Dryer smells like gas after hiatus and reinstall
This statement concerns me:

The plumbing hasn't changed much except that I had taken off but then reinstalled (with yellow Teflon tape) the 2' appliance connector.

Per the instructions appliance connector hoses and fitting are single-use. Simply put: you need to buy a new appliance connector.
Additionally, no pipe dope nor teflon tape is to be use on flared (tapered) connections. Do not apply pipe dope nor tape to the threads as it can make its way to the flare surface and prevent proper compression.
The male flare is designed to compress against the female flare to produce a gas tight seal. The threads are not gas tight by design because they need you to be able to compress the flare to a specific torque.
The flare metal is usually soft enough to allow microscopic deformation. These connections are single-use so once a flare has been tightened once you need a new flare connector; both male and female.

From the proverbial horse's mouth:

DO NOT reuse the gas connector or fittings. The connector, fittings and valve are designed for use on original installation only. Removal of connector and additional handling may have damaged connector making it unsafe for reuse.

From the Safety precautions section of https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/ea/ea7dc718-95fd-4033-b680-3a9d0c17db69.pdf
Product:
1/2 in. MIP x 1/2 in. MIP x 48 in. Gas Connector (1/2 in. OD) w/Safety+Plus2 Thermal Excess Flow Valve (60,500 BTU)