1. This is as good as my presentation on making whole wheat bread gets. Realistically, I'm unable to put what I present as an all-day workshop as a post on a message board about how to make 100% whole wheat loaves. I teach information about the grain, milling, and bread making. The details are important - at least I think so, but I will add these sources and tips FYI. 2. Soaked flour method is found in the book, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use a modified version of this. 3. Retarding dough is a method where you "park" the dough in the refrigerator. This essentially stretches the time allowed for fermentation which helps develop the flavor during the primary (or bulk) fermentation. The final proofing stage is when the dough develops lightness and texture. The longer fermentation breaks down the whole wheat flour which also helps make a lighter loaf. 4. I never add vital wheat gluten to 100% whole wheat bread, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to do so. I just happen to know the type of wheat I use has a fairly high protein level that will make excellent yeast breads. I also mill a fine grind of flour (coarse flour = coarse bread). The finer the flour, the smaller the shreds of bran and the higher the gluten level. You can also sift the large shreds of bran out of flour. Use it as a topping on the loaf. Adding too much vital wheat gluten will cause the bread to be tough. It also takes longer to develop gluten in breads with high-gluten levels. I've worked with 16% protein wheat and all that additional protein only means more time kneading....so more is not necessarily better. The only time I add vital wheat gluten is if I'm using a large amount of low-gluten flour, such as barley, oat, or rye. 5. As pointed out in "CookWise" (by Shirley O. Corriher), "Give ten bakers the same flour, yeast, salt, and water and have them make bread with just these ingredients and they will make ten different loaves of bread." I'd suggest reading the first 100 pages of "CookWise" for a lot of general information concerning all kinds of yeast/sourdough bread information. I make bread no one else makes using unusual ingredients. I use bits and pieces of information from a wide source of "experts". I change what I'm doing when I read new information I think will make better bread. Not all methods work for all people for a lot of reasons. Mostly time is the factor. 6. There are three basic methods for making bread - straight dough (aka direct-mix), sponge (aka pre-ferment), or sourdough. 7. The straight dough method is a modern method based on modern commercial flour, yeast, and quick mixing methods. This method is fine for most modern (white) breads, but you'll get better whole wheat bread using the other two methods. 8. Sponge/pre-ferments come in a wide variety of methods. I'd suggest checking out a copy of "Crust & Crumb" by Peter Reinhart for more information. 9. Sourdough is also a method that takes a lot more time than than the straight dough method. 10. BREAD MACHINE BREAD Luisa Perkins of Cold Spring, New York, has supplied us with the following soaked recipe for a bread machine. She uses a Zojirushi bread machine (available from the King Arthur flour company), which has a "homemade" cycle. 1 cup purified water 3/4 cup homemade whey 5 cups freshly ground hard wheat flour, preferably white wheat, not red 3 tablespoons Rapadura or Sucanat 4 tablespoons lard or butter 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons yeast (SAF brand recommended) Put the water, whey and flour into the bread machine loaf pan. Set the homemade cycle to the maximum time allowed on preheat and rise cycles--this should be at least 6 hours. The baking time should be set to zero. After preheating and kneading, the dough has about 6 hours at about 100 degrees. Add the remaining ingredients and set the machine to the wheat cycle, which should be another 3 hours at least. The two cycles together give the dough more than seven hours for the whey to do its work. The bread comes out nicely browned, risen to the top of the loaf pan and flat on top. It has a good, even structure and texture. If you start in the morning, the bread is finished by early evening and will be cooled off and ready to eat the following morning. Makes a 2-pound loaf. (Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/sourdough_egg_noodles.html - towards the end of the page) 11. Another good method is called a two-stage method by Sue Gregg (www.suegregg.com). This includes an overnight soak/sponge. 12. I use an overnight sponge in my bread machine and mix the dough the next day on the dough cycle which is similar to the recipe above. This is one example of what I do for lighter 100% whole wheat bread. 3/4 c. (homemade) kefir 3/4 c. barely warm water 2-1/2 c. freshly-milled Prairie Gold Spring Hard White Wheat 1/4 t. ascorbic acid powder 2 t. SAF Instant yeast Add to the sponge the next morning: 1/3 c. agave nectar 1 egg approx. 2-1/4 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour (you may have to adjust hydration during mixing/kneading) 3 T. coconut oil - I add fat late in the mixing along with 2 t. salt - AFTER the gluten has developed. * There's a science about when to add the fat and the salt (see: "CookWise" for this information). If you want a loaf that has a cake-like crumb (close-grain) and that also yields a shorter loaf, then add the fat and salt early in the mixing. If you want more loft and an open crumb, add the fat/salt late in the mixing - after the gluten is developed. Adding the salt late also makes kneading easier. Once salt is added, the gluten strands really tighten up. 13. Don't add ascorbic acid when making sourdough breads. They are already acidic enough. -Grainlady

gldno1- Here's the 100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe. It's designed to be made in a bread machine, but it can be made by hand. I have to give my friend, Mildred from Missouri, the credit for this great recipe. 100% Whole Wheat Bread Bread Machine (changes for by-hand at the bottom of the recipe) Sponge: 3/4 c. lukewarm buttermilk (I use homemade kefir.) 3/4 c. lukewarm water 2-1/2 c. freshly-milled white whole wheat flour (Prairie Gold from Wheat Montana is my favorite wheat variety) 1/4 t. ascorbic acid* 2 t. SAF-Instant Yeast Mix these ingredients in the bread machine pan and set the machine to QUICK DOUGH. As soon as the mixture is well mixed, stop and unplug the machine and allow to sit (with the lid closed) at least 2-1/2 hours, or up to 12 hours (or something in between). I'd suggest at least 12 hours if you are using a whole wheat flour milled from red wheat varieties, for a more mild flavor. After the sponge has set, mix these ingredients into the sponge: 2 T. melted coconut oil (or butter or veg. oil) 2 T. agave nectar (or honey) 1 egg (I also add 1/3-1/2 c. chia seed gel. **) Add to the top of the sponge mixture in the pan: 2-1/4 c. freshly-milled whole wheat flour 2 t. salt (on top the flour) Set the bread machine on regular DOUGH cycle and process. Check the dough to make sure it's formed into a nice soft ball and adjust the hydration as needed. My changes: I process the dough in the bread machine until the dough is mixed and kneaded. I don't let it rise in the machine. I place the dough in a dough rising bucket, place the lid on the top and allow the dough to ALMOST rise to double. Whole wheat dough does NOT have the extensibility that white bread dough does, so try not to let it go more than double. Using a dough rising bucket helps you to accurately judge when dough has doubled. Place the dough into a dough rising bucket. It should come up to the 1-quart line. It's doubled when it reaches the 2-quart line. You can get plastic food storage containers (with a tight-fitting lid and graduated measures on the side) at restaurant supply stores (or through King Arthur Flour - aka dough doubler). For this recipe a 2-quart container works perfectly.) After the bread machine finishes the dough cycle (or has doubled in the dough rising bucket), dump the dough onto a Silpat and with oiled/greased hands deflate the dough by pushing it in the middle with your fist then drawing all edges of the outside dough into the middle (turning the dough inside-out, so to speak). Divide the dough into portions (I scale the dough for accuracy.) Round each portion (make it into a smooth ball) so that all the gluten strands are going into the same direction. Cover and allow to rest 10-15 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Form dough (oil your hands when you handle the dough), pan, cover with plastic wrap for the final proofing - etc.... I make this bread into 3 small loaves (7-1/2x3-1/2-inch pans - 350°F for 20-25 minutes), OR one 1# Pullman Loaf and use the other 1# of dough for 6 pecan rolls OR an 8-inch pan of dinner rolls - sometimes I use a portion of the recipe for hamburger or hot dog buns. If making two regular loaves, bake in a 375°F oven for 25-minutes. A very versitile dough. ------------------------------------------------------ * ascorbic acid powder is available at most health food stores. It's a very important ingredient when you make yeast bread that includes wheat germ (which is in whole wheat flour). There is a substance in wheat germ called Glutathione. This substance breaks down the gluten and can result in a short loaf. The bran in whole wheat bread can cut the gluten strands, which results in a short squatty loaf. The sponge helps to soften the bran. The addition of 1/8 t. ascorbic acid per loaf of bread will counteract the negative effects of Glutathione. It will help prevent the gluten bonds from breaking down and will also help repair gluten bonds that have been broken. The ascorbic acid also helps sustain the leavening of bread loaves during baking. Yeast grows longer and faster when there is also ascorbic acid. Do not add it to sourdough recipes because they are naturally an acidic atmosphere. ** Chia seed gel is a mixture of chia seeds and water (1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water). This mixture thickens as the seeds absorb the water and adds hydration to the crumb of the loaf. It looks like poppy seeds in the bread after it's baked. Excellent nutritional boost and additional fiber. --------------------------------------------------------- BY HAND, place sponge ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl and mix the sponge ingredients together with a Danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon and beat the ingredients about 100 strokes. Cover, and allow to sit at room temperature at least 2-1/2 hours, but up to 12 hours. After the sponge is done: add the flour gradually to the sponge mixture using a Danish dough whisk (or wooden spoon) and carefully beat in each addition of flour before adding more. You may end up beating the dough 500-800 strokes, but do as much mixing as you have the strength to do. If you need to stop and rest, that's fine. The rest will allow the dough to hydrate. Towards the end of mixing, add the salt (DON'T FORGET!!!). The gluten will tighten up and make mixing harder after adding salt. The better job you do of mixing the dough and developing the gluten while it's in the bowl, the less time you'll need to knead it. When you knead the dough, avoid adding a lot of bench flour. If you have a problem adding too much flour during kneading, grease/oil your hands during kneading instead - especially during the last 2-3 minutes of kneading. -Grainlady

loves2cook4six - In that case, I'd look for bread recipes made with bakers' yeast that are designed specifically for low-sodium; ones that give you a nutritional break down (especially the amount of sodium per serving) rather than altering recipes. Those recipes have probably been tested for success. If you've ever developed recipes (which I've done) you'd better know a lot about the science of the ingredients so when you remove something, what must you add or alter.... There is usually a ratio of 1 teaspoon salt per tablespoon of yeast. One to two tablespoons of dry yeast are needed to rise 6-8 cups of flour. You'll also find naturally-leavened (aka sourdough breads) will make up very well without the addition of salt, or only a very small amount of salt. I have a 95-year old friend who makes salt-free sourdough bread every couple weeks. Recipes that use a sponge method also work better for making low-sodium breads. When we make bread using a straight or direct-mix method, salt plays a big part in regulating the yeast because this type of bread method is designed for speed. Naturally-leavened breads and sponge method take more time to make, however. Be sure to figure out how much sodium per bread serving you are getting, rather than a total elimination of all salt in the bread. After all, you're not eating a whole loaf. A quick and easy way to reduce sodium is to make two or three small loaves, rather than one large loaf. Small loaves can easily be cut into very thin slices (weighing 1/4-3/4 oz. per slice, so instead of getting 16-20 slices per recipe, you may get at least double, or more, than that. Salt isn't the only sodium-contributing food we consume - it's just one of the easiest to over-use. Everyone NEEDS some sodium. "It's important in maintaining the body's ability to regulate acid-base balance, transmit nerve impulses, regulate cell membrane function and muscle activity, and absorb and transport certain nutrients." People rarely consider how much sodium is in their tap water, for instance. In most instances 1/2 to 3/4 t. salt per loaf of bread is not enough to add significantly to dietary salt intake. Remove all the salt and then you'll have to watch the rise of the dough VERY carefully because it will quickly over-proof if you follow "normal" times. A high amount of sugar in a recipe will also slow down the yeast activity. In doughs with high ratios of sugar to flour, osmotic tolerance is low because the amount of available water in the dough is limited for the yeast to work. Too much sugar will draw water from the yeast and inhibit its growth. Two tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour is the maximum that you can add without major gluten damage. It also takes much longer to develop gluten in doughs with a high ratio of sugar, so expect to knead it about double the amount of time you would in order to develop the gluten. -Grainlady

I don't heat my liquids at all. I always have good results. I never use extra gluten or special yeast. I buy my yeast in bulk at my local health food store, and normally I use a tablespoon of yeast for a two pound loaf. I keep my yeast in the refrigerator, or, if I have bought a really large bag of it, I will keep most of it in the freezer. If you're using whole wheat flour, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. You won't taste it and it helps the rise. If the recipe calls for white flour AND whole wheat, always make the white flour be bread flour. If I don't use bread flour, I add about half a cup of mashed potatoes (or 1/4 cup of instant mashed potato flakes) into the mixture. The problem might be your recipe, might be calling for too much or too little fat and sugar. If you have a failure with a recipe, try a different one next time. Barnmom, it looks like you might've had a little too much liquid. If I'm trying a new recipe I will watch it while the machine kneads the dough. If the dough does not form up into a nice ball during the kneading process, cleaning the sides and bottom of the can, then it will rise up nicely but fall during baking. Hope this helps! --Ilene