Some say soaking grains increases nutrient content and makes whole grains more digestible. Others say that’s bunk. I looked into the issue extensively via research, personal success stories, historical evidence, Scripture and scientists themselves.
Here’s a wrap-up of my findings:
Information Posts
- My original explanation: Why Soak Whole Grains?
- How to Soak Oatmeal
- Primer: How to Soak Flour in Whole Grain Recipes
- A challenge of confusion: Eat Fewer Grains (since we don’t know how to prepare them yet) The comments on this post are worth a look!
- The follow-up: Eat Fewer Grains…or Just Fix ‘Em?
- The Basics: The Nutritional Value of Whole Grains – Benefits and Dangers
- Monday Mission: Soak Your Grains (resources)
- Historical and Biblical references: Is Soaking Grains Traditional?
- What are Phytates and Phytic Acid?
- Health Benefits of Sourdough Preparation
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter
- Health Benefits of Sprouting
- How to Sprout Seeds or Legumes
- What is the Role of Phytase?
- Two New and Improved Ways to Soak Brown Rice: Germinated Brown Rice and Accelerated Fermentation (easier and most effective)
- Meet the 5 Soaking Grains Experts
- The First Debate: Fallon Morell vs. O’Brien
- More Fallon/O’Brien Debate
- Three Expert Takes on the Value of White Bread
- How to Sprout Whole Grains and Make Sprouted Flour
- Monday Mission: Grains Consciousness
- Soaking Grains Anecdotes: Examples and Experience from Real People
- Introduction to the “Test Your Grains Challenge”
- Everything I Learned About Gluten
- Do Whole Grains Cause Cavities? My Response about Sifting Bran
- Test Your Grains Challenge survey results: here and here
- More information: Buy the Phytic Acid Paper at Rebuild Market
- Let’s Tackle Soaking Grains Again
- Soaking Grain Exploration Returns
- What is the pH of Your Favorite Soaking Medium?
- Lectins Present Yet Another Problem
- Soaking vs. Sprouting: Which is Best?
- The How-To: Directions for How to Soak or Sprout Anything
- Download “Is Your Flour Wet?” (a soaked grains eBook) for FREE!
Soaked Recipes
- Our Family’s Go-to Pancakes
- Homemade Tortillas
- Soaked Breadmaker Bread
- Soaked biscuits
- Soaked cornbread or corn muffins
- Soaked oatmeal
- Soaked Pumpkin Muffins
- Soaked Wheat Thin Style Crackers
- Soaked Artisan Bread in Five’s Whole Wheat (an attempt)
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter (sourdough is healthier than soaked!)
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Pizza
- Sourdough Muffins
- Honey Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- How to Soak and Dehydrate Oats
- How to Make Crispy Nuts
- Soaked Granola Bars
- Essential Eating’s Sprouted Bread and Rolls
- Nourishing Tradition’s Soaked Buttermilk Bread
- Soaked Grain Recipe Carnival (that became a free eBook – get it HERE!)
If you decide you don’t need to soak: How to Read a Bread Bag for Whole Grains
I appreciate all your research about soaking grains. I look forward to reading the emails between S.F.M. and Teri O’Brien. For now I think I’ll try to just reduce our grain consumption…
[Reply to this comment]
Katie — The whole grain versus milled grain issue is covered in my white paper. I think I even have a graph that displays an experiment comparing the two. You can see that it is easier to reduce the phytic acid in the milled grain, so the botanist is definitely on to something there.
Amanda
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 2:28 am
Thank you! That’s one of my many resources, to be sure, and I just made a “note to self” to look for that particular issue.
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
I have a question with your soaked granola bar receipe. How do I soak the oats… do I just soak them in the honey since that is the liquid in the receipe or do I add water as well?
Also if I do not have Whey can I just use a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar?
Thanks so much for your help.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 3:07 am
Joanna,
Katie
For the granola bars, I soak oats and dehydrate them (in the oven) first, so they’re dry again before they go into the bars. (See instructions here. ACV is a great choice instead of whey, and lemon juice would work too.
[Reply to this comment]
I was wondering in your research on soaking the grains if you have ever seen anywhere that soaking them helps reduce blood sugar levels after eating it. I am diabetic and find that I have to use whole grains sparingly!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 1:06 am
Sclindah,
I don’t think I’ve seen any research to that end – BUT – sprouting grains decreases the starches/sugars and thereby the carbs, so I bet sprouting grains would be a great option for you. If you take your blood sugar after meals, you could sort of experiment on yourself with small amounts and see if if affects your sugar. You might want to read these posts:
How to Sprout Grains and Legumes
The Health Benefits of Sprouting
How to Make Sprouted Flour
Hope that helps!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Have you ever soaked almond flour? I would like to know if soaking almond flour in water with yogurt will remove phytic acid.
Also, would you use about 1 tablespoon of yogurt in the soaking water per cup of almond flour? I’ve been soaking almond flour this way, but I’m wondering if it’s really effective.
The bread I make from the soaked almond flour has a strong yogurt taste, which I don’t really like. Do you have any suggestions about how to counteract the yogurt taste? I’m afraid to cut down on the amount of yogurt, because I’m afraid it won’t be as effective in removing the phytic acid.
Thanks
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 19th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Susan,
Katie
Great question – if the almond flour is from “blanched” almonds, first of all, without the “skin” or seed coat, it shouldn’t really have phytic acid problems, because that’s in the outer covering of the nut/seed. Otherwise, soaking as any other flour should do the trick. I find that whey is much more mild in flavor than yogurt for soaking. You could also try buttermilk or lemon juice.
[Reply to this comment]
Questions Answered | Domestic by Design // Oct 27, 2010 at 12:06 pm
[...] is a great resource for how to soak. And Katie of Kitchen Stewardship has written more than you’ll ever want to know about it. In Nourishing Traditions, it’s explained that [...]
Thanks for the email with this link! I will try a few of these to see how they effect our health conditions. We are both very sensitive to carbs, although I’m still not sure which ones.
[Reply to this comment]
I too love to “hear” your brain work and thank you for your study. This is a site that you might find interesting
http://www.rebuild-from-depression.com/
She has many graphs etc. where she shows how grains have been tested. blessings Erin
[Reply to this comment]
erin Reply:
January 26th, 2011 at 11:42 pm
I feel a little silly. Amanda who I was referring to as my new expert in the above comment, already wrote you a note here! Oh well Amanda if you come back here I really am learning alot from your work.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 12:20 am
Thanks Erin! I do work with Amanda Rose of Rebuild from Depression and have her phytic acid white paper. Fascinating stuff!
[Reply to this comment]
Question? I need to start adding solids to my baby’s breast milk meals. His doc says to add baby cereal to the milk but what would the “experts” say? How do I soak grains for him? Any advice for starting him right?
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Noelle,
Katie
Most traditional foods folks say to avoid all grains for babies under one year old anyway. You could soak oatmeal and grind it finely with breastmilk once it’s time. Here’s a good post on feeding a baby: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/10/01/feeding-a-real-food-baby-breast-is-bestbut-then-what-guest-post-from-emily-at-live-renewed/
(and see part two)
[Reply to this comment]
Umm…I know I’ve seen it somewhere. I’m looking for one of your soaked whole wheat bread recipes without a sourdough starter. We started eating grains again and all of our health problems have returned but we just can’t afford a grain-free diet so I was hoping soaking would help. I’m going to start a starter too but that will take awhile. Thanks for being an amazing resource!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
March 27th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Frances,
Katie
All the whole wheat bread recipes I’ve been posting lately are listed at the bottom of this post: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/01/04/introducing-seeking-the-perfect-homemade-whole-wheat-bread/ or a breadmaker soaked version: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/recipes/soaked-breadmaker-bread/
I really, really hope soaking helps! Sourdough will be a worthwhile effort too, for sure.
[Reply to this comment]
Hi Katie; well, I’m doing my own looking into this area again and am glad to have started sourdough. But, now after doing some browsing online, I’m wondering if phytic acid is even as bad as it sounds. Yes, I gather that it’s an anti-nutrient but it also sounds as if it’s an antioxidant. So, the idea that soaking is even necessary starts with the assumption that the phytic acid is “bad” to begin with and I’m not sure I’ve even come to that conclusion yet myself. I don’t know. I find this all fascinating but I know processed for sure isn’t the answer!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
August 1st, 2011 at 4:34 am
Shannon,
I know, I know…there is some research that phytic acid is good for you. The thing is, it is good because it detoxifies, which is kind of saying the same thing as “leaching things from your body.” So it’s just a matter of what you want from grains, in some way – put things in or take things out?
Certainly it’s not that simple – but I’m still glad sourdough has such good research and history behind it, too!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Hello,
I wonder: it is possible/advisable to soak pasta?
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
August 27th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Elena,
Katie
You can absolutely make homemade soaked or sourdough pasta…but it wouldn’t work to soak boxed pasta. Mush. Bummer, right?
[Reply to this comment]
thanks for all your research! did you happen to come across anything that said soaking grains made wheat tolerable for people with wheat allergies? i would think it would be so for celiac dis, but wheat allergies are a reaction to the wheat itself, not it’s digestibility…trying to find answers!
thanks so much for your great content!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
November 21st, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Beth,
Katie
Unfortunately, for celiacs, there is nothing known that can help. Gluten sensitivities are another story, and properly preparing grains can make a huge difference, as can cutting out grains for a time to allow the gut to heal. Two posts you should read:
gnowfglins.com/2009/09/11/reverse-allergies-through-nourishing-foods/
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/10/27/the-comparison-the-specific-carbohydrate-diet-scd-gaps-diet-gut-psychology-syndrome-and-the-makers-diet/
Good luck!
[Reply to this comment]
I’m interested in soaking grains but wow, so much information. Seriously, where do I begin?
[Reply to this comment]
I have looked a little at soaking grains and the conclusion I came up with, albeit somewhat uneducated, is that the argument for soaking grains is like the argument for cooking vegetables; It seems to have benefits, yet there are also benefits to not doing it. Historically, people have done both, so I think that it is a matter of what is the needed nutritional help at the moment, and also personal preference.
[Reply to this comment]
Top 10 Reasons to Eat Grains | The Liberated Kitchen, LLC // Feb 9, 2012 at 9:04 pm
[...] have made the case that many people can enjoy grains if they are “properly prepared.” Soaking or sprouting grains before using them reduces phytic acid and boosts the ability of the body to [...]