At least you're sticking with it!!!!  And you're in the right spot for support!!  Suzanne has a great tutorial for bread making  http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/…..ake-bread/

I keep my instant yeast in the fridge.  I take out the amount I need and let it come to room temp before I use it.

I only let my dough raise to double in size, punch down, shape into loaf, let rise to double in loaf pan, then bake.  If you're doing a freestyle loaf on a stone, you don't need to let it do the rise after shaped.  Put into a cold oven, turn the oven on, then bake.

Good Luck, B……….YOU CAN DO IT!

What Cindy said…  That's just about as good as it gets!  All I would add is to keep it kinda simple to start with.  Whether it is two or twenty loaves later, you will know when you are ready to try something more exotic.  Suzanne's recipe and method is a great way to start.

I don't understand why your yeast is taking so long……….when I mean room temp, it only takes like 5 minutes for the few tablespoons.  With instant yeast, you don't really even have to put it in water to activate it……that just confirms that you have active yeast.  I just mix it in with my dry and then add water.

Still trying to figure out the purpose of leaving the yeast out over night.  Seems like that could be long enough for it to proof and die…

Don't know of a bread recipe out there that calls for less than a package of dry yeast, which is either 2-1/4 or 2-1/2 tsp, depending upon who is telling the tale.  If you are using less than that, or not using warm water, or not finding a warm spot for the bread to rise, then your dough certainly will not rise well.

Now, back to square one.  Have you tried Suzanne's recipe for Grandmother's Bread yet?  If you do it exactly as she instructs it to be done, then you will end up with a great loaf of bread.  If you add or omit steps, then it probably will not turn out so well.

Good luck with the shows, and with the bread making!  Well, with the business trip, too…