, oatmeal provides you with 4 grams of fiber and whole grain, while the egg provides 6.26 grams of protein.

Old-fashioned oatmeal, slow-cooked for 20 minutes or longer to a smooth and creamy consistency, is a significant upgrade over a pouch of flavored instant oats. Unfortunately, many cooks can't afford to stand at the stove, stirring, for 20 minutes.

Multiple defrosting methods can help you enjoy bread that has been frozen like it's fresh out of the oven.

Buckwheat is finely ground, dark-colored flour. It is commonly used for breads, pancakes and waffles, and as a substitute for individuals allergic to wheat. It contains an extensive amount of proteins, thus an allergic reaction to buckwheat flour is not rare.

There are plenty of advantages to an early morning workout, including increased energy for the rest of your day and a reduced risk of something getting in the way of your exercise regimen. But with a morning workout comes the question of when to have your breakfast.

Where you'd have 16 to 20 slices a pound in a package of regular, thin-sliced bacon, you'd have half as many slices in a thick-sliced package. Thick-cut bacon is roughly one-eighth of an inch thick with 10 to 14 slices per pound. Needless to say, even one slice of thick-cut bacon will pack a lot of fat and calories.