Some tips on making Windows 8.1 less of a pain in the a.... Tip 2:

2. Win + T

Interestingly, Windows 8.1 Update 1 also adds the taskbar to the Modern UI. Not permanently, but it’s there. This means that you can access Taskbar in Modern UI apps and Start Screen. The only caveat however is that the Taskbar automatically hides itself after a few seconds. But you can press the Win + T hotkey combination to bring it up.