Soak the Flour while you Soak Up Some Sun, Fun, or ZZZ's

This recipe turned out so well, I already have folks asking for the recipe!

 If you are interested in the many health benefits of soaked/fermented grains, check out the links below. If you just want tips on this soaked grain bread recipe and the link to the original recipe, scroll down past the links.


Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
Pleasing Porridge Hot
The Easy Art of Soaking Nuts
Hooch Leaves Lucille for Dead
The Whys and Hows of Sourdough


I have to admit, I tired of my sourdough.

I was happy with it's goodness, taste-wise, texture-wise and health-wise. But I had to work hard to keep it in top form, especially in these warmer months. Not only do I have to feed it more when it's warm, we alternate from AC to no AC whenever possible, so our indoor temp. fluctuates a lot. Just when I think I'm safe, we have a cooler day and we open the windows, and doggone if I don't forget that extra feeding. So, I'll either feed it in the fridge just enough to keep it alive until the cooler months, or I'll start over then. I'm not a real big fan of the startover, though...At least, not since I read about a family that had maintained their sourdough for over 40 years. That made my nearly one year seem really piddly.

But, I needed to find a bread substitute. Part of the answer was in my soaked grain, home-made crackers. The recipe is flexible so there are a variety of tastes that can be created. But there are some things that require bread, and my husband actually went to the store and bought his old favorite, which is neither soaked nor sprouted grain. AND since a big part of the reason we started eating this way in the first place was his digestive health, I countered by buying Ezekiel bread, which I am satisfied with. Still, he wasn't eating it as often as his favorite, and I knew the only way to get him to eat the really good stuff was to make home-made.

So, in the midst of adjusting to him being home more, our starting a business in CPR/AED and First Aid Training, the grandchildrens' release from school for the summer and my summer 'job' of caring for them during the week starting, I was thinking of how I needed to find a recipe for soaked grain bread.

Unlike many, we are, as far as any of us can tell at this point, not allergic to yeast or gluten. So, I didn't have to make the extra effort to find a bread recipe that really tastes good while being free of these things. But I didn't want to waste my fresh milled flour OR my time, by creating bread that smelled good while baking, but tasted mediocre in the end. So I did read several recipes before settling on this one to try. It ended up being a good choice.

I'm going to tell you a few of my thoughts about the recipe and then give you the link to "Health Banquet", which is where I found it.

~First of all, be fully aware the recipe may be halved. You may not want to make 5 or 6 loaves the first time, especially if you aren't sure you'll like it.

~Next, be sure you have PLENTY of flour on hand. The soaked flour is very moist. I used a ladle to skim off puddles of collected liquid at the soaked flour's surface, but still had to add 6 more cups of flour. Eryn says this amount varies with environment and apparently, my added amount is at the high end of the scope.

~Don't be afraid of this additional flour. Why? 1) What you've already soaked makes it far better than store bread. 2) Because if you allow the bread to rise in the bowl TWICE and AGAIN after shaping, as recommended, you will be giving those ingredients extra intermingling time as well. You won't break down all the phytic acid in that additional flour, but you'll still be decreasing the amount. For more information on the goodness/health of this bread, as well as a link to how to make it right for the total purist, see here.

~ I would definitely NOT use this recipe without a bread mixer of some kind. I think I would, however, feel comfortable with hand-kneading if using it halved.

~At one point, Eryn speaks of "well-greased" pans. Heed those words and when you think it's good enough, add a little more.

~Use the freshest-milled flour possible. If it's not possible to mill your own or if you don't have a source for fresh milled, try brands like King Arthur's and store in the freezer until time of use.

~Have plenty of honey on hand, since this recipe uses 2/3 of a cup, and get the best quality you can, but it needn't be raw. Remember, enzymes in raw won't remain after the heat of baking. Unless raw is your norm, in this case, organic is just fine, (costs less, too)...That means no pesticides or other artificial stuff. (We hope.)

~Be sure to bake the full time...or longer. Eryn recommends using an oven thermometer to test the bread temp. Inserted into the middle of the loaf, it's supposed to reach 200 degrees. I was five minutes from 'done time', and my thermometer was only registering 150. She says if you test it and it reads less than 200, put it back in, so I did. But my oven leans towards the fast side, so I was getting a little concerned. But I did wait another five minutes. By then, the tops looked perfect and the loaves echoed with a hollow sound upon my usual thumping to determine for doneness. I took them out, basted their tops with butter, gave them a few minutes cooling time, removed them from their pans (except for the one dome loaf), and set them on racks to cool.

~Butter: If I remember correctly, Eryn doesn't tell you to spread butter over the bread crust when it's taken from the oven. But I do this no matter what recipe I'm using. My family loves it this way.

I know for some, the idea of taking more than a day to bake bread is ludicrous. We all think we're performing a major feat just by baking bread. (And we are!) However, making soaked-grain bread in stages is not more difficult, it just takes more time...BUT not involved time! Really, you start the soak and it sits there doing all the work by itself while you go spend 12 to 24 hours doing something else.

You do have to be more attentive on baking day, so plan ahead for a 'home day', or at least a 'home evening'. I was busy with grandchildren at Busch Gardens most of the day yesterday. I didn't even start the mixing process until about 5 o'clock last evening. The dough was done and in it's first rise when we sat down to eat dinner. I cleaned the kitchen, finished up some laundry, and it was ready for a little more kneading and into it's second rise. An hour later, shaped it, and it was rising for the last time. By then, I was pretty tired and actually ready for bed, so I vegged out with a movie...the first hour was rising time, the last half hour was baking time.

My hubby and I had a slice somewhere between 10 and 10:30...A great bedtime snack.

Here's the link to "Health Banquet"...My last interjection: If you're not interested in advertisements, skip the first part and just scroll down to the actual recipe. ...Hope you enjoy!

Pleasing Porridge Hot

Today's post explains the simple process of soaking grains. Wolves In Sheep's Clothing fully explains the need for this method of grain preparation and in our home, other than the slow fermentation method used in creating sourdough starter and the long-rise period required for authentic sourdough breads, this is the method of grain preparation most often used. This is true only because our mornings don't generally allow a lot of time for meal preparations, so we save the bigger breakfasts for Saturdays. During the week, however, we usually eat either oatmeal or farina, ('Cream of Wheat' is the name by which many know farina), hard boiled eggs w/sourdough toast, or maybe a good slice of raw cheese melted on sourdough toast.

Although it is perfectly natural for many animals, like cows, to eat whole grains raw, man is not created to do this. So, although there is much ado about eating 'raw' foods, we'd be wise to follow the traditions of our forefathers by excluding raw grains from our diets. The scientific principles behind this are outlined in my last post, but perhaps the easiest route of explanation is to remind that the cow has three stomachs while mankind has but one. In fact, any animal that chews the cud has other means of digestion that man lacks. Chewing the cud in itself is something man does not do, yet the act aids the simplest rabbit in the art of digesting grasses.

When man attempts to do the same, we do so at risk to our digestive system and every system affected by the digestive system...ie: all of them. Thus, as infants, we may develop colic. As children, tummy aches. As adults, heartburn, acid reflux, GERD, etc. Are non-soaked grains the only cause of such problems? Did I say that? I did not. But whole grains that have not undergone the process of mimicked germination can cause any of these problems and certainly contributes to them. Many factors come into play, as with all things pertaining to health...genetics, for one. However, no evolution of a second or third stomach has, as yet taken place. (Don't hold your breath).

There are two major reasons to pre-process grains before eating them. The first is the fact given above...We need another stomach to 'do it right'. The second is contained in my last post: The wholesomeness of grains cannot be released without germination, therefore, germination must be mimicked. Along with this, it is becoming more widely understood that there are particular substances within the grain that are only removed during germination. These substances, if not removed, interfere with and block absorption of all the wonderful nutrients found in grains.

In the past, before mass production and combines, wheat and other grains would be gathered and stacked in the field. You may recall paintings depicting this. Those were the grains used by the local populace and by the time they arrived in the home, they had endured rain, dew and sun and for the most part, they had germinated. The blocking substance (phytic acid) found in grain, as well as enzyme inhibitors, protect the grain until germination. Phytase, the good enzyme indwelling grains, is only released during germination. This is the enzyme that specifically helps our digestive system absorb/digest the nutrients of that particular grain. (It is an awesomely interesting fact that every food known to man has its very own enzyme that aides in its digestion.)

So, man has never possessed the extra stomach needed to help in the proper digestion of grains, and today, due to the marvels of the industrial age, he is not provided with grains ready for consumption. Fortunately, we can hearken to the wise food traditions of our non-industrialized great-grandparents as well as well-nourished people groups world-wide who have never known the benefits of industrialization. Seemingly via intuition, all of them developed ways to make grains more friendly towards the human gut. The methods require the use of an 'external stomach', namely a pot, pan, or bowl and an acid that mimics digestive juices in action.

I have learned of two very good methods for preparing breakfast grains and both work equally as well. Both use two essential ingredients: time and acid. For maximum nourishment, the acid should be whey (not the powdered kind), yogurt, kefir or buttermilk. These are all dairy products and in the forms given here, are full of beneficial 'critters' for the intestine. However, those with severe milk allergies may use vinegar (try coconut vinegar), or lemon juice.

The basic amount, which would serve 3-4, is 1 Cup cereal, such as rolled or steel-cut oats, to 1 Cup filtered water. To this, add 2-4 T of the acid. (See last paragraph.) For next morning ease, mix this in the same pan you plan to cook it in, allowing for the addition of another cup of water just before cooking.

Cover the pot with a tea towel-you can secure with a rubber band if you feel more comfortable with that. Soak this 'porridge' in a warm place overnight. (I mix ours up right after dinner clean-up.) The 'warm place' we use is the closed oven with the light on. The next morning, add another Cup of water and 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, stir well, bring just to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer. It will be ready in less than 5 minutes.

The other way to do this is to soak the cereal in the acid starting the morning before you want to eat it. Do not refrigerate, but just leave it covered at room temperature in a warm place...the top of the fridge or in an oven with the light on is fine.  Before bed, drain and rinse-I use a fine mesh colander. (This method is particularly good for those who may not like the extra little bit of zing the acid can add to the taste of the cereal.)

Now put the soaked cereal in a small, lightly greased crock pot, preferably one with a low setting. Add 1Cup of milk, (preferably raw, or try organic coconut milk for a spectacular flavor), 2 Tbs. butter and 2 C. of filtered water. Cook on low overnight and when you waken in the morning, it will be ready to eat! For the same reason some like programmable coffee and tea pots, this method is great for those wanting to eat, but not cook, first thing in the morning.(I must admit, once I discovered this method, I haven't used the other.)

Whichever method you choose for preparation, when it's ready, get your creative juices flowing and customize it. Add honey, butter, coconut oil/milk, cream, raw milk, walnuts/pecans/almonds, blueberries, real maple syrup, vanilla, chopped apples or dates, or even a spoonful of organic/homemade peanut butter...You get the idea. It will be so delicious that even your guests will enjoy it. Our latest guest, who rarely eats oatmeal, commented on the 'smorgasborg' of additions we provided, and ate every bite of her steel cut oats with gusto. Needless to say, both of us were well satisfied.

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If there are leftovers, there's no need to leave your porridge in the pot until it's nine days old...No, save it in the fridge until you're ready for it, add a little milk and an egg or two until it's the consistency of thick pancakes. Ladle onto a hot, well-greased griddle, then turn the heat to medium or even a little lower, and cook your oatcakes until done on both sides. It takes a bit longer than pancakes, so be patient and be sure not to cook too high, too fast! Scrumptious with a bit of butter and real maple syrup! 
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Next Post: Prepping Nuts