Comments on: Making Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:54:50 +0000

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!

By: Nika

Nika — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:47:07 +0000

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.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:21:48 +0000

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

By: Sheryl

Sheryl — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 04:22:32 +0000

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.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:55:26 +0000

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?

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:04:32 +0000

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?

By: Nika

Nika — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:24:17 +0000

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

By: debbie

debbie — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:04:16 +0000

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)

By: MEG

MEG — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:13:41 +0000

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

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:25:38 +0000

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.