interesting article about soaking grains

I’ve read this one already.

Why was it driving you nuts? Perhaps we can give some suggestions. It’s also not a good idea to try a bunch of new things at once.

I do concur that learning the process of sourdough baking is the gold standard, but that requires pre-planning as well. So no matter what, you’re having to change your routine and mindset in the kitchen. Sourdough is my ultimate goal for most things I’d like to make in the kitchen. I just bought Sourdough from A to Z which teaches how to control the levels of sourness for a variety of food items.

Sprouting allows a little more flexibility in that, as long as you have sprouted grain on hand, then it’s available without the soaking. I like the convenience of sreouted grains.

I soak my oats in just water and maybe some ACV. My children like the texture and flavor better than when soaked in whey. ACV definitely doesn’t have enough calcium to cause any negative side effects.

Soaking isn’t just for phytic acid, but for the benefits of pre-digestion, too.

There are other mediums besides yogurt, buttermilk or whey which can give the sour flavors which our generation isn’t used to: ACV and lemon juice can be used, too.

Also, after reading through some of the back and forth in the responses, it seems that the study she’s referring to doesn’t specify pastuerized or raw milk or even if it’s fermented. Soaking grains is an old practice, without it being specifically sourdough. I remember in Little House when Laura took a peice of biscuit dough adn set it in raw milk and flour for the next batch of biscuits and placed over the woodstove (which would sour the raw milk); though it wasn’t sourdough, it was fermenting.

It’s a lot to remove dairy, wheat and sugar all at once, so I can understand your feeling overwhelmed. I also wouldn’t have recommended putting soaked oats in the dehydrator (I assume that’s what you’re referring to). I just soak my oats and nut mixture and then put everything else together later and put into the oven in a 9×11 dish.

No wonder you don’t like the taste of soaked items if you don’t even like sourdough! However, since you like the “cook grains when you need them” I would suggest you look into sprouting your grains as soon as you can get to a “calmer place”; i.e. when this transition of omitting these other things passes. I like it myself for the same reason. For example, I sprout 3 hal-gallon jars of spelt berries and then place in dehydrator and then store. I then have ready-made grains and prepared grains that only require to be ground up-no soaking required. Some adjustments have to be made to the recipes, but there are learning curves to everything. My cornbread recipe only requires an adjustment of an added amt. of baking soda. Making muffins and breads without liquid (such as quick breads) is easy and tasty, without the sourness. If you could make a sprouted laok of bread instead of sourdough, then that may be tastier or like you said, a less-sour sourdough. I’m pretty sure there are milder starters out there and ways to keep it from being too sour from what I’ve read.

In the meantime, there are other grains that are easier to digest that require less prep. Are you including excluding Spelt in your no wheat? Pesach is coming up and that’s when I use the different alternative grains since we can’t have wheat items, except for matzah (intentionally unprepared and unfermented grain) so that’s my experimenting time.

Would you like a few of my recipes with these alternative grains that we’ve liked? I won’t be here much this weekend due to a sisterhood retreat, but I can try to do it over the next week.

Also, again when you’re ready, but highly recommend, that you start either a water kefir or kombucha. They aren’t sour like a milk kefir, but more tangy. The water kefir adds good probiotics that colonize the gut with good bacteria; the kombucha also provides the good bacteria but also has a cleansing effect on the liver and tehy both are high in B vits. They both also offer electrolytes and a bubbly experience. The sugar that is eaten up as part of the culturing process does not affect diabetes or someone who avoids sugar otherwise; you just want to wait to drink it stronger after it’s been culturing longer so as to consume more sugar. They would both help strengthen your guts and immune systems.

Take care.

If you’re trying for gluten-free, then Splet is probably off your list. It has gluten; however, since it’s an ancient grain and not a modern, more hybridized one, it is easier to digest, in general, unless you have a severe issue. It’s the only one I use for breads and biscuits, pie crusts, etc.

I love Kombucha!! And so do my children! Too bad you don’t like it; my husband doesn’t either. Water kefir can be made sweeter or if cultured longer will be more tangy, like kombucha. It just depends upon how long you let it brew/ferment. WK is a good alternative for you if you get the brewing time right so that it’s more sweet (i.e. less sugar eaten by the kefir grains) than tangy (i.e more sugar has been consumed by the kefir grains). Of course, you can make kombucha more sweet, too. It doesn’t bhave ot be made as tangy as it is when bought from the store. You can start drinking kombucha within 7 days of starting the fermentation; or go longer for a more intense, less sweet flavor.

So don’t give up on kombucha. If you ever try to do it yourself, you may like it at the 7, or 10 or 14 day mark-whatever; just so it’s sweeter. Then you add a juice to it and let it sit for a little longer and you may like it.

Just keep in mind that you are trying to retrain your taste buds to some degree; getting them off an attachment/affinity for wanting things to be sweet. So many wonderful things in nature that we should consume are on the sour and/or bitter scale. The modern diet is focused on satisfying the salty and sweet taste buds. So after a while of being sugar-free/less-sugar, you may find that a mild sourdough or the fermented drinks that are sour or tangy (less sweet) are more appealing to your palette. Same goes with the more bitter/stronger flavored veges.

Just something to keep in mind…

Maybe I wasn’t clear. I didn’t mean add huge amounts of sugar to the Kombucha. Just use the normal amount required and not allow it to ferment so long; thereby causing the end product to be less intense, but more sweet. Also, when flavoring, if you add in fresh fruit or fruit juice, that will add a little more sweetening to it which the bacteria will immediately begin to eat for the second ferment.

Obviously, the longer the ferment, the better if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, but drinking even a little sweeter (a shorter ferment of 7 days) is better than not drinking it at all, IMO.

For sweetening things, do you iuse Stevia? It won’t feed yeasts or parasites as long as you avoid the liquids that contain alcohol and glycerin and the powders that contain fruit and/or corn sugars. If you need a list of which ones won’t add sugar into the body, I’ll be happy to provide it to you.

Your posts are so helpful in this area, Rachel. Thank you.

Becca<><

Meant to say paleo! No grains at all.

Thanks, Petitemom.  I’ve actually read that one…and about a bazillion others.  It’s the actual DOING that I’m bad at.  And the recipes.  Any of my usual recipes that I’ve tried to convert do not work.  Perhaps it’s just a matter of practice.  And scheduling.  And remembering a day or two in advance!