Mystery of the tough little loaves

The bakers at The Upper Crust were perplexed.
They had followed the recipe carefully, dissolving the dry active yeast in 110 degree water, stirring in the wet ingredients at room temperature so as not to damage the action, carefully adding the all-purpose flour until the sticky dough began to chase the wooden spoon around the yellow bowl. They put the dough ball in a warmed room and watched it double.
The oven was set at exactly 375 degrees. They knew that a too hot oven will swiftly kill the tender yeast buds and stop the miracle of the oven spring.

Too small, too dark, too crusty 

Back to the bread board
Yet, try as they might, nothing seemed to work. Again, the loaves came out flat, with tiny pores and a thick, tough crust. Proofing the yeast yet one more time, they tried once more, kneading the dough into a frizbee shape, folding it back on itself, making a quarter turn, working out the gases, shaping the loaves into the buttered 9 by 5 pans for a 30 minute rise before popping them into the preheated oven.
Forty-five minutes passed. The familiar smell of baking bread filled the loft. But something was wrong. Again, all was for naught. Hopes dashed. A waste. The bread a dismal failure.
Their confidence waning, they vowed not to surrender.
"We'll just try again until we get it right," Danny said, as he rinsed his hands one more time, and swept the crumbs into a wastebasket.
The loaves had emerged too small, too dark and too crusty. The interiors were heavy, wet, lacking a generous rise. They made okay toast if you slathered on heavy jam, but hey, they were just not suitable for guests.
What could be wrong, the bakers at Danny's Upper Crust wondered, removing their big hats to scratch their heads, trying not to be discouraged.  Just ten floors below, merry shoppers were beginning the jubilant holiday rush at the Chicago Avenue stores of Midtown, but there was no cheer in the loft.
Ugly bread with a hard shell and tiny rise. The bakers had questioned everything.
Wait a minute. Could it be that the oven was too hot?
Stan tossed aside his floured apron and sprang into action, rushing back upstairs with a brand new oven thermometer.

Treacherous Amana. The digital
thermometer says 375. It's a big lie,
said the other one, when asked.

Son-ova-bitch. Sure enough. The test showed that The Upper Crust oven was running a whopping 35 degrees too hot! The product was being baked at 410 degrees when the oven was set at 375! No wonder, no bread.
The heat had stopped the yeast action in its tracks, keeping the loaf pathetically small and over-heating the outside, making a hard, tough crust. Of course. Now it was so clear.
Relieved that the cause of their failed loaves was not their incompetence, but simply a case of defective equipment, the bakers rejoiced. Rejuvenated, they continued with their winter plans.
The End