I used to bake all my bread, now only have time to do so on rare
occasion. unfortunately, as often as not i have the same
unsatisfactory result -- loaves that don't even reach the top of the
pan when they come out of the oven. wondering what might be the
problem, not enough time for experimentation, so looking for educated
guesses from others. in my mind, it could be

__not enough patience on the second rise (my ball fills my largest
bowl for the first, i punch down and do a quick knead, shape and put
in the pans, generally put in the oven when it rises to the top of the
pan, an hour or more later)
__wrong time/temp combination (i generally do 350 for around 40 mins)
__fundamentally the wrong recipe -- i play, but generally i'm making 2
loaves, start with 1 1/4c water, 4 tsp yeast, 1/4 c sweetener, 1/3 c
oil, around 1/2c dry milk, 1 egg, 5 1/2 c flours, 1tsp salt.

thoughts?