Whole Wheat Sourdough No. 2

Janedo's basic bread

Janedo's basic bread - Crumb

This is the second time I have baked Janedo's Pain au Levain (Sourdough) recipe for what she calls her "basic bread." Since I cannot truly duplicate the flours she uses in France, I am liberated to experiement using different combinations and proportions of American flours.

 The first time, I used a combination of King Arthur First Clear Flour and Guisto's White Spelt flour. This time, I fed my starter with KA Organic Whole Wheat Flour and used KA Bread Flour in the dough. The Ingredients were:

160 gms Starter
307 gms water
540 gms KA Bread Flour
10 gms Salt 

 The dough seems just very slightly less hydrated than my last attempt. As you can see, the crumb was denser, as expected. It was very chewy. The crust was a bit crunchier and less chewy than the First Clear/Spelt version.

 Overall, the taste was less sour this time, and the whole wheat flavor was less apparent than I expected. This was a bread that would be an excellent sandwich foundation, but it was not my "target" bread. I think the combination of flours was too strong.

 So, what flour combination should I try next? KA Artisan Flour with a little spelt? Or a little whole wheat? Or Golden Buffalo and spelt? Hmmmm....

David

Hello!  I am new here, and I am trying to make a successful loaf of whole wheat sourdough.  I have tried twice now, with decent flavor, but very little rise.  In fact, the second time, the loaf actually fell some in the oven (did I overproof?).  I have read many posts on here, and it seems many people use a gram scale to measure ingredients, a special basket for proofing, and a dutch oven type of container for baking in.  I do not have any of these items yet!  I am feeling quite overwhelmed, because it seems like there are so many ways of going about making sourdough bread, and I am n