Hi TFL'ers,

I am relatively new to bread baking.  I have had some problems, lately, with my second rise.  I have made several loaves, including Peter Reinhart's German Many Seed Loaf (from his Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor) which have not risen in their second rise (I believe the shaping step).  The breads do not rise much, even after 2 hours (I keep an eye on the time and rise carefully).  I also am not getting any oven spring when baking.  The crumb, as you might expect, is extremely dense after baking (I use a thermometer to tell when done).

I do not believe it is the yeast, since my bialies and bagels are fine (I made a batch of bialies the same day as the German Many Seed loaf).  I am obviously doing something wrong, but I am not experienced enough to know what I am (or am not) doing!  I am hoping some more experienced bakers might offer me some ideas as to why I am havingh this problem.  Thank you in advance for your help. :)

Regards to all,

Neal