It turns out...

...bread really does need yeast to rise. Ok, I already knew that. But, I did learn that you have to include the yeast before you knead the dough.

The night before Easter, at around 9:00, I remembered that I had planned to serve cinnamon buns for breakfast. I have made them many times before and they are delicious and well worth the super effort to make them. Unfortunately, I took on this project after it was already too late. Being the optimist, though, I decided to just go for it. In the rush to get the dough rising, I forgot a few ingredients. Most importantly, the yeast. At about 10:30, when cleaning up the kitchen mess, I realized my mistake. Really wanting to save the cinnamon buns, I improvised. I mixed the yeast with a little warm water and tried to knead it into the dough, adding a little flour to counteract the extra water. Then, with fingers crossed, I went to bed to allow the dough to rise in privacy.

By morning, nothing had happened. I went ahead and continued the recipe. By the end, they tasted like cinnamon buns, but they were super dense. I suffered through eating more than my share. :)

Lesson learned: Don't take on more than I can reasonably do. And, don't forget the yeast!