We know that whole wheat bread is better than white bread. But what about sprouted whole wheat bread? What’s all the hype about sprouted whole grain breads?
Well, it comes down to this: Grains attain their densest nutrition during their sprouts’ germination. By soaking wheat or other grains in water for two to three days, they will begin to sprout. Sprouting grains is a way to release all their vital nutrients.
After you sprout your grains, you will then dry them again and grind them into flour. Your flour will then contain a little more protein, fewer carbohydrates, and more vitamins and minerals. Sprouting wheat also neutralizes phytic acid, which is something that inhibits the absorption of nutrients.
So, how do you go about sprouting wheat and other grains? It’s a super simple process, although you will need to plan ahead or just have sprouted and dried wheat on hand all the time.
Okay, so first, for one recipe of bread you’ll need 6-7 cups of whole wheat (or spelt). Place your grains in a large bowl and cover with water. Make sure your bowl is big enough to allow the grains to expand.
Don’t try to cram all your wheat into a jar that’s too small. It might fit when it’s dry, but when it starts to expand, it’ll have nowhere to go. It’ll get stuck in the jar and you’ll have a terrible time getting it out. Don’t ask me how I know that.
Drain the water off each day and replace with new water. After two or three days, the grains will have little white sprouts starting to emerge from one end. Just tiny.
This is when you want to stop the germination and dry the wheat. I had a picture of what this looks like, but I somehow deleted it. You can go to The Wild Yeast Blog. They have a nice picture of what you should be looking for.
Anyway, so after your grains have sprouted you need to strain all the water off and dry them completely. You can do this a number of ways.
- Spread them out on a dehydrator tray and use your dehydrator to dry them on the lowest heat setting possible for 8-10 hours.
- You can let them dry in the oven on the lowest heat possible. This could take anywhere from 6-8 hours. But keep an eye on it.
- Another way is to spread them out on a sheet pan or two and let them air dry in a well-ventilated area. This is what I did. I actually put them up on my roof and let the sun dry them.
Once they’re completely dry, store it in an airtight container. When you’re ready to make bread, just grind it up into flour and make your bread as you usually do. We have a super great recipe here.
You’re gonna love sprouted grain breads and I hope you try it out soon!
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