Making bread in the oven

I am making bread in a GAS oven, it hasn't risen very high, what have I done wrong? I have checked the yeast it is working, maybe didn't knead for long enough? or something else? First time making bread, cause cant get any here at moment - in amberley/canterbury. Any help is appreciated from long time bread makers. Thanks

Hi lavenderlady - what kind of dough did you make and how long did you let it rise for prior to putting it in the oven? Did it increase in size? For a basic white or wholemeal loaf I normally mix my dough to whatever recipe I am making, let it rise in a warm place such as a hot water cupboard until at least double in size, then I knead again for a bit and leave to rest until roughly doubled again. Then I shape the loaf and place on baking tray for about half an hour or so before oven is pre- heated and then bake. Some loaves don't 'grow' a lot more once the baking process has begun and others do :-)

I don't do ordinary yeast baking. I do sour dough instead. However, I know a thing or two about bread baking. If, for instance you do as ant_sonja suggests, which is the way most people do their bread, then I think, that with the second 'knock down and knead' being performed that way, it will take quite a bit longer for your bread to rise by the appropriate amount. Therefore I suggest you just leave it till it does. This will take as long as it takes and it will depend upon many factors, such as strength of the yeast, amount of yeast, ambient temperature, how much kneading you did in the initial knead, etc, etc.

I am a bit confused about the connection you are making between raising your dough and the gas oven. Usually, dough does not go into the oven until it is fully proofed and ready for cooking, which, as I said before, will take as long as it takes. You cannot hurry or slow the action of yeast.

My bread, unrisen, goes into a cold oven which I turn to 100c, After 30 minutes or so, when the dough has reached a certain level, the temperature is increased to 200c for another 30 minutes. There is no proving or kneading with my recipe.I think we need to know which way OP is making her bread.

Yes there are lots of different ways to bake bread - the basic yeast version as I described above as well as starting a loaf in a cold oven as kay described and as buzzy said, sourdough is another story again which I also bake and the rising time can take...well as long as it takes really lol In order to help any further here, we'd need some more info from the OP I think :-)