I actually put this together, meaning to for a while, after dmsnyder mentioned Suas's whole wheat. This is my first try at a truly 100% whole wheat bread and both Adam, my husband, and I think it's a keeper, but with one change: it needs more honey.

Soaker

• 200g whole wheat flour
• 115g white whole wheat flour
• 35g gluten flour
• 260g milk

Biga

• 200g whole wheat flour
• 150g water
• 5g instant yeast

Final Dough

• all of the soaker
• all of the biga
• 50g butter
• 55g honey (we think that 80g would have been better)
• 12g salt
• 25g milk

Method:

Put soaker ingredients together in a bowl and thoroughly combine. Set aside. Put biga ingredients together in a bowl and thoroughly combine. Place plastic wrap over both bowls and let alone for an hour or so. Mine went for a little over since I was feeding Alexander at the time.

To mix the final dough, break both the soaker and biga up into small pieces and place into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add all other ingredients and mix on low until everything is incorporated into the dough, then medium-low for 3-4 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Place in a bowl for bulk ferment.

During bulk ferment I did 2 letter stretch and folds. I don't really think I needed to as the dough seemed to be very elastic, but I wanted to be sure. Allow to double after the second stretch and fold if you decide to do it. Overall, the dough got a 2 hour ferment.

Cut into two pieces and shape into loaves. This worked for 1 loaf sandwich bread and about 4 rolls. Baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, then went down to 325 for 10 minutes. I took the rolls out before turning the temperature down.

This is soft, light, and perfect for sandwiches. Both my husband and I like the fact that it isn't too heavy, yet it's 100% whole wheat. Considering the fact that none of my projects have been going completely right lately, this success (and one other that I'll mention on my other blog once I've figured it out *without* it being a slight accident) makes me feel good again.

Now I think I can tackle David's San Joaquin Sourdough. ;)

I've been doing a bit of looking around and I'm running into contradictory information on what is meant by the term "straight dough"

In some instances, this is said to refer to the "flour, water, salt and leavening agent" mixture, i.e. NOT enriched bread.

In other instances, it is claimed to be the term for commercial yeast bread as opposed to sourdough bread.

Then you run into terms like "standard dough" which muck things up even more.

So, if I said "I made a straight dough", what would YOU presume this to be? 

This detail isn't addressed in the Handbook's glossary section.

Hi

I'm just getting to grips with a 20-quart Hobart (nicknamed 'Godzilla'), standard hook. I need this machine as I bake for a local market and they keep crying 'More bread, more bread!'. I'm getting variable results, with some breads not rising as much as expected and others fine. I have read the threads here and seen that people mirror my own experience re. hydration levels; that at lower hydration (say below 62%) a medium-size stand mixer can just push the dough around (and wind it up the hook).

To try to eliminate variables, I'd like to ask a simple question: for a 20-quart planetary stand mixer, is the extra investment in a spiral hook worthwhile, in folk's opinions?

Best from the UK

Steve