Okay, PJ, I'll confess...I'm one of those moms who DID start baking with 100% whole wheat flour...in 1971! And my kids did take their pb&j to school on homemade whole wheat bread...and they still love me! I've learned a lot in the past 41 years about baking with whole wheat flour, and I would have to agree that the addition of the option of using WHITE whole wheat has made the biggest difference in the results. However, I'd also like to suggest another product that has also made a HUGE difference in the quality and our enjoyment of my home-baked goods: my home mill! I live not far from Amish country in Ohio, and my husband and I go out and purchase 50 pound bags of wheat berries two or three times a year. I NEVER grind and store my flour; the berries are always weighed just prior to grinding for a particular recipe and I have the other ingredients ready to mix it together as soon as the flour finishes grinding. I purchased my mill in the fall of 1997, and I cannot begin to imagine how many pounds of flour it has ground in those 15 years! Because my flour is always fresh, I don't ever have to deal with the slightly rancid flavor from the oil in the wheat germ that gives whole wheat its bad reputation. Many friends who claim to be ONLY white-bread eaters have eaten and ENJOYED my whole wheat products. Now to this recipe. I can't wait to try it! It's intriguing to me to try your suggestion of brushing the raw dough with beaten egg before sprinkling the sugar, cinnamon, flour mixture atop. Certainly brushing the dough with butter does not work, as the swirl separates and heaven help the poor soul who tries to put a slice of separating swirl bread in a pop-up toaster! I'm about to go mix up my sponge and let it set until tomorrow morning. It sounds like it will be GREAT, and I thank you once again for helping to make us home-bakers even better than we would otherwise be! You have raised your bread baking to a whole new level with grinding your own flour. What dedication! I hope your own children will be making their own bread some day, too. My mom also made our sandwich bread, but it took until I was an adult to be able to appreciate the love and hard work she put into it! Thank you for sharing. Elisabeth What goes around comes around, eh? Thanks for being a steady whole wheat baker for the past 4+ decades... I agree, freshly ground ww flour is very different than bagged; I find it behaves quite differently, and tastes delicious. Since it's impractical for many of our readers to grind their own wheat berries into flour, I'll continue to develop recipes using flour from the mill; but I'm glad you've been able to enjoy fresh-ground, all these years. Thanks for sharing - PJH

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