On 2004-12-19, Dick Adams > wrote:
[...]
> (OT: It seems to me that the subtle flavors of sourdough get considerably
> lost in whole-wheat bread. Whole wheat flour is generally problematic for
> sourdough bread. Send email for details on yeasted BM ~75%WW like
><http://www.prettycolors.com/bread%5Fculture/BMWW7SEP04.jpg>.)

I don't consider whole wheat to be "generally problematic", but you
are right that its strong flavors will mask subtle flavors. I have
found whole white wheat flour to be an excellent way to mellow out the
flavor of whole-wheat bread. This is whole grain flour milled from
hard white wheat (actually a yellow/tan color) rather than hard red
wheat. Not only is it lighter in color, but also quite a bit lighter
in flavor -- less bitter, more sweet. And it has all the fiber and
other healthy stuff that whole red wheat has. (Well, it's obviously
missing something, and that something might in fact be nutritious, but
it's still way better than refined white flour.)

King Arthur makes the only commonly-available whole white wheat flour
I've found. I generally mix it 50/50 with red wheat for my breads.
For pizza dough, I use 100% white whole wheat.

Don't expect white wheat to change the rising characteristics of whole
grain dough. It still has all that heavy, gluten-slashing bran, and
as such will not become as light and airy as refined-flour dough.
Just make sure you hydrate adequately (I recommend 70%) and give the
flour time to absorb all the water, and you'll have a moist and tender
crumb, if a little dense. (Some people *like* dense bread, you know.)

--
Randall, a whole grain snob