Making Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour
Posted on May 26 in bakingby NikaPrint
I grew up eating rather dense loaves of homemade whole wheat bread that my mom made for us with love. It was the 1970s after all! I NEVER feed my family white bread (pure sugar bombs, straight into the blood) and always brown bread, preferably with flax added.
I make our own bread when I have the time and I have usually used King Arthur whole wheat bread flour and also whole wheat pastry flour.
If your a foodie of any sort you likely do these things too, not hard to do.
The thing is, these are STILL a problem with these “healthy breads” and I didn’t even realize or, put better, know it until very recently.
It all comes down to the grain and the obvious fact that we humans are NOT ruminants and do not have the 4 stomachs (rumens) necessary for the proper digestion of grains.
Grains are seeds of grasses and they are the genetic carrier that is tasked with getting the genetic legacy from one growing season to the next. The grain must be able to foster growth, rapid growth, once the correct conditions have been met. The grain is exquisitely evolved to jump into action. Upon sprouting, various grain components are acted upon by enzymes to change from one form to another.
One of those things is called phytic acid, found in all parts of the grain plant but especially in the bran (there are three parts to grain: bran, endosperm, and germ).
The problem with phytic acid, as found in the unsprouted grain, is that it is like a sponge (a chelator) of critically important minerals such as calcium, zinc, magnesium and iron. It also sucks up niacin (a B vitamin). Heating can knock down this activity slightly but industrial bakers side step this issue by doping these minerals and vitamins, in synthetic form, back into the bread but this doesnt mean that that whole grain bread you are eating isnt still robbing you of needed minerals and vitamins. The “enrichment” that the bread companies do is mostly legal CYA action so that we dont sue them for pellagra.
This process takes a little of time but it is WELL worth it. I didnt shoot the first bread I made with this (was night time and the family ate the bread before morning) but I can tell you that the bread was VERY different from other whole wheat breads I have made. The sprouting process makes the grain sweeter and the bread had more loft than other loaves I have made.
I hope you will give this a try soon!
How to make sprouted whole wheat flour
Step 1
Soak wheat berries at room temperature overnight. Rinse a couple of times and then drain. Put into a drainable container (mason jar, bean sprouter, etc) and keep at room temperature until the smallest of sprouts, say about 3 mms, have formed.
Step 2
Spread the wet sprouted wheat berries out onto a dehydrator tray with a teflex sheet. Dry overnight at the lowest heat setting (95 F), until dry.
Step 3
Decant dried berries and use to make flour or freeze immediately.
Step 4
Add no more than 2 cups of dried berries to the smaller dry container for your Vita-Mix. Read and follow the directions for grinding flour. Essentially, you turn it on to high for no more than 1 minute. It comes out beautifully!
Step 5
Either use your freshly ground flour or freeze it, it can go rancid quickly.
Let me know if you try this or if you have other ways of doing this!
Vita-Mix blender
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44 Comments
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[...] couple of posts ago, I showed you how easy it is to make sprouted whole wheat flour. In that post, Making Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour, I talked at length on the reasons for sprouting your grains so I wont delve into that [...]
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[...] I had made (see this post for information on making your own sprouted whole wheat flour “Making Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour” and this post on how to make lasagna pasta out of it “Homemade Sprouted Whole Wheat [...]
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[...] It would be better for us if the berries had been pre-sprouted (like you see in this post – Making Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour) but I went ahead with unsprouted ones. Sprouting substantially inactivated phytic acid in the [...]
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[...] flour at home was one of the main reasons I wanted a dehydrator and grain mill. Â I followed the easy sprouted flour directions that Nika provided on her blog- it’s a simple process of sprouting, dehydrating, and grinding [...]
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[...] 2 C soaked/sprouted organic whole wheat flour [...]
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[...] 3 cups sprouted whole wheat flour [...]
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Because of the phytic acid I had completely removed grains from my diet. Logically I knew there was good to grains in a diet, phytic acid was a huge roadblock though, (as well as the glycemic index).
Just last week I sprouted my first batch of kamut and dried it in my oven. I actually soaked my kamut overnight in water and the next morning rinsed it in a wire collander and covered loosely with a kitchen towel, (repeated the rinsing and covering several times for the next day and a half).
Drying the grain in the oven was a bit of a pain, but will be so much easier once I get my dehydrator which is on order. After they were completely dried I ground them in my whispermill. First batch went off without a hitch and I’m sprouting my second batch right now.
One thing I noticed is that the pancakes we had with the sprouted grain were SO filling, my husband even commented that they were delish and satisfying.
Thank you for sharing your process, very nice tutorial!
Julie,
Thanks for sharing your experience! So glad to know that you are able to re-introduce grains that have less phytic acid.
Did you have a specific reaction or condition that lead you to an understanding of the phytic acid connection?
I recently began using a bread machine and would love to make my own sprouted whole wheat flour. I don’t have a dehydrator. What’s the process for drying the berries without one?
I haven’t tried this with drying the sprouts, just with providing a warm atmosphere for my bread to rise. If you have an oven where you can turn on the light inside the oven, the light generates about 85 to 90 degrees inside the oven. Don’t try this by just propping the door open, because most of the heat will escape.
Nika,
I don’t have any medical conditions presently, thankfully. I am however, a bit of a nutrition geek & learned much about grains through the Weston Price Foundation, Nourishing Traditions, Maker’s Diet, etc.
Amy,
I dried my grains in the oven on cookie sheet. You just want it warm enough to dry, (less than 150 degrees fahrenheit) and also keep the oven cracked open a bit so moisture can escape. Worth the work in my opinion.
Hi,
I’m planning to try this dehydration technique in my oven. My oven has the lowest setting @145 degrees. Is that too warm to dehydrate the sprouted grain at? Still overnight, with the door propped open?
Thanks
What a wonderful post! Thanks for such great info and in such beautiful detail. Sprouted grains are excellent for the livestock as well, and have so much more nutritional value. Ruminants are actually not designed to properly digest grain either!
Tracy: You are so right!
We have to watch our goats for bloat and have to make sure to have their hay and grain rations balanced right (along with as many trees as we can give them)
They would prefer to eat bushes, trees, and anything from my garden!
I am starting to soak certain grains that we eat at home, but I don’t have a dehydrator or grain mill. I saw Julie’s advice for drying in the oven, but will I be able to grind the wheat berries in my MagiMix? So far the raw-est baking I’ve done is flaxseed crackers – I left the dough overnight (not a yeast dough) and cooked them at a low heat, but nowhere near as low as a dehydrator. I would love to make my own flour. Would you use this flour in any recipe that calls for flour? Thanks for any advice!
I dont know if that food processor will grind grain (have not tried it on my cuisinart). When I googled, I didnt get a clear answer very quickly.
You can use this flour in any recipe that calls for whole wheat flour. It should be delish!
Hey there. I just add the cooked, sprouted, berries to the blender and use the same amount as I would flour. I add the rest of the ingredients and have made carob cake, nutmeg and cinnamon cake and carrot cake. No yeast used at all, just a teaspoon of baking soda. I actually used a boiled egg instead of a raw one since I didn’t want a liquidy dough. DELICIOUS! Now I am just looking to see if a food processor will be faster to grind the berries cause they take about 3 minute to grind in the blender. You can heard them pop when they are being ground.
Hi Nika,
So I’m intrigued, but don’t quite get the story. By letting the grains sprout before grinding them for flour, the grain is easier to digest?
And you say the bread you made this one time was noticeably lighter, is it for sure the result of using this sprouting-drying-grinding technique?
Alanna: Yep, the sprouting starts the metabolic process inside the seed and causes a shift in the biochemistry. This results in the “inactivation” of the phytic acid (I dont know what %) to levels that do not rob you of nutrients and releases B vitamins to be used by your system.
The starches also change, leading to the sweeter nature of the flour. I have not made bread number two, but will soon. I might be able to say then if its some what reproducible tho I will not use the same recipe I used last time (want to try a new one).
Does that answer your questions? Hope so but just let me know!
I came here from your homeschool blog. Is that over and you are just doing food now?
Sprouted wheat flour… Yay.
Ms.Mama: Its not over but the answer is complicated! I have 5 different blogs, including the homeschooling blog. On some level, I became less than interested in talking about the daily life of my kids (confidentiality) but that doesnt mean I might not pick up the homeschooling thread again!
Thnx for asking!
I make my own sprouted grain flours, too. Most often I use spelt or kamut. My dehydrator is not nearly as nice as yours – speaking of which, what type is yours? I like how the screens bend so you can get the berries off the tray well. I have to use a pillowcase to catch my berries coming off the tray – the tray is that big and does not bend!
Other than that, my process is very similar to yours!
I am curious where to find more information on ruminant animals (such as goats) needed sprouted/soaked grains? I thought because they had more stomachs, that they could handle the grains, where we cannot. Thanks if you can direct me!
Wardeh: You have to be really careful with ruminants about changing their diet. I will look into the sprouting for goats, have to be REALLY careful to not get ANY mold -> bloat -> you do NOT wanna go there.
I have an Excalibur dehydrator (see this link – am not an affiliate so am not pushing it for $$) – http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/
the white mesh you see lifts off (easy for cleaning)
I use the excalibur for making yogurt and raising bread and all sorts of things! – VERY worth the cost (I have the 9 tray = $200)
Hi,
Thanks for this information. I would like to start doing all of this but I have a couple of questions:
-Will any dehydrator work to dry the berries? I have just a basic round dehydrator with the stackable trays…I don’t think it’s teflex. My oven does not get below 170.
-Do you have any suggestions on the best place to buy the berries? I’m looking for quality and cost is also a consideration since the whole reason I’m doing this at home is because I can’t afford to pay $3.50 per pound for sprouted whole wheat flour.
Thanks for your time!
Michelle,
I only have this one kind of dehydrator so I have not tried any other. I am guessing that you can use parchment paper to keep the grains from falling through! My oven also doesnt go very low.
Thats expensive! How about 64 cents per pound for ORGANIC hard White winter wheat berries or “naturally grown” (not sure what that means – perhaps organic but not certified) at 32 cents/pound?
Organic hard red berries for 52 cents/pound
Try this link – http://www.oklahomafood.coop/shop/category_list_products.php?category_id=3&subcategory_id=13
Hope this helps!
this is my first time so i am not sure i did it right. after the overnight soak and i rinsed the grain i put everything in a jar…lid on right? after 2 days i noticed few berry were starting to sprout but in the jar i noticed a foam and it started to smell really bad.
i am ready to restart…what am i doing wrong?
Excellent that you were attuned to the smell, its important. You need to rinse it every day with some room temp (not hot, not cold) fresh water and also drain ti really well. Try also to not fill the jar so much that the grains have no room to move around a bit, so air can move around. The lid needs to be air permeable – some cheese cloth and a rubber band works great!
let me know if you have any other questions, want you to be successful!
I’m wondering why the sprouted grain must be dehydrated on the lowest setting, since it will be baked at 350 in the oven when making bread.
Some people do not use this to make cooked bread.. they might use it in raw cuisine recipes that require no temps above 118 F
If I make the sprouted flour like this can I then make bread without using yeast? If so do you know a recipe? So far I have just been using the sprouted wheat which is not dehydrated and making the bread out of that but I find it almost imposible to grind in the food processor, any ideas gay
Gay,
The sprouting would not have an impact on leavening during bread making – it is not a leavening “agent” so if you want to make bread that is leavened – you will need to add yeast. my solution to the gummy nature of wet wheat berries is to dehydrate them then they grind very easily and can be stored. If you grind wet sprouted berries you have to use them pretty much right away (perhaps you could freeze the dough – do not know).. Since I have not had to grind the wet berries I have not found a solution to that problem, sorry!
Another way to reduce phytates is to use a sourdough starter. Many good books on the subject, such as “Wild Bread” by Lisa Rayner; and Ed Wood’s books, such as “Classic Sourdoughs”.
Yep, I love making wild sourdough. sprouted whole wheat flour is important in the raw food world as one can then use this unheated phytate reduced flour in uncooked applications although I have not made those sorts of breads before.
Here is an example: http://www.thedailyrawcafe.com/2007/11/essence-grain.html
A quick way to dry a lot of berries – I put the blower part of my dehydrator on the top rack of my oven blowing down. Spread the berries on a couple of cookie sheets on the bottom rack.
My oven only goes down to 170, so this is a great way to get a lot of berries dry.
I was just wondering more about grains. Iv come across lots of web sites about this subject but I always have more questions. Should you sprout all grains and iv also heard about soaking grains too. Whats the difference and when should you dom each one? Hopefully someone can help.
Thanks
Alex,
Sprouting of grains, as I mention above, reduces phytic acid. If a certain grain is low in phytic acid you do not need to sprout it, in theory. Soaking is submersion in water for some period of time (usually over night) and may or may not induce the metabolic switch toward sprouting (depends on grain life cycle – some need a certain amount of time or certain temp, etc).
Soaking is just the first step in sprouting. Sprouting is soaking, rinsing, draining of the grain then holding the grain at a favorable temp over a certain number of days (with daily rinsing to reduce chance of molding or bacterial overload) until the baby plant begins to emerge (some grains want just the barest of emergence others benefit from a longer sprout process).
I cant tell you which grains get a reduction in phytic acid from JUST soaking … this is because I am ok with the sprouting process and so have not delved very deeply into that question.
Some people think that soaking flour will give a reduction in phytic acid. I am not convinced because the reduction is mediated by the sprouting process which is a function of an intact seed structure, something that flour definitely isnt. Soaking flour would enable a bacterial process but I do not know if that leads to phytic acid breakdown like in sprouting (have not researched that so can not answer).
In raw food cuisine many nuts are soaked overnight before use – supposedly to start the sprouting process. I am not sure if anyone has actually done a metabolic study on these nuts (as processed and sold to the raw food cuisine market). I am guessing that soaking over night lends moisture which is needed in the various recipes that these soaked nuts are used in.
Great info, thanks for posting. In repsponse to just soaking flour or whole grains, I’ve read you need to soak in an acid medium (lemon juice, vinegar, whey, etc.) not just plain water, to start the phytic acid breakdown. It is not to initiate the sprouting process, but as I understand it is an alternate way of breaking down phytic acid. Hope that helps.
I have been ginding my own wheat for over 30 years, and making everything from whole wheat flour. So I am eager to start sprouting my wheat and grinding that. Thanks for the information and the photos. But I would suggest a wheat grindere….you can get one for under two hundred bucks. Then you will never buy ww flour again!
( have actually worn out two over the yeasr; I just got my third last month)
Debbie: thanks for the tip! i would dearly love one – the budget is pretty tight these days so i have to use what i have
Debbie,
I’m just starting to use my own ground wheat to bake with and since you are a 30 year “pro” I think you are the one to answer my questions! Do you use just the straight wheat flour in EVERYTHING you bake? If so, do you add more baking powder or anything else to get the best end results? Thank you in advance!
Nika,
On other articles I’ve read, it says that sprouted, dried, and ground wheat berries are called diastatic malt powder, and that it should only be used in small amounts when making bread. But it looks like you’re making entire loaves with it. Is there even a difference between sprouted flour and diastatic malt?
What recipe did you use to make bread with the flour. I have tried three different recipes and all of my bread collapses and the is so dense the middle doesn’t cook enough. I want to use 100% sprouted wheat flour in a yeast bread for sandwiches. Is that possible?
I have been grinding my own wheat and making bread for a little over four years now – time to move on! My question is this…
Can I achieve the same outcome by soaking my flour (after it’s been ground) as I can by soaking the grain, drying, and then grinding?
I’ve Googled and Googled and still no answer to this question. According to Sally Fallon, soaking flour is the way to do it.
Any insight?
PS – not sure I’ll be able to find my way back here, so could you email me directly with the insight (anyone?) daloalsy@gmail.com
Lori, doing it the way i describe is a very different thing that soaking flour. Soaking live grains is a plant based process where the embryonic plant sprouts and the enzymes and other chemistries within the seed activate and begin the process of making the grain starches available to the embryo. Intact phytic acid and the enzyme that acts on it are present – doing their thing. When you grind then soak your flour you are not activating a living thing, your phytic acid is breaking down due to the remnants of intact undegraded phytase. it is also breaking down due to the bacterial action (many people soak with raw whey which gives a huge innoculation for lactobacilli – good for your phytic acid breakdown).
If you wanted to be 100% of reducing phytic acid the most do the following:
1) soak and sprout, as in my post.
2) grind and add whey or sourdough starter
3) use a recipe that bakes your bread at a very high temperature.
If you are still concerned – taking a broad spectrum vitamin B complex + a really good remineralizing supplement should make up for shortcomings.
I like my method because the end result is DRY and easy to store in the freezer and then measure like for most recipes afterwards. Pretty sure I do not want to be putting soaked flour in my dehydrator – that much futzing around will lead to mold contamination and oxidation of fats.