Comments on: More About Soaking Grains (or not)

By: Amy @ River Rock Cottage

Amy @ River Rock Cottage — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:34:27 +0000

Laura, I just found this post on a search while looking for answers on whether or not soaking grains is really the way to go. Great dialog! And Sally’s answer really helped me a lot. I’ve been very skeptical about this issue and yet, I wanted to understand why so many people were buying into it. Even after reading Sally’s book and Jordan Rubin’s, Still, I struggled.

The thing that helped me… Sally’s mentioning that they did not have yeast products like we do today and therefore they had to soak them to cause the yeast to grow. Duh! How come I couldn’t get my brain around this before? Funny how one thing can make it all start to click. That said, I’m sure I’ll take the same approach you mentioned and not be legalistic about it. I think grains are great and I believe they were a staple in every diet. Whenever a famine is mentioned, it seems the abundance or lack of bread was the crucial issue for the people. Makes me think they ate plenty of grains! (I didn’t research this, just thinking in my head!).

By: Saul

Saul — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:05:59 +0000

Bacteria doesn’t make bread rise, nor does natural yeast “form the good
bacteria in the air.” Yeast and bacteria are two separate organisms.
Both exist in the ambient environment, as well as on the flour itself.
The yeast converts sugar (that results from the autolysis of flour
starch occurring in the presence of water) to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide traps within the water-gluten matrix on the flour,
causing the bread to rise. The bacteria (mostly) produces lactic acid
from sugars. These are the so-called souring organisms. A sourdough
culture consists of a commensurate mixture of these two classes of
organisms. There’s a pretty nice explanation of the processes at the
following website: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10375/lactic-acid-fermentation-sourdough

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:31:16 +0000

You said you like to soak your grains for your breakfast cookie recipe, I read your recipie but it doesn’t go into soaking. Could you expound on that? Thanks!

Sarah

By: David

David — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:34:25 +0000

I have written about the issue of grains from a Christian perspective (which I’ve found is rare!), coming to the conclusion that they are best reduced or eliminated in their modern context. You can read what I have to say here:

http://valetudoprovita.livejournal.com/3211.html

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:14:15 +0000

Since we eat pretty healthy, I soak when I can and don’t get upset when I can’t. So many times I decide to make a recipe spur-of-the-moment because I found I have a few minutes to do so. I am making homemade things for my family versus buying pre-packaged stuff, which cuts out a TON of junk.
I haven’t noticed any difference in our digestion when I soak grains. I haven’t paid much attention either but will next time. I can totally see where those who are sensitive need to soak as much as possible. I, personally, won’t cut back on grains in our diet. They are complex carbohydrates and besides the nutritional benefits, they are what help us feel fuller longer. It is so amazing how all food groups play such a vital role for our overall health, especially when eaten together…the health benefits multiply.
Grace to each momma as we try to feed our families the best way we know how!

Love these posts, Laura!

By: Candy

Candy — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:28:30 +0000

I LOVE Nourishing Traditions. I reference and use that fabulous book often. If you would like some help with soaked sourdough bread, I make 4 or more loaves of fully soaked, whole wheat sourdough bread each week. It’s our bread – we don’t eat storebought.

My recipe (with pictures) is here:
http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-amazing-bread.html#article
I have a link in my sidebar that tells how to make a WW starter, if you don’t already have one.

A trick with sourdough, is that when you first use it, the bread may be STRONG, LOL. However, as you keep feeding and using the starter, it aquires a better taste. My sourdough starter is not too strong tasting, but it leavens my bread fast. Sometimes it rises my bread too fast, before it’s had a long enough soak, so I punch it down, let it rise again, and then bake it.

In other words, the older the starter is, the better the bread tastes. With new starters it takes 1 to 3 months before it starts to taste really sensational.

By: Kori

Kori — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:07:11 +0000

I agree with Anne about not totally cutting out grains. They contain so much good stuff. And the fiber in true whole grains (if you are blessed enough to be able to grind your own or have a local fresh grinding place) makes up for a lot of bad! A lot of health problems (like heart disease) began not long after we in America began refining our flour (taking out the good parts and making it white). Moderation in everything, but balance in all. Don’t totally remove grains, they are a crucial part of your diet. Just try to make them healthier and don’t go overboard on them anymore than you want to go overboard on brownies (which you can also make out of whole wheat).
I have never soaked grains before but would like to try. But I don’t understand how it makes a huge difference if you only soak half of the grains (like your honey wheat bread recipe). I would like to try it as a variation and to use sometimes. I don’t think it is an all or nothing. Most things aren’t all or nothing.
Moderation in all things – except for your belief in God!

By: Sonja

Sonja — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:01:05 +0000

My understanding is, if you keep your flour in the freezer, it stops the oxidization. I normally grind a week at a time and then just throw it in the freezer pulling out just what I need for a recipe. The question I have is, when I use my soft whole wheat (because I know the hard doesn’t work) I have problems with my regular cookie recipes. I have to let my pancakes soak a bit waiting for the griddle to heat, but it seems like every time I try to make cookies… a mess! Should I let my cookie batter sit for a while too?

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:48:06 +0000

I disagree with this current trend toward reducing or eliminating grains/carbs. I believe God provided them for us (along with fruits and vegetables and meat and dairy) to provide necessary nutrients. Just because we use them the wrong way does not mean they are inherently wrong for us.

I also noticed that Sally Fallon continues to mention soaking grains for bread as a historic practice, but as far as I have been able to discover, only a small portion of the grains were actually soaked, and then regular ground unsoaked flour was added to it to make the bread. In other words, the process of sourdough: soaking flour in water to create wild yeast and then adding regular flour to make a loaf of bread.

I have noticed that other cultures and historically, people would soak grains and then eat them as a porridge, not baked into something (for example, oatmeal). Even the examples Sally Fallon often refers to are these types of foods, not baked goods.

Anyway, for myself, I think it is helpful to reduce the amount of baked goods one eats (muffins, cookies, cakes, etc.) mostly because those are also often made with sugar and other unhealthy things. However, in my opinion it is not helpful or necessary to reduce grains altogether. And for soaking, I am definitely interested in sourdough bread and the possibility of soaking other grains, but not for baking purposes.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:33:02 +0000

Another question:

They say that the nutrients begin to oxidize from the wheat very rapidly once it is milled…within 24 hours, about 40% of the nutrients have oxidized and within 48 hours about 70% of the nutrients have oxidized, if I remember correctly. If we soak our grains, will the nutrients not also oxidize? I’m a little confused. Thanks!