PJ, thank you so much for this post. I have been trying to up the whole grains in my recipes, but didn't always like the taste and texture differences. I stumbled on the orange juice trick somewhere a while ago, and it does help. But this is the best post I have seen anywhere on how to improve the texture and rising. In my own kitchen experiments I have been including an autolyse in my whole grained breads, even when the all-white flour recipe didn't call for one. (I add the salt after the autolyse and before the kneading.) Did you try this, and do you think my results will get even better if I don't wait to add the salt. My theory was that the salt was making the yeast work harder so it would be helpful to let the yeast get a head start. But having made one loaf where I accidentally forgot to add the salt (yuck), I am eager to try it your way!

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