Jeff Miller wrote:
> 1) I'm delusional:

Everyone is delusional, its just a matter of degree .

> 2) Buttermilk does something to bread dough (or maybe just whole-wheat
> dough) that I'm unaware of to assist with the rise.

I am really quite new to sourdough baking so I probably don't know what
I am talking about. That being said, 'rise' would be a description of
how much CO2 is produced through the chemical reactions of the
ingredients. In quick breads, this reaction is caused by adding baking
powder and sometimes baking soda, depending on the wet ingredients. In
modern quick rise yeast products, yeast gobbles up the sugar to produce
CO2, hence rise. I am going to guess that adding buttermilk to your
leaven breads, is adding sugar for those little yeast beasties to
gobble
up.

Anyone with more knowledge than my inadequate ruminations, feel free to
chime in.

-Doug