Please post your recipe (at least the list of ingredient) so that we can check the proportions.

Lars

Sorry, I guess that would help!
1 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 pk yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter
I put the water, sugar & yeast in the bread machine, add the remaining ingredients with salt last. I usually through in a splash of lemon juice, just because I read somewhere that it helps with bread machine dough, & I felt at the time that it did.
I just use the dough cycle since that is all that works with the machine now. I have to even time it because it will knead forever. Oddly, I have another bread machine that works through the entire cycle, but I think the bread turns out better with this one. At least it does if I don't forget & let it mix too long.

That bread would work well in a loaf pan. If you want to bake it free form, you ought to add more flour....as you knead and shape it...it should hold it's shape for at least 10 minutes without oozing into a puddle.
The sugar and butter act as liquid in the recipe and make for a softer dough, try adding more flour.
Linda C

That looks like a rather sweet dough, with that much sugar, which is fine for croissants or pastries.

For one cup of water, I would use 3-3/4 cups of flour, and one package of yeast should still be enough. If you want more of a yeast flavor, you might try a recipe with less sugar.

Lars

You may also get more yeast flavor if you use reg dried yeast rather than the Rapid rise or Quick Rise. If you do a longer cool rise that improves flavor also.

I love a strong yeast flavor and will often add a little extra yeast.

Nancy

You are not really supposed to rise the dough on the stone. The dough rises in a bowl, covered, at room temp usually. Then you heat the stone in a very hot oven for 30 minutes or more. When the stone and oven are very hot and the dough has risen sufficiently you can lightly form the dough into a round loaf and place it on the hot stone to bake. Or...you can let the dough rise in a brotform or basket lined with a floured linen cloth and turn the dough out onto the hot stone to bake. You can also form the loaf onto a sheet of parchment paper and slide the paper with the loaf onto the hot stone to bake the bread dough.

Duh....the obvious thing....dough on a cold stone, placed into a hot oven and the stone takes at least 20 minutes to even get reasonably hot....and by then it's too late!
When I have forgotten to put my stone in the oven, I find I get pretty good results by heating the cookie sheet to about 120 or so....warm to the touch not "owie" hot and sliding the bread on a silpat onto that.
Yeah...dough on a cold stone doesn't rise up before it spread.
Linda C

AHA! Thanks everyone, sounds like I can try several things. Lars, I have tried using less sugar, to 2 tablespoons, & often do actually. I usually can't tell any real difference between less or more, I always thought I should. Maybe my taste buds. I don't use the fast action type of yeast. I guess my main problem was letting it rise on the stone. Never occurred to me not to do that. At one time I made french bread with a different recipe & let it rise on a cookie sheet & it always held its shape. Actually, DOH, different recipe, different reaction. I was looking at it that same basic ingredients, should be same basic result, but I didn't look at the amount of flour. I always made that dough by hand too.... I don't know why I couldn't have figured that out myself. This had been the most successful recipe when I got my machine so I hadn't experimented much more, other than making it into wheat bread or something. Think I'll check around here & try a different recipe. Thanks everyone, I'm planning on bread tomorrow, I'll let you know how it turns out.

The proportions aren't that different from my challah dough recipe - that uses 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar and 4 cups flour but there is also 1 egg plus two yolks so liquid to solid would be about the same and that rises free-form without spreading.

When you form your loaves, do you form it to get a tight cloak around the loaf? When I started doing sourdough and rye bread free form loaves they tended to spread too much but, now that I'm careful about forming the cloak, more of the rise goes upward.

I made pizza & calzones Saturday & my bread machine bit the dust before it really got started. I finished kneading it by hand, but didn't get around to making a free form loaf. I don't know why I feel the need, it tastes fine as a loaf bread or rolls. I've seen some really nice breads here though, & I think I'm wanting a crusty bread. I know I used to get that when I kneaded by hand, & I bet I just got more flour in it that way. I'm just not fond of hand kneading most of the time.
Cloud, obviously I wasn't getting a cloak around the loaf cause I had to look up what you were talking about :) I think I got a pretty detailed description of it here
http://kbkbakery.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/julia-childs-fabulous-french-bread-february-daring-bakers-challenge/
A lot of details, but seems pretty simple on the whole. I'll work on this next time. I'm debating on doing it for Easter dinner, but I have almost decided to make crescent rolls.
Thanks so much for the hint on forming a cloak.