Mission accomplished!!! Thank you all for your input!!!
The winner!
Made with wheat bran levain, inspired by Dabrownman's great idea...
The wheat bran levain. I know, that's a lot of it. I usually make my breads with 50%+ of pre-fermented flour.
Mixing the bran levain in the dough...
Adding sprouted grains to the dough... For this bread, the sprouted grains were mixed and cooked together before adding to the dough; there was no specific proportion for each grain.
Testing for gluten development. Imagining myself pinching my kids' cheeks. In a way, the dough is my baby too, isn't it?
Done mixing. Looking good...
The wheat bran whole wheat bread
100% whole wheat flour, 50% of which and 16% wheat bran were pre-fermented by starter and raisin yeast water. I decreased the % of sprouted grains to 24% because the dough was not as strong, and I didn't want to take any chances in my first bake of this bread. It's very likely that I'll test and change the proportions of wheat bran and sprouted grains in the future. 
The crumb shot...
Ready to serve...
The runner-up...
I call it "the guys' loaf" because I used ingredients suggested by the guys: 10% cracked wheat soaker, 20% sprouted wheat berries (plus 10% of other mixed sprouted grains), and 2% vital wheat gluten.
Thank you for helping me out!
Getting ready for the "chewy crumb" challenge...
No more collecting dust, the grain mill is now being used...
Cracked wheat soaker - cereal-like, tastes sweet, very nice; microwaved for 2 minutes, all the water had already been absorbed. Even though I used about 160% hydration in the soaker, the cracked wheat berries still turned out a bit too tough in the baked loaf. Have you ever had similar problem with your soaker?
Sprouted grains for this bread were cooked and weighted separately...
Mixing the base dough...
Adding cracked wheat soaker first...Used only 10% because I was worried about the hydration in the soaker would make my dough too wet.
Testing for gluten development again. Pinching cheeks...
Sprouted grains with specific proportions...
Start mixing...
Final testing of gluten development...
All set...
Bread made with VWG comes out taller... Wheat bran WW on the left, without VWG.
Crumb shot of the "guys' bread". It's not as chewy as the wheat bran WW bread. Even though only 2% of VWG was used, that bland hollowness, which masked the flavors of all the other ingredients, shocked my taste buds one more time. It suddenly dawned on me why the store-bought whole wheat breads taste like "cardboard". The VWG used in those breads must be one of the culprits!
The "just for fun"...
Bread on steroids - made with 4% vital wheat gluten. Don't tell me what you're thinking!!!
With 4% vital wheat gluten added, yes, the bread is less airy and it gives a more substantial mouth feel. However, I still don't find the bread "chewy" and it tastes bland, which I suspect is caused by the (over use of) VWG...
but the loaf is indeed much taller...
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sprouted bread I have ever seen. Just beautiful I wish I could taste it to compare it to mine! I see you are a sneaky little devil getting those beans in there too! This is what Ezekiel Bread should be like too:-) The side by side of 2% VWG really shows the effect of adding gluten to these kinds of breads. I'm surprised you could taste it though. I can't at such tiny amounts. I too have a problem with cracked grains if I don't bring them to a simmer and let them sit for 24 hours - just too hard otherwise. I don't cook my sprouts though. They are soft enough.
It is nice to see others using the bran levain technique. It really does make for a softer higher crumb and a bread that is more sour. Could you taste a difference in the sour? It is harder to taste with 100% whole grain breads since the grains themselves are so powerful in flavor. I wish I had a seet of ypur tall thin pans too! Well done all the way around and
Happy baking Yippee
You are well deserving of the praise. You have worked hard for it! That bread looks awesome!
and the rest is history....thank you!
Hi, DBM:
The wheat bran WW bread is both chewier and tangier. The techniques I learned from making this bread are the most valuable experiences of my experiment. Thank you!
changed my bread making forever too. It makes such big difference in whole grain breads. It is a nice feeling to get things figured out ...for a change :-)
Congratulations for coming up with a loaf according with your preference! The advantage of home baking! DBM is really a pool of ideas or is it Lucy or both?
It's a pleasure working with inspiring bakers to achieve my goals.
accurately, predict the weather, pick winning lottery numbers, as well as, knead, shape and score the dough for you - so stay tuned ........this one might take her awhile.
Great looking loaf. Love the crumb and texture and I bet it tastes awesome.
Thanks for stopping by. I feel so elated for having made this bread. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment.