Brenda asked:
I have a question about soaking grains. I read the “how to” but I am wondering, do you refrigerate while soaking? I know you add kefir and so I would think you need to refrigerate but I am not sure.
Keep it out on the counter. Cover with saran wrap, plate or towel to keep the moisture in. You want to keep it on the counter to absorb the natural bacteria from the air. Maintaining the warm room temperature is essential for breaking down the phytates in the grain which make it difficult to digest apart from soaking.
Michele asked:
I’ve never heard about soaking. Do you know if soaking makes wheat more tolerable for people like me? Also, when soaking with kefir or buttermilk, it’s O.K. to leave it out for that long? The milk won’t spoil?
Thanks for your help.
I understand that soaking or sprouting your grains can help eliminate allergies for many people. It is definitely worth a try! Again, leaving your soaked grains out at room temperature will not cause it to spoil, as you are using a cultured product (kefir/buttermilk) and it must remain at room temperature to fully break down the phytates.
DeAnna asked:
I measured out my whole grain flour today, then mixed up my yogurt and the water and mixed it in with the flour and I was wondering if I wasn’t supposed to “mix” it? I started thinking that by soaking, maybe I was just supposed to do that, pour the water/yogurt mixture on top and let it sit? Also, when you mill your own grains do you soak them as well?
Definitely mix it in! You did it right! You want the acid medium to come in contact fully with the flour or grains to do it’s job. Yes, I try to soak all my freshly ground flours as much as possible. That is the standard flour I use as it is fresh and nutritionally dense.
For more information on soaking your grains, read the how-to post here.
If you don’t mind, have you read this article: http://info.breadbeckers.com/phytic-acid/
and if so, do you have any comments to share on it?
Is it better to soak your grains or to use sourdough??
Ideally, sourdough is probably the best option, but both are great and can be used to accomplish different recipes.
I have two questions, I hope they aren’t too long : ) I tried using a recipe from Jordan Rubin, soaked blueberry muffins, which I like but my kids ADORED. I’ve never seen them eat anything so fast, but my question is if I’m substituting some wheat germ, oat bran, and flax seed in place of a little of the flour, should I add them to the soaking? Also he has coconut oil in the recipe but does not add it to soaking, should I? Thanks!
I would recommend adding the additional ingredients you mentioned to the soaking mixture. They have phytates as well and can thus benefit from soaking. The coconut oil can go either way. I usually melt it and add it to the soaking only if I am in need of additional liquids to keep it moist.
How wet should my flour be for soaking? I have tried to do soaking but my flour ends up being so dry and crusty the next day. I have a feeling I'm doing something wrong. It doesn't seem like “soaking” to me.
If it is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water the next time you try it. It takes experimenting!
First, let me thank you for a wonderful and inspiring blog!
My question is about the super baby porridge- is there a certain kefir you started with for your baby when she was 10 months? I just started making brown rice porridge for my 7 month old and would like to start soaking but not sure what kind of yogurt to get? Will plain Stoneyfield or dannon do? I tried soaking with lemon juice, and I must say the cereal was very nice and soft, but it tasted like lemons… I was afraid to give it to her. Is lemon juice/apple cider vinegar okay for babies to have?
I actually made my own kefir from raw milk, but you can use a good cultured yogurt for soaking as well. I would use a full fat plain yogurt such as stonyfield.
I cook gluten free and when I soaked my flours they soured and the muffins tasted sour. Sour to the point of you can’t eat it cause you’d get sick. I followed your soaking instructions, the only thing I can think is maybe I soaked them for too long (20 hours) and maybe rice and millet flour don’t need that long? Wondered what you thought?
Sourness can be caused by two things. One, your kefir was cultured too long which can cause sour flavor to be imparted to soaking ingredients, or you used too much acid medium. Try less (only 1 tbsp per cup). You can always start smaller and increase as you get used to it. Your length of time is fine. The temperature could also be too high. It takes some experimenting and nothing I have tried came out perfectly the first time. Keep trying! Try a different acid medium next time.
Hi again. Thanks for all the wonderful information on your site. My question is about soaking the ground rice and millet (or other grains) to make the Super Baby Porridge from the Super Baby Food book.
Do you grind the grains and then soak or soak the grain whole and then cook? I wanted to pre-grind the grain and store, but soaking would mean I’d have to grind every 2-3 days. I’m confused. Can you help me out?
Thanks
You can actually do it either way. The current Super Baby Porridge recipe on my blog uses pre-ground grains (rice/millet) with which you soak in liquids as the recipe describes, but you can also simply soak the whole grain form in water and then blend it up in the blender. Use the same amount of liquids in the recipe for both methods. Enjoy!
Hi Lindsay,
I am really enjoying reading all your info on this site!!
My question is: if i don’t have 12 hours to soak the flour (for dinner rolls as an example), should I not soak at all or is a little soaking better than none?????
oops! i meant to check the email box for followup comments
thanks!
Carole, a little soaking is definitely better than none!
Many thanks for the quick reply! And congrats on your beautiful baby boy!
Does soaking the grain have any affect on the fiber?
Yes, it helps make it more digestible to the body.
Lindsay,
Do you know if you are supposed to refridgerate nuts that you are soaking? I was told to soak in the fridge in water, changing out the water daily. Is there supposed to be an acid medium and should they be out on the counter like grains? Thanks!
Sorry if this is a really simple question. I have made the soaked oatmeal a couple times and I have a lot of trouble with it sticking to the pot. How do you prevent this?
I followed your recipe for soaked cooked oatmeal the other day. I added the wheat flour as you suggested and soaked it for about 18 hours. The end result tasted exactly like we were eating plain wheat dough. Is this the way it’s supposed to be?
Hmm…try soaking for a shorter amount of time or using less flour. If you add other dried fruit and sweetener that usually does the trick to impart some flavor! Everyone just has to experiment to see what their family prefers. It is a porridge in texture and will become more so the longer you soak.
Lindsay,
I have been baking bread with fresh ground whole grains for a couple of years.
Sue Gregg has a 2 step method for baking bread which includes soaking the grain.
Is this the method that you use? I tried once and it didn’t turn out right. I feel like I need a kind of step by step detailed instruction on how to do it! Do you have a post like that on your blog anywhere? If not, could you make an entry about it?
I really want to start, but my last unsuccessful attempt is hindering me!
Yes, I have used a lot of Sue Gregg’s methods including the bread varieties. I have been enjoying her whole grain bread off and on using spelt flour. I have a soaked recipe for bread here on my site, but even I have been experiencing some sunken results lately. I think I am finding that it needs a bit of a boast, so I just ordered dough enhancer (which Sue Gregg recommends) from Urban Homemaker…I think this might just do the trick!
Thanks for the answer, I had already looked around your site and a couple others and realized that was doing it correct, it just looked so weird the next morning I was afraid I did it wrong.
I’m hoping I can find a good grain mill so start grinding my own, seems so much healthier and less expensive to do it that way. Thanks for all the tips and help!
When I am soaking my whole wheat flour for bread, there is not enough liquid to “cover” all the flour, so some stays dry (as I need to reserve about a half cup liquid for proofing the yeast). Am I doing it correctly?
I find that sticking to the pot is pretty standard for cooking all hot cereals whether you soak or not. You could try greasing your pot beforehand if you desire.
In India, yogurt is left unrefrigerated all the time and no one gets sick. (Sick foreigners eat the yogurt, trust me!) That’s actually how it’s made. Even in the hot, humid south.
Can you use regular milk with vinegar as the buttermilk, or do you need real buttermilk?
There are many options for which to soak your flour and grains. You could definitely use milk (as long as it is raw) along with vinegar, or just use vinegar and a little liquid. You wouldn’t want to replace all the buttermilk with vinegar, but rather just use about 1 Tbsp per cup of liquids. Kefir, whey, and real lemon juice are other options. The same goes for lemon juice as with vinegar.
Why can’t you use pasturized milk and vinegar (like for quick bread recipes)?
You can. You can use any acid medium (apple cider, white vinegar, lemon juice, kefir, whey, yogurt, buttermilk) for soaking.