Do you know how to prepare grains properly?
I know everybody doesn’t view grains as extraspecialicious as me. I know grain-free recipes are pretty popular nowadays. I know there are even more grain sensitive people out there. I know the best-selling book, Wheat Belly, has convinced everybody that eating grains are like making a pact with the devil. And I know that gluten-free is becoming a household name.
What was that joke told by Jimmy Fallon?
“It’s been discovered that 1% of the population is allergic to gluten…”
“…And 99% of the population is sick of hearing about it.”
Now, I understand that some people truly can’t tolerate gluten, and I’m not here to say that gluten intolerance isn’t a real thing. While I used to have some wicked digestive issues when placing grains in my tummy, I now do amazing with all grains simply by preparing grains properly.
Kickin’ it Old School: Properly Prepared Grains Style
One of the most interesting things that Dr. Weston A. Price, author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration discovered when he visited each of the 14 traditional societies across the globe, is that they ALWAYS prepared their grains properly. They had never stepped into the modern world, had never met each other, and yet, preparing grains was “the thing” to do. It was ridiculous to them to eat a nut without soaking first or to grind a grain into flour and bake bread without a pre-soak time. This is because these traditional societies knew that grains, beans, nuts, & seeds are full of anti-nutrients and are extremely difficult to digest unless prepared properly. They probably figured this out when grains were the only food that could be stored for years without rotting. Fruits & vegetables, dairy, meat, seafood — all of it rotted. But not grains. Traditional societies knew that things that can’t be broken down by the elements can’t be broken down by a human body. It needed some preparation before eating. This is exactly why we transitioned from a whole foods diet to a more traditional diet.
Fun fact: Everybody used to prepare their grains properly before the Industrialization of Food circa 1900; in fact, your great-grandmother might remember that the instructions on the oatmeal box recommended an overnight soak before cooking. Those instruction were removed with the invention of quick oats and microwavable oats.
The Science behind Preparing Grains Properly
Grains have a special protection on them called phytic acid (also called an anti-nutrient). This phytic acid prevents the grain from being digested. You see, inside the grain there’s amazing stuff like fiber, nutrients, minerals & enzymes. I mean, that’s why we eat whole grains, right? To get all the amazing goodness inside! But, we can’t get very much of that unless the phytic acid is broken down before we eat it.
When a whole grain is ground into flour, there are some nutrients that are released. So we do get a little benefit from eating whole grains plain. But, all that phytic acid that you eat with that whole grain that you didn’t prepare properly becomes like a little demon in your digestive tract. You see, phytic acid’s job is to “hold on to nutrients” until it’s death. It simply won’t release all that fiber, nutrients, mineral & enzymes your body so desperately needs. The little phytic acid demon also goes a little crazy and starts snatching up any available nutrients it can find. It will even steal nutrients from other food currently in your digestive tract. We become nutrient deficient and our digestive system starts to throw a tantrum from all the chaos phytic acid created.
By preparing grains properly, you are basically breaking down the grain prior to ingesting it. This preparation tells the grain that it’s okay to open up and release phytase, which is the enzyme that breaks down phytic acid. The nutritional quality of the grain increases and your body is able to take all that nutrition and avoid any tummy trouble.
How to Properly Prepare Grains:
There are 3 options to choose when preparing grains (and beans, nuts, seeds) properly – you can soak, sprout, or sour leaven. The 3 S’s. You don’t have to do all three, you just have to choose one, and once you get the hang of it, it’ll be easy peasy lemon squeezy…
Do you have to soak, sprout, or sour leaven EVERY SINGLE TIME? No. Like I talked about earlier, it’s important to live the 80/20 rule and avoid stress when it comes to eating. I’m giving you the education and instead of feeling overwhelmed you’re going to take this knowledge and slowly start incorporating these principles before you eat grains, beans, nuts, or seeds. You are NOT going to freak out and start crying, or run around your house and throw all your food out your back door, or drive your car into a tree. Just be cool, okay?
Beans are budget-friendly. They are a great extender to any meal. The best way to prepare beans or legumes is to soak it first for 8-12 hours on your kitchen counter covered in water with a tablespoon of an acidic medium such as apple cider vinegar, whey, yogurt, or lemon. (This is also in the order of my fav acidic mediums to use. Sorry lemon, you’re just not my fav as a soaking acidic medium.) Soaking with a tablespoon of an acidic medium simply helps release that phytic acid. And bonus, no more need for Beano! Gas isn’t an issue in beans that have been soaked before cooking. Apparently the magical fruit doesn’t make you toot after all. After soaking, pour off the water, rinse your beans and cook like normal, except your cooking time will be cut in half.
Nuts & Seeds can be budget-friendly as well if purchased in bulk and stored in the freezer. Before consuming however, they offer your body optimal nutrition and easy digestion if you soak for 8-12 hours in plain filtered water on your kitchen counter. If I’m having yogurt with nuts or oatmeal with nuts for breakfast or using nuts as a topper on pancakes or crepes that morning, I simply start a handful of nuts soaking before I go to bed the night before. You can also soak nuts, drain and dehydrate to store in your freezer as ready to go.
Grains are also budget-friendly and easy to purchase in bulk. They also store well because of all those anti-nutrients. Grains are divided into two categories — GLUTEN grains and NON-GLUTEN GRAINS. Those who are sensitive or allergic to gluten tend to avoid those gluten grains (and also try to convince everybody of their horrible-ness) but what many gluten-free people don’t realize that if they just prepared their gluten grains properly, they may notice they aren’t sensitive to gluten at all. (Of course those who are allergic should take care when introducing gluten grains back into their diet)
GLUTEN GRAINS also known as “Best for making Bread” grains:
- Wheat berries which are ground into wheat flour with a grinder like this one. Wheat has a bit of a history. Today’s wheat is a hybrid wheat, but not to be confused with GMO. Hybrid means that a special variety was formed by combining certain characteristics in other grains. It’s a natural method of producing a new variety, but it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Today’s wheat has a stronger stalk, but higher amounts of gluten and more anti-nutrients. This is why many people who have an intolerance to wheat will try older heirloom varieties such as Spelt, Emer, & Einkorn instead. I really love the taste of Spelt, but it is not cheap. We stick with wheat and prepared it many different ways depending on the recipe. We will soak wheat flour overnight in recipes such as muffins, biscuits, pancakes, etc. We will also use soaked methods or sour leavening methods to bake bread. And finally, we will use already sprouted flour we store in our freezer for last minute baking. Of course we’re not perfect and have been known to buy a loaf of crusty artisan bread from the health store.
- Barley, Kamut & Rye (These are other gluten grains that can be used to make bread, although I’ve only had experience with Barley. They are all great to use, just be sure to prepare them properly)
NON-GLUTEN GRAINS:
- Oats, Rice, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Millet, Kasha, Teff don’t inherently have gluten in them, but they still are a grain and therefore still need preparation.
- As for corn, it was traditionally prepared by soaking in lime water for 2 weeks, and then it is ground up into a paste shaped into tortillas, fried into chips, or mixed with lard and made into tamales. Because organic corn is expensive & making homemade properly prepared corn products are time-consuming, we buy in bulk and use it mostly to make popcorn (in that case, it’s not prepared properly) or we grind the corn in our grain mill to make cornmeal to be used in a soaked corn muffin recipe. We purchase sprouted Organic corn tortillas in bulk or purchase Organic tortilla chips from the store.
Your Basic guide to Preparing Grains Properly:
And finally, if you are looking for a guide to all other grains,beans, nuts & seeds and their soaking times, check out this awesome infographic here…
How are ya’ doing? Are you ready to start preparing your grains properly? Because it’s the cool thing now. Or I guess I should say it’s always been the cool thing, it’s just that now you actually get to be part of the club!
Want to learn more? Check out my articles on how to soak, sprout, & sour leaven your grains, beans, nuts, & seeds.
- The Ultimate Guide to Soaking, Sprouting, & Sour Leavening Grains – Part 1
- The Ultimate Guide to Soaking, Sprouting, & Sour Leavening Grains – Part 2
- The Ultimate Guide to Soaking, Sprouting, & Sour Leavening Grains – Part 3
- The Ultimate Guide to Soaking, Sprouting, & Sour Leavening Grains – Part 4
- Your Guide to Soaking & Sprouting Whole Grains, Beans, Nuts, & Seeds
- Grains: Are they good or bad?
Thank you so much for such helpful information. If I’m understanding correctly, sprouted grain flours aren’t the best to use for a loaf of sandwich bread because the gluten in this flour is somewhat diminished. I have soaked (but not sprouted) wheat berries and now that they are thoroughly dried, I had intended to mill them for sandwich bread. But is it likely that I will get the same results as with sprouted grain flour?
By the way, after soaking, I cooked and ate some of the wheat berries with a little butter & salt. So simple and so delicious! Also threw some in a salad, yum!
Hi Lori-
If you want to make a good sandwich bread, here’s what DaNelle suggests: https://www.weedemandreap.com/easy-soaked-whole-wheat-bread/
I hope that helps! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hello,
I want to mill my own wheat berries. I read above regarding soaking them, but then should i wait for them to dry before mill or mill immediately on the next morning? Thanks.
Hi Emilio-
It’s best to dry them after soaking and then mill them.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thank you Bobbi,
Any drying recommendations, please?
You can use a dehydrator with a mesh insert tray or dry them in the oven on a sheet pan, roasting them at 150ºF (66ºC) for 12 to 24 hours.
Does it matter if you use soaked or sprouted flour for different breads (sandwich bread, cookies, brownies, etc.)? I would prefer to use sprouted since I can make a bunch at once and store it easier.
Hi Laura-
You can use sprouted flour for baking, including the items you mentioned.
Here are some recipes to try:
https://www.weedemandreap.com/ultimate-guide-soaking-sprouting-sour-leavening-grains-part-3/
I hope that helps!
Thank you and Happy Baking! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I don’t want to sound stupid, but how do you soak the flour????
OR….. are you soaking the seeds long before you grind into flour??? I am confused
Hi Barb-
No, you don’t sound stupid, that is a great question! This article will tell you all about soaking flour: https://www.weedemandreap.com/guide-soaking-sprouting-sour-leavening-grains-part-2/
I hope that helps! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hello and thanks for all of this useful information. As an earlier poster requested, I would love to print the Soak and Sprout infographic but it’s unreadable/fuzzy both on the screen and if printed. The more I enlarge the image, the more distorted and hard to read. This is the one with the nice circle of grains and nuts. Can you PLEASE post a sharper image or provide a link to the original source of the graphic? Thanks again and keep up the great work!
I love the info graphic but it is a bit hard to read. Do you have another version of it or can you tell me about sesame seeds and how long they should be soaked for and how long it takes them to sprout?
Hi Kara-
Sesame seeds need 8 hours of soaking and 1-2 days of sprouting. Best of luck! Thanks -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have a quick question. I don’t have a flour mill. So I have been purchasing flour just from the store to make sourdough. I typically ferment the dough for 12 hours. I make bread fairly regularly so I feed the starter everyday. Fast forward a bit we just found out my 11 month old has wheat allergy. Knowing how it is better to get fermented grains would he or I (I’m breastfeeding) be able to tolerate the bread? I know the root is leaky gut and my goal is to start incorporating more fermented foods in the meantime is there hope?
I’m not sure how soon or if at any time he can tolerate wheat, but the good news is there are a TON of amazing wheat-free bread recipes out there, so I say give them a shot!
Hi DaNelle, thanks for this article, I have learned a lot!
I have a question similar to Connie’s. I also use ground whole grains for smoothies (making a homemade protein powder).
Now that I know that I should be soaking my oats and quinoa first, that poses a problem:
How do I grind the grains after soaking?
Do I have to dehydrate/toast them first, so that it won’t gum up my grinder?
Hi Michelle,
Exactly, you have to fully dehydrate them first:)
Hi, I recently came across amaranth and I’m new to preparing grains etc. I usually grind the Amaranth and then add it to my smoothies without soaking. Does grinding it help with the phytic acid? Also, if I choose to soak the amaranth first can I still grind them to add to my smoothies?
Hi Connie,
Unfortunately, no the grinding does not help with the phytic acid. Yes, you could soak, then put in the smoothies.
Hello Danelle 🙂
I just found your article and I’m kind of shocked because I was preparing my food in a wrong way. But it doesn’t matter, I’m happy I know more right now and I will change my habits. Also, I have a question. Every morning I have a muesli bowl and I was thinking how many days I can keep my cereals after soaking. I mean, I want to soak a bigger portion of muesli and then just to share it for the next days. Is it ok for the grains?
Hi Angela!
Most people will eat it 1-2 days after soaking, or they’ll freeze it for future eating.
I have recently started soaking grains thanks to your website. I use filtered water (commercial carbon filter in fridge) yet our water is municipal water that I know is treated with chlorine. I’ve looked into fermenting as well and it is recommended not to use water with any chlorine in it. I was wondering if the same is true for soaking and to avoid water with chlorine. I know you are probably not a water expert, but since I’ve found your site and a few others it is always an interesting discussion trying to figure out what is actually in our food and drink and how we can benefit from the good stuff and try to avoid the yucky stuff.
Hi Sally,
Yes, it is advised to avoid chlorinated water for soaking, if possible. We use a berkey water filter which also happens to filter out fluoride as well.
Couldnt you just treat the water with a little bit of vitamin C to neutralize the chlorine?
Hi Cherene-
You are correct. You can use vitamin C to neutralize chlorine. In fact some water treatment facilities do this to reduce the harm to aquatic organisms when they release water. Since they use something around one gram of ascorbic acid per 100 gallons of water, you would only need about 10 milligrams for a gallon. So just a tiny bit will do the trick. Thanks for reading and for this great question! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hey Sally, check also eSpring water treatment. Is the one I use. https://www.amway.com/at-home/eSpring/about-espring
One big reason to ferment is because fermenting grains removes the anti-nutrient lectin. If you have any type of autoimmune disease this is essential. Soaking is not enough, although it helps digestion. I ferment all my grains to remove it. I haven’t figured out how to ferment nuts and seeds, so I avoid them or doak them first. The nightshade family is also high in lectin. I am using a pressure cooker to help remove lectin although fermenting is probably the best way to prepare potatoes, tomatoes, beets, peppers, etc…
Does anyone know more about this through their personal experience? I have read all the common articles out there.
I mostly hoping to learn about gmo’s and if there is a safe way to prepare them to remove this anti nutrient….giving up corn is hard!
Thanks!
Soaking seeds is a great way to make a high stress protein transform into a medium stress protein. Soaking in pineapple juice or water with a bit of 3% hydrogen peroxide, then placing them in the refrigerator overnight helps to reduce mold and fungus. They are good for a few days.
Hello, interested in your writing. I have bought whole groats for over 15years and have for breakfast every day. I just grind them flat and put in the pan and cook.. Should I be soaking the groats in water after flattening, throw the water away then cook in my milk. If I have to soak is that loosing some of the nutrients. I have no allergies. I hope I have not been doing this wrong all these years. Please advise.
Yes, I would totally do that!
I’ve never been into “fad diets” or “specialty eating.” I generally think they’re silly and kind of annoying (example: my mom is on a gluten free diet because gluten is out to get you!). However, I just came across this article and it has completely changed my outlook on food. Thank you for sharing this! I’m excited to try this, and to read some more about the “traditional diet” you eat.
You mention that you use sprouted flour as a least option for prepared grains, however I’ve heard that sprouted flour is more digestible than sour leavening. Is there a reason that you prefer leavening? Do you find that it prepares the grains better?
Interesting, I’ve heard the opposite. In my personal experience, sour leavening is much easier to digest.
I see. Thank you for the info! Its a very confusing topic! Sour leavening seems like the most appealing method but do you find that it alters the taste of your flour? It commonly seems to be referred to as sour dough bread, but I wonder if there are any tips for preparing the wild yeast in a way that doesn’t give off a sour taste?
I think you touched on the topic in another post but without the specifics, You mention that you can prepare you wild yeast starter to be be as sour or sweet as you want. But how?
Hi,
Im under the impression that its actually good to grind grains a bit before soaking to increase the surface area? Have you heard of this?
Also with rice, have you heard about arsenic issue. Even though organic, it still persists. I rinse a lot before I soak, and cook in lots of water?
Hi Alama,
I haven’t heard that it’s better to grind grains first, but it can’t hurt in any way:) Also, I don’t worry about the arsenic issue, I try to just rinse the best I can and call it good!
Hi
I wonder if you could help me answer my question about grains.
I buy organic millet, and organic barley, organic buckwheat, etc.
I want tor grind into flour , but wonder about having to washed them first before grinding …or should I feel safe just using them out of package..because it says its organic.
thank you.
Yes, it’s best not to wash because if they grains are wet, you could ruin your grain mill:)
Hello Danelle, I would like to know if you rinse the soaking acidic water after being soaked? And when it comes to flour, can you use the white flour from the supermarket and soak it, and then how do you rinse the water? Or do you use the flour with the phytic acid in there?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Carolina
Hi Carolina-
This article will tell you how to soak your flour: https://www.weedemandreap.com/guide-soaking-sprouting-sour-leavening-grains-part-2/
The idea of soaking grains is to release the minerals in the bran and germ from phytic acid, but white flour does not have the bran or germ, so there is no need to soak it.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi from Mesa, AZ! Could you break down the basics of soaking? I don’t understand what the difference is between soaking and rising bread. If I’m making pizza dough, add in apple cider vinegar, and let it sit over night, does that complete the soaking process?
Hi Kim,
I just wrote an article on this…https://www.weedemandreap.com/ultimate-guide-soaking-sprouting-sour-leavening-grains-part-2/
I’m not sure I understand about soaked corn. Can you soak popcorn kernels to remove phytic acid before popping?
Thanks!
Michelle,
That’s a dang good question! I’ll have to research it to be sure. We’ve always just eaten popped corn in the normal way because I didn’t think it could be done. I’ll let you know what I find out.
Girl, you rock! I have started grinding flour for my yeast breads with grains right from the bulk bins and thinking, this can’t be right. The bread is great, but I was figuring that at a minimum, the grains needed to be rinsed like you rinse rice before you dump it into the rice cooker. But of course you can’t grind wet grains. I will have to digest all this tomorrow. Thanks. Merry Christmas!
I soaked some dried white Northern beans in filtered water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar for 12 hours before I poured off the water, rinsed and cooked them in a soup. Well, they NEVER fully soften, even after boiling and simmering them for over seven hours (I eventually just ate the soup with crunchy beans) – I researched and found that this happens when the beans are TOO ACIDIC. And… they also STILL GAVE ME GAS.
Confused,
Julee
how old are your beans? if they are too old, they may never soften. try cooking in a pressure cooker.
DaNelle,
O my gosh! You have saved my life and I have only read 2articles so far!! I have been diagnosed wheat intollerant followed by dairy intollerant, followed by hemp intollerant, then all grains, and now Avocado which is causing a latex like allergy!! I was starting to think that soon I wasn’t going to be able to eat ANYTHING anymore and I was like, “Am I eventually going to starve!?” Thank you sooo much! I had NO IDEA that you had to soak stuff!! I am currently attempting to heal my gut. I started with garlic and yogurt. I own an Amway business and they have a probiotic called intestiflora 7 and I have been having some success with it! So very excited to go on this journey towards a healthy gut with your articles! I’m going to read ALL OF THEM!!
Thanks again!
Ash
I make my own granola using pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts. If I soak them will they last as long and will I have to refrigerate the mix?
Love what you have to say!
I put a quote from this up on my blog today and linked to here, thought I should let you know 🙂
https://tootiesmith.blogspot.com/2013/10/gimme-another-slice.html
Thanks for the insight!
–Grace
Hello to All and especially to DaNelle,
What a neat website! I was wondering if anybody has her of The Bread Beckers. I recently discovered their website and they have a very interesting article on why NOT to soak grain! I wonder how it squares up with Weston Price research….however some of the indications of the article include soaking flour overnight as part of “gathering” homemade yeast!
https://info.breadbeckers.com/phytic-acid/
This site also has some pretty condemning stuff to say about Wheat Belly!
Be forewarned…the site is very Christian….whether that increases or decreases its credibility is neither here or nor there, but please try to be open minded! I was so scared of grains before reading the article, but I’m really starting to question the whole “phytic acid scare”!
Curious if anyone else sees validity in the article! 😀
Thanks for the comment! I have read that article, and I find it interesting that they recommend using wild yeast. Wild yeast actually DOES break down the PHYTIC ACID naturally. Soaking is simply another method.
Very interesting! I do hope to purchase a wheat grinder either way!
Thank you so much for your Good Better Best flow chart! Great way to implement baby steps!
Also, your son’s asthma story is truly exciting for me! My almost 3 year old has been struggling for about a year with asthma symptoms! Avoiding dairy and refined sugars has helped his eczema and I hope it will ease/erase his asthma symptoms!
Love your site (and your breastfeeding post)! I will definitely be following!
I’m actually curious about the feasibility of not using soaked oats right away. You stated that the reason grains do store so well for long periods is actually because of the anti-nutrients. So now I’m wondering if I anyone ever soaks them and doesn’t use them right away. Have you ever heard of anyone doing this? Maybe drying them after they’ve been soaked and sticking them in the dehydrator or something?
I’m curious if cold fermentation would be satisfactory as a “soak.” I use Peter Reinhart’s bread recipes, and if it’s not a sour ferment, he has you put the dough in the fridge to rise overnight or up to four days before baking it. I early love his techniques and would be thrilled if I don’t have to change my method.
A “cold” soak would be better than nothing, but leaving at room temperature is best.
Do the nuts have to be raw to soak properly (remove phytic acid)? Or can you soak roasted nuts and still remove phytic acid?
You can soak raw or roasted nuts, either is fine:)
We LOVE to eat homemade granola bars, but I hate that the rolled oats aren’t properly prepared. How would you prepare oats for making granola or granola bars? I just can’t figure it out!
Great question! I’m planning on posting a recipe soon!
Hi , just found your site & have been exploring for more than an hour.
I have been doing soaking for the couple of months. I have two questions.
1.
Do i need to throw the soaked water & rinse for Rice , Beans & quinoa?
Since Rice has B vitamins , Throwing that would make us loosing the vitamins.(I do not know about minerals leeching out)
2.
Can i soak rice / quinoa in just plain water . Since they have lesser phytic acid.
Thanks
So….maybe this is a silly question, but what about peanuts? I notice that you use peanut butter, so where do they fit into this scheme?
You are my superhero! But, because Superman is my husband’s, I have to tell you that the sun makes superman stronger, not earth. 🙂 Love ya!
Oh, right! Thanks;)
Thank you for introducing this concept. I’m curious how you feel about store bought organic sprouted whole wheat flour as an alternative to soaking. It seems too good to be true. Thoughts?
Storebought organic sprouted wheat flour should be fine, in fact, I purchase it and keep it in my freezer for thickening soups/gravies, making muffins, cakes, cookies, etc. Because the gluten has been broken down, it’ll be hard to turn into bread without adding some extra vital gluten. But for other things, it’s great!
You have quite an awesome site! I have made your pancakes and used your soaking methods and i appreciate to relief of my guilt with your 80/20 suggestion. Also the list of staples that you use. I have almost all those items on my shelf now! proud mommy moment.
Here are my questions: I’m soaking organic corn kernels in limewater now. I was soaking it to cook (after rinsing) and make corn salsa but everything I see about corn days soak then grind. Does that mean you shouldn’t just cook and eat?
I give my family sourdough bread instead of traditional (organic snappy sourdough from whole foods). I am doing this because everything I read says its low in phytic acid. But now I read it has to be real sourdough. How do you know if your store bought sour dough is real?
You don’t have to dehydrate nuts if you’re going to use or freeze immediately? I thought dehydrating further reduced phytic acid?
Have you ever tried two raw moms granola bars ( or something like that). They are very expensive. I tried to soak oats and I made granola which my family loved. But then I read soaking barely reduced phytic acid in oats so I didn’t do it again. My daughters like bars a lot so I wanted to find a low phytic acid healthy alternative that isn’t so expensive. Any ideas?
If you don’t have sprouted wheat pasta is whole wheat pasta a reasonable substitution (occasionally)?
Last in addition to beans, nuts, seeds, corn, and oats being soaked, should you soak green peas and green beans? They seem like they would probably have phytic acid. What about rice and quinoa?
Please feel free to refer me to a site or something to read but every time I read a new book etc i have the same specific questions which I finally decided to just ask 🙂
I soak my rice and quinoa. However, according to Nourishing Traditions, soaking brown rice is not absolutely essential as it is relatively low in phytic acid. So when I can’t soak something (such as pasta), I try to find a version of it made with brown rice.
Oats are difficult to soak because they don’t have enough of the enzyme to break the bad stuff down. To make soaking more effective for oats, add in some whole wheat or rye flour (which are high in phytase).
This may be a silly question, but how do you properly prepare oats for something like granola or granola bars?
I’m totally new to this, but so thankful to finally have an article that spells it all out, on how/why this works, for once!
Doing the soaking, I assume, then makes it perishable, right? And thus the reason for storing in freezers/fridges afterwards?
So just to be sure…if I were to switch to all home-soaked-then-ground flours, would I then never be able to store flour regularly in airtight jars on my counter/in my pantry? I always thought it was so pretty displayed in matching jars with the sugar, etc. And now I have images of having to hide it away in bags or something, in my freezer. (Not that food’s primary purpose should be as a decorative item, ha!)
Anyway, thank you for the clarification. And though I’m new here, I love your blog already!
(PS- Your site is awesome. Though I’m bummed that there’s no comment subscription button here for me to get followup comments.) :-/
Not sure what you are referring to as becoming perishable… but I have read many times that all nuts and grains should be stored cold. This is to prevent the oils in them from going rancid. You usually don’t notice the oils going off… I don’t think it usually makes you sick, but over time the nutrition in them decreases. This is my understanding, anyway.
Grind the flour first. You don’t soak the flour until you are making the recipe. It can be stored dry on your counter until then.
Does it matter how much water/acidic medium to use when soaking non-gluten grains like rice, quinoa, etc?
You can check out my previous post on soaking grains by clicking here. https://www.weedemandreap.com/2013/07/you-arent-cool-until-you-prepare-your-grains-properly.html
Thank you for this article. Have been soaking nuts and drying in oven low temp for a bit then to fridge ready for consumption for a while now. Have a question. Are raw organic nut butters that I purchase okay to consume as they are already soaking in their own oils? Many thanks.
Some companies do soak first, some don’t. I would call the company and ask if they soak them first. I don’t believe that soaking in their own oils breaks them down enough if you’re trying to avoid all phytic acid. We do the best we can, but also eat some unsoaked things like raw organic PB when I can’t get around to making my own.
So I have successfully sprouted, dried and milled my lovely wheat berries BUT when I make my favorite bread recipe with the sprouted flour the bread sinks and has a VERY gummy texture. I have tried twice to make it and the same thing has happened both times. If I make the recipe with freshly milled flour, the bread is delicious and lovely! Why is this, I want to know??? (Quoting Davy from Anne of Green Gables!) Please help as I would love to have yummy, light and fluffy bread using the sprouted wheat but am getting tired of giving it to the chickens!
I have not found sprouted wheat alone to make a good bread. It does come out really gummy. I don’t believe it forms the gluten necessary to get a good texture and rise. If you want a good bread, I have found the best way is to sour regular whole wheat flour (unsprouted) and then add a bit of sprouted wheat flour to the recipe. I’m not sure what ratio though. I have used about 1:8 ratio of sprouted to regular flour and it worked, but I don’t know beyond that. You will have to get a sourdough starter from someone or make your own.
do you have recipes for pancakes or muffins?
If I have a bag of store bought whole wheat flour, can that be soaked or do I have to buy actual wheat and grind it myself?
Soak it! Grinding your own just means it is fresher (and therefore maximum nutrients), but store bought works too.
I am really confused about this soaking of nuts and oats thing. Do the nuts taste funny/different after soaking? What about Old Fashioned Oats – doesn’t the cooking break them down enough? I can’t imagine soaking all the almonds, walnuts, and pecans we eat in this house. They are my number one go-to snack!
The enzyme (phytase) that breaks down the bad stuff (phytic acid) is destroyed by high temperatures. So cooking oats does nothing to reduce the amount of phytic acid. As for the nuts… the idea of soaking and then simply eating them is strange to me. I soak them and then dehydrate them.
this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, I particularly love the chart. We’ve been soaking/sprouting for a bit and now I can send people whoa ask why to this! I did notice, however I can’t find hazelnut on there and we have loads of them. Should I just follow the directions for some of the other nuts?
Yes, just choose another soaking time:)
are those info graphics available as pdf or doc files? They would be great to print & hang in the kitchen!
Sorry, just images for now:)
If you want to email me the jpegs, I can convert to a pdf for you. 🙂
Thanks for offering! I need to do it, I just haven’t got around to it 😉
We’ve been using sprouted flour for a while. But I’m still confused about the soaking of flour. For one cup of flour, how much water do you use? How much of the water is absorbed and how much can be poured off. And how does this affect the moisture in the recipe?
You’ll need to search for soaked recipes. They’ll have the correct water to flour ratios. I’m working on getting some up soon!
Okay-I found this really interesting. But I think I’m not fully understanding what you’re saying. Say I have wheat and want to grind it into flour to make pancakes in the morning. I need to soak the wheat overnight? What kind of grinder do you use? I would imagine (and I may be wrong) that most grinders are designed to grind dry ingredients and would gum up the grinder. Also, you talked about soaking flour…how does that work? Wouldn’t you end up with a paste and then still have the anti-nutrient in the paste (instead of dumping it with soak water)? Thanks so much!
It can be really confusing, I know!
Step 1) Grind the wheat kernels into flour in a grinder. These are dry and don’t gum up the grinder.
Step 2) Use the flout and soak overnight in an acidic medium to break it down.
Step 3) In the morning, cook your pancakes.
You won’t have anti-nutrients in the batter, the soaking time develops phytase, an enzyme to break down phytic acid and so it’s gone/changed.
You can actually sprout the wheat in a jar, then dehydrate and then grind. That’s how we’ve done it and doubling up these processes neutralizes more of the phytic acid, as DaNelle mentioned in the post, Soaking again for the pancakes is 2 out of the 3 ‘s’s’ mentioned in the post.
Thank you! One last question, though. Would you need to alter your recipe to compensate for the acidity of the flour paste?
No you don’t need to alter the recipe:)
Love love loving your posts on this topic! You’ve inspired me to finally take the plunge and switch from all homemade bread to all homemade SOURDOUGH bread, and that us making my family very happy :). Keen to hear more about soaked muffins etc – do you just leave the batter for a while before baking? Do tell!
Thanks! I’m still working on a soaked muffin recipe, but yes, it’s the same concept:)
I have a dumb question:
Do you soak the wheat first, then grind it? If not, how do you soak flour?
I’m very interested in this, as I am also attempting the Blood Type Diet and my type isn’t supposed to have wheat (none of the types are really, but mine REALLY REALLY isn’t) or corn (again, none are but still…). So I’ve been off the wheat. Sprouted wheat is thought to be ok, no gluten. Spelt is an approved item but I am only finding it in our health food store and it is costing waaaaaaay too much.
Thank you for your post!
No, grind first, then soak:)
Yup, you grind, then soak. But don’t do the blood type diet. It has been thoroughly shown to be hype in dozens of clinical studies. Look at the page on this site: https://www.weedemandreap.com/2012/12/why-a-traditional-diet-is-better-than-a-whole-foods-diet.html for a good healthy diet. I repeat, DO NOT do blood type dieting; it’s fake and a scam.
I totally agree with Joshua here. I did the blood type diet and felt HORRIBLE! I, too, think it’s a scam.
When you soak flour what kind do you use? I have old canned white flour i’m trying to get through… Would soaking even help?
Soaking always helps. I use whole wheat
I am very much looking forward to your soaked bread recipe. I bake all of our own bread but recognize that I need to get away from traditional recipes that don’t involve using sprouted flour or soaking.
Grains and beans have been soaking for tonight’s black bean soup, though. At least I got that right!