Soaking Grains to Make Them More Digestible


This is news to me, honestly.  I'd never heard about this until Kirk mentioned it in a recent comment.  I was reactive to coconut flour, but you know what?  Not so much anymore.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that a) I'm getting used to it or b) I took Saccharomyces boulardii which has been shown to support a healthy balance of flora in the gut.  Anyway, did some more testing today and should be unveiling my new Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix soon.

Kirk was suggesting that by soaking flour like coconut flour it would make it more digestible - getting rid of some of the phytic acid in coconut flour.  I found Sarah of the Healthy Home Economist website 

She has a neat video that explains pretty much what to do.  I found it really interesting that despite using 1 cup of liquid or more for one cup of flour, the next day one uses the exact same amount of wet/liquid ingredients that are in the recipe.  I checked up with her and this is the case.  

The Nourishing Gourmet explains why she goes to the trouble of soaking grains.

If one is only slightly sensitive to gluten in wheat, this method will make consuming it more tolerable for the body.   

Sometimes I get more emails than I do comments!   I received this interesting email tip from Marilyn.
I realize you probably don't have a Trader Joe's in your area, but for those who do, I highly recommend their Sprouted 7-Grain Bread.  It is 7 carbs total of which 3 are fiber making 4 net carbs and 60 calories a slice.  Really good bread toasted - I haven't tried it without toasting it.  Only about $2.50 a loaf in the Nashville store. 
The blurb on the back of the wrapper says in part: "Sprouting helps convert complex starches to simpler sugars making sprouts more easily digestible and naturally lower in carbohydrates and calories than the original grain. . .Trader Joe's Sprouted 7 Grain Bread is a mix of freshly sprouted whole grains of wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, rice and millet with wheat flour, lightly sweetened with honey and molasses."  I wonder if those who are gluten-intolerant could handle a little of it.
Just wanted to pass this tip on.  Thanks for all your great information.

Me again: I wish we had a Trader Joe's for sure!  We have one tiny health food store and it is a poor excuse for a health food store compared to what I was used to in Vernon, British Columbia.  I had not one, but two stores to choose from as well.  Sigh.  I do miss that - greatly!  These days I grind my own almond flour from sliced almonds that have a tiny bit of skin on them still.