Does baking yeast bread intimidate anyone else?

Just go for it. The worst that can happen is you get a few loaves of bread better than anything you can buy in a regular supermarket. You will soon hit on a recipe and procedure that works for you and have delicious fresh bread to eat!

west texas, arizona or some place unnamed in between?? yeah, I live some place in between Tx and Az. And yes it is dry, but that isn't a problem for making breads, nor does it require any altitude adjustment, just attitude adjustment.

herman?? not sure what kind of bread that is.

I use the basic white bread recipe in Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook 65 edition. Then if I want rye bread I change half the white flour for rye, half the white flour for whole wheat, half the white flour for graham, etc. half the sugar for molasses to go with the rye for pumpernickle, etc. short on sugar? use half honey.

Just knead the bread an hour by the clock for the first kneading and don't get too much flour worked into it. Baking bread is a good way to get all your aggressions and frustrations out.

I put a damp tea towel directly over the bread and a plastic wrap over that to keep the moisture in. hot tea towel works best until summer.

The use of yeast is a pretty inexact science to start with. You can be off by 50% and it won't matter. Just wait until you have what feels like the right puffiness.