Help! I am having very little success with my current baking attempts. All products have been edible, but none have turned out how I planned.

Problems:

My dough usually rises really, but then when I go to bake them, they either fall or don't rise to their full potential.

My whole wheat sandwich bread came out with a hard crust...I had just baked a loaf with a crunchy exterior about 5 minutes prior, could any leftover steam have caused this hardening? 

 I cannot for the life of me score an unbaked loaf!

Potential Issues:

I am working with just my hands as I have no machine. Because my dough has been pretty sticky and hard to work with, I don't knead it a lot. 

 I've been using single packet yeast, because I don't want to invest in a whole jar or bag when I'm moving in a month.

 I am so disheartened when I see these beautifully risen loaves, and I just can't seem to succeed. 
Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hello!

I've just joined this group and have spent the past several hours reading through the forums - what an amazing bunch!  I'm excited that I've found you all, and I know you'll be able to help me get started.

First, a bit of history, then my questions:

I've been baking bread at home for the past several years.  Mostly "Betty Crocker" recipes, which have served me pretty well.  The bread is tasty, and my husband doesn't seem to think that I should change a thing.  However, in my quest to become a better baker, I've recently branched into sourdough - using a yeast-based starter.  After more research, I've started a wild-yeast starter - hoping to switch to that one fully once it's ready.

My goal is to produce 100% whole grain sourdough breads with few added ingredients.  From browsing the forums, I've gathered that this type of bread is more "dinner" style bread, and that sandwich bread needs ingredients like white flour and dairy to be light enough to stuff with sandwich goodies.  I'm ok with that.  I'll try that type too.

I've also just been reading up on stretch and fold (which is a bread-new concept to me!) 

So... here are my questions:

I need a good recipe to start with.   A basic, simple, preferably whole grain sourdough recipe that I can learn on.  I have read that WW breads are a bit tricky for beginners because of the sharp grains (is this right?) but I'd rather jump right in with a few flops.  It can't be worse than the sunken-topped bread with pores so open that honey leaks through that I've been feeding my poor husband for months now! (In my own defence, it does taste good and its moist... :-p)

After I get a handle on a basic loaf, I think I'll feel more confident in trying other, already posted recipes.  When my hands know how to stretch and fold, how tight WW bread needs to be formed - stuff like that.

Oh... I don't have scales.  I know, I know... I've just read the heated debate about them.  I'm now instantly aligned with half the members of this group, and the other half will tell me that scales should be my first purchase.  I can't make that purchase right now, so volume measurments would be appreciated. 

Am I totally off base here?  Am I asking the impossible?  Do I need to start with plain white bread with eggs, milk and honey to get a good idea of what bread should be??  I hope not...

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.  I look forward to your responses!! 

So, I got incredibly sick of really boring tasting bread, and decided that I would do something I've wanted to for a while, and make a wild yeast starter.  I'm... 4 days in, I think, and my baby is now having troubles.  I started with equal amounts of rye, whole wheat and unbleached white flour, and a few whole rye berries, and warm filtered water. I had bubbles in the first 24 hours, (and it was starting to smell a bit sour.) I've been feeding 1/3 cup of starter every 24 hours with 1/3 cup of white, unbleached, organic flour, 5 tsp of dark organic whole rye flour, and 1/3 cup of skin temp tap water. I rinse the jar, just so I don't get a bunch of dried junk on the walls and can see in, then I put it back in the jar, cover it with a dishtowel, and let it sit.  Its definately yeast in there, it smells like it. (ok, it smells kind of vile, like a yeast infection or something, but very very YEASTY) I've been feeding every 24 hours.  In terms of temp, its been fluctuating a lot. we've had days where its probably 85 or so, and then days when the house temp is probably closer to 65.  I'm not really sure how to keep the temp constant and warm. can't set it on top of the fridge because there is a cabinet there.

 so the problem is, its starting to die one me! or at least, its bubbling less. and it never really increases in size hardly at all.

does anyone have any suggustions? do I need to keep my baby warmer? how? do I need to feed it more often? something else? should I cap the jar instead of draping a towel over it?  Thanks :D

I have a starter I got that i have just coddled into perfection and want to send it to someone across the country. What is the best method for packing? should I freeze part of it? should I let it rest a few days first? What should I pack it in? 

HI, I just received a Zojirushi Breadmaker as a gift and I've baked 6 loaves so far. 

Loaf #2 was excellent and the best bread! Since then, I've haven't been doing anything different that I can tell, but the following 4 loaves have been a disaster. They rise, but then fall and sink down in the middle. The dough almost tastes uncooked. What am I doing wrong??? help!

I'm using very precise measuring and all my ingredients are fresh as I just bought them in the store this last week. Could it be bad yeast?? Please help! 

I have seen a great number of recipes here that i would like to print for future refrence. Is there an easy way to make them printer friendly? My computor skills are somewhat limited. Thanks, Jim