I bake bread here all the time...store bought bread is very expensive and non of it is very good. Don't worry about flour...and I make pancakes all the time...they are just perfect. There is nothing wrong with the flour.
I have been experimenting with bread since I arrived. I think the secrets to get a good bread are two:
Patience
A rising time of over 24 hours do really makes a difference. Use little yeast and wait longer, instead of using a ton of yeast and bake in 2 hours - it might looks the same to the eyes, but not to your stomach. I usually prepare 1kg of dough which lasts 1 week in the fridge, then I take out as little as I need daily to bake fresh bread. I am currently following the no-knead bread recipe, which is also very good for pizza (at last I found a way to have a delicious pizza at home using conventional flour).
I am still currently starting with industrial yeast, but I have promised myself to start trying sourdough.
Flour
I buy white flour at the supermarkets, and I haven't been able to get any regular flour at the
dieteticas. There is no much variety nor choice at the supermarket (no flour with different strengths / W-values) , and white flour is less rich in nutrients than unrefined flours. However, since white flour lasts longer, it is more used and also cheaper. Odd.
I like to play by mixing plain white flour with whole flour, cereals, flours of cereals, seeds. This way, it gets less boring. I still have to find a way to use my no-knead weekly dough with these - I am just at the beginning. I have been a fast-riser for 4 years and have recently discovered this easy no-knead recipe that takes very little time and gives extremely good results.
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In reply to the OP - I wish I hadn't taken with me my silicone moulds for baking, as they get burnt in these damn gas ovens!