Sourdough bread uses a "sourdough culture" for leavening.
Kneading is what develops the gluten and makes the dough elastic. The gluten forms and after rising the bread the "rise" is from the gases formed by the yeast. To get a finer texture, you rise the bread multiple times and "punch down" the dough after every rise. Sprouted flours and whole wheat flours will require more kneading to get the gluten to form which is why white flour is often used in the mix to get some rise. I'm relatively new to the macrobiotic thing but when I used to make lots of bread, I'd use one cup white to about 3 cups whole wheat.
I've often thought of using a mixmaster with a dough hook to do it, but doing it by hand is much better therapy!
