Thanks for all the replies.

Last night I was surfing the web and so many recipes call for adding the yeast to the flour and salt! I believe that was my problem more than anything.

My husband ran out and got King Arthur flour and more yeast last night. We're going to try some more today.
My Mom was a terrific cook and baker but didn't make bread.

I do the same as Tartan.

This post got me laughing when I got to the part about hubby going to the store to pick up more and possibly better supplies for the next attempt. My husband and I both love bread too. We would have done the same thing. Good, warm, homemade bread with butter and fresh honey is to die for. I am looking forward to hearing how this new loaf turned out. And the saga continues.......

A buyer for Walmart told me that Walmart Unbleached flour is made by King Arthur for now. Unbleached flour by Walmart is a newer product. They change companies when the contract is expired if another better deal is offered by another company like Gold Medal. They changed their sugar brand from pure cane to beet sugar. It use to be made by G&H and said Pure Cane on their sugar packages. Now it doesn't. Beet sugar reacts differently in baking and other processes like brewing.

Paul just ordered a proofing basket. We're on a roll !!! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png

Barb, we made more yesterday and it was a lot better. As I said- why am I so determined??? My waistline doesn't need more bread haha

Yeast baking is fun! For crusty bread I use flour, yeast, water and salt. For soft sandwich bread or buns I use milk or buttermilk (scalded), shartening or some sort of fat and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the flour. I mix it in my big mixer like so:
warm liquid on the bottom, then half the flour (maybe a little less), and yeast and mix till smooth. Let sit covered and warm for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, reserving about 1/2 cup of flour and stir using the kneading blade for about 8 minutes. Dough should be smooth and not sticking to the bowl. If it's sticky, add some of the reserved flour. Turn onto floured board/counter/cloth and shape in a smooth ball. Spray bowl with cooking spray and put ball of dough back in it. Spray top of ball and cover with saran and a towel. Let rise in a warm place till doubled in size.
Shape into loaves and place in greased pans. Let rise about half the initial rising time. Bake....
Top prizes in the yeast baking at my local fair about five years running ... to the point no one else was entering.... so I stopped.

So many great tips on bread baking here! I love it, especially now that we are going into the cooler, "bread baking season." I'm not sure what I can add to what everyone else has said, but here goes...

SusieQOH...How long did you let the dough rise? Was it a heavy, sturdy dough, or a light, fluffy dough? Heavier dough can sometimes take a little longer to rise. You don't want to over-proof it...it might collapse, but you might try letting it rise just a little longer next time.

What type of pan did you use? I personally prefer dark, heavy pans that hold the heat well.

Also, where did you put the dough to rise? Cooler air, or drafts can knock a dough right down flat. I have an old stove with a pilot light and I like to proof and rise my dough in there, with the oven turned off. It's a warm and cozy spot and totally draft free. If I were rich, I'd have a proofing drawer, like on the Great British Baking Show. :)

I agree with the others...yeast does not like salt. But, if the salt is mixed in with the flour first, it should not be a problem. I've made many recipes where the yeast was added to the flour first and it usually came out fine, so I don't think that is the problem.

Sometimes adding just a teaspoon, or two of sugar will help the bread rise better. Those little yeasts get hungry. You won't taste it in the final product.

Use whatever type of yeast is called for in the recipe.

One more thing...make sure that you have kneaded it long enough to develop the gluten, which gives it all of the strength and sturdiness to rise high. I know...we've all heard this before, but sometimes we just get so antsy to bake and eat the bread that we forget about the obvious.

That's my 2 cents.

I have have two sets of these pans for decades. I bought them when I took a class for French bread baking. I don't know if they are still available but they are wonderful.
https://external-content.duckduckgo....jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Oooh thanks, Onebyone. I'll check them out.

My brother makes a lot of bread in a dutch oven.

I don't think there's anything more fragrant than bread baking. Ahhhhh

Onebyone, I found this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14421813178...IAAOSwnl9hTyMa

Does it look similar?