Soaking Grains

UPDATE (4/12/12) See this new post about Why I Don’t Soak Grains

I am not an expert. Well, I’m not an expert at healthy eating. I am however an expert at shaving fingers off with a box grater……and an expert at falling down stairs…….and an expert at pronouncing words incorrectly. But, I do a lot of reading. A lot. If I have down time, you can bet I’m reading. So, when I got my new Nutrimill I began reading everything I could get my hands on……and I came across soaking. What? Seriously. You’re telling me that not only do I need to grind my wheat to get the best nutrition, now I have to SOAK it? You’re joking. You jest. I brushed it off. Good grief. I can only do one thing at a time for Pete’s sake. So, I learned how to use my mill and the flour and then I decided that I was ready to move on to something else. That’s really how it works guys. Don’t try to conquer the world all at once. Instead, do one thing at a time…..preacher – choir.

Whole grains are SO good for you. They are full of vitamins and minerals….and bran.  And we all know what bran is for, huh? It’ll clean you out buddy boy. Without getting too gross, I’ll just tell you that grinding fresh flour will keep you regular. Really regular. Enough said. BUT, there is a catch. God created seeds to protect themselves. They have a thing called “phytic acid” that protects them from being absorbed. Phytic acid keeps a seed from sprouting prematurely…..because after all, that seed was meant to be planted and grown – not just deposited into your stomach. Speaking of that – did you ever see “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”? Where the little boy talks about stuffing a pussy-willow down someone else’s ear and letting it sprout and grow. Good times. Anyway, when you don’t soak your flour the phytic acid doesn’t break down and the seed passes through your body without any absorption happening…..so you just missed most of those nutrients. Soaking breaks down the acid and lets your body get the most out of the whole grains. It makes your bread more easily digestible.

So, how do you do it? Before I go to bed at night, I mix up my fresh ground flour with part of the liquid in the ingredients. The water should be warm and you should include an acidic liquid – think whey or kefir. You might have extra whey leftover from your Greek yogurt. I let it sit overnight, then get up in the morning and proceed with the recipe. It really doesn’t take a lot of extra time, it just takes planning. I can really tell a difference when I soak and when I don’t. We seem to be fuller and more satisfied when we soak our grain.

That being said, I don’t always soak. Why? Well, sometimes I forget. I might want to bake and I want to bake NOW. I don’t want to wait 8-12 hours……I’m not good at waiting. I hate going to the doctor. Waiting is dumb. But, I am a planner, so it’s easy for me to incorporate this idea. Having a meal planhelps because I know in advance what bread I need and when. If I don’t forget, sometimes I just don’t feel like doing it. Do I need a reason for that? No, I’m a woman……and I don’t need a reason for being testy or being in a bad mood either – I only need chocolate. Thank you. I know it’s better for us, so I try to do it when I can. If I forget, I don’t freak out and fall on the floor, foaming at the mouth. I don’t soak cornmeal at all because it requires pickling lime and yadda, yadda. I might go there eventually, but I can only tackle one thing at a time for Pete’s sake!

I learned most of what I know about soaking through Kitchen Stewardship. I read and read, and then Katie put out an e-book specifically about soaking. The e-book will tell you why you should soak with all the big terms that I can’t pronounce (see above about pronouncing) and she’ll tell you how to do it. Then the rest of the book is full of recipes for soaking. The book is a compilation of recipes from tons of different bloggers…..and the recipes are GOOD. The book is called “Is Your Flour Wet?” and it’s FREE! Yep, you just sign up to get Katie’s newsletter and you can download it for free. I love free. I bet you didn’t know that, did ya? I like keeping you on your toes about me.

If you use the sourdough method, then that takes care of the soaking process for you. Since sourdough has to sit so long to raise and get “sour” you’re soaking it by default. This family loves sourdough pancakes! So, just another step in our baby steps to healthy eating that I wanted to share with you guys.