Bread

I've tried for years to bake wholemeal, but it's never come out right - I've had much the same problems as DFP - yeasty flavour, stodgy consistency, not rising properly - all sorts of rubbish.

If anyone's hand-kneading and is getting good results, can you just say what ingredients you're using (including fresh or powdered yeast), how long you're kneading it for etc. I badly want to get it right...

Wholemeal is always going to be stodgier than white bread. There is nothing you can do to make it as light as white bread, but you can do things to make it as light as possible. See the quote in post #16

All you need to use is flour, water, salt and yeast.

Sugar will make the yeast work faster, but if you're prepared to let it take its time then sugar isn't needed - I never add it unless I need the bread ready quickly.

If it tastes yeasty then you've probably added too much yeast, and if it hasn't risen properly then you didn't leave it long enough and/or didn't leave it in a warm enough place.

You could also try mixing 50% wholemeal with 50% white flour, so you get a compromise between the wholemeal's flavour and the white's texture