How hard can this be?

ANSWER to the question in the post below:
It's not a loaf of bread.
After carefully sifting, measuring, stirring then kneading the ingredients for a loaf of basic white bread, I put the rubbery mass into an oiled bowl, covered it, and waited for the magic to unfold--one hour, two hours, three hours…nothing. All that work and it was flatter than when I started. As I was ready to throw in the dough along with the towel, I thought—flat bread—add a little olive oil, fresh herbs and cook at 425-degrees for ten minutes—disaster averted. How hard can this be?