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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Videos / Soaking Flour for Maximum Digestibility (+ VIDEO)

Soaking Flour for Maximum Digestibility (+ VIDEO)

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links āœ”

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • How to Soak Flour+−
    • Dairy-Free
  • Soaking Flour Technique Applies to All Grains
  • Bread Recipes Using Soaked Flour
  • How to Soak Flour

Soaking flour for maximum digestibility is one of the three traditional methods of grain preparation for healthy, nutritious bread as practiced by Ancestral cultures.soaking flour basics

One of the most important baking techniques to learn when implementing a traditional diet is soaked flour. This ancestral method of grain preparation enhances digestibility and improves the metabolism of nutrients.

This technique also reduces anti-nutrients such as phytic acid in the grain flour. These substances block mineral absorption and can aggravate inflammation of the intestinal tract. Gluten-free grains also contain these anti-nutrients.

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Other methods for reducing anti-nutrients in grains and improving metabolism include sour leavening (sourdough) and sprouting.

How to Soak Flour

Soaking flour is simple. Simply mix grain flour with yogurt, kefir, or clabbered milk, cover with a dishtowel, and let sit on the counter overnight. Freshly ground flour produces the best results. After the allotted soaking time, blend in the remaining ingredients and bake or cook as usual.

Non-grain based flours such as cassava and coconut flour do not need soaking. Others such as almond flour and chickpea flour are best soaked before grinding rather than after.

Dairy-Free

For those with milk allergies, substitute 1 cup of filtered water per cup of flour plus 2 TBL of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and soak as usual for at least 8 hours or overnight.

For those with more extreme wheat sensitivities, the soaking time can be increased up to 24 hours to further breakdown gluten and other anti-nutrients.

Soaking any longer than 24 hours risks the development of mold.

Soaking Flour Technique Applies to All Grains

The principle of soaking can be applied to whole grains as well, such as your morning oatmeal. It was common to soak oats overnight before cooking back before WWII. This step was apparently even suggested on the Quaker oatmeal box!

It seems with the modern preference for speed in food preparation, this essential step has been lost. Hardly anyone under the age of 80 even remembers it anymore.

Try soaking your oatmeal the night before and see how much more filling it is after you cook and eat it the next morning.

Instead of being hungry again at 10 am, you will likely be full right through until lunch!  To soak oatmeal, use 1 cup of warm filtered water per cup of oats plus 2 TBL whey, yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk. Stir together in the pot you will cook them in, cover with the lid, and leave overnight.

Cook, as usual, the next morning.

Bread Recipes Using Soaked Flour

Try this soaked bread recipe with your soaked flour. You can also try making a soaked loaf in a bread machine.

The video in the recipe tutorial below demonstrates visually the simple process of soaking flour. Try it with your next flour-based recipe!

Soaking Flour for Maximum Digestibility (+ VIDEO)
4.67 from 9 votes
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How to Soak Flour

How to soak flour of all kinds before making the batter to improve digestibility and nutritional benefits of bread and other baked goods.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Soaking time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 batch
Calories 1200 kcal
Author Sarah Pope

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour preferably freshly ground and organic
  • 2 cups whole milk yogurt

Instructions

  1. Mix flour and yogurt in a large bowl.

  2. Cover with a clean dishcloth and secure with a large rubber band.

  3. Leave on the counter overnight or for 8 hours.

  4. Uncover, mix in remaining ingredients for whatever recipe you wish to make and bake as usual.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Clabbered milk or plain kefir may be substituted for yogurt.

If there is a dairy allergy, 2 cups of water plus 2 Tbl lemon juice may be substituted. This reduces the calories to 910 for one batch.

Nutrition Facts
How to Soak Flour
Amount Per Serving (1 batch)
Calories 1200 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 9g45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 196mg8%
Potassium 912mg26%
Carbohydrates 209g70%
Fiber 7g28%
Protein 40g80%
Iron 11mg61%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Category: DIY, Grain Recipes, Traditional Preparation of Grains, Videos
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her eBooks Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (119)

  1. Natalie

    Jul 10, 2011 at 10:25 am

    I would also love to have the recipe for making pancakes! Thank You!

    Reply
  2. Nicole

    Jun 13, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    HI Sarah,

    Have you seen new information about not soaking rains with dairy?

    Just wondering your thoughts

    Reply
  3. Heidi

    Jun 9, 2011 at 11:17 am

    Thank you for this wonderful video! My mom made sour milk every time we brought home too much milk from our uncle’s cows. It tasted really good (we ate it with a spoon) and I now make sour milk when I have milk left over from my yoghurt making. We drink whatever liquid doesn’t ‘solidify’ during the sour milk making ‘process’.

    Reply
  4. Sharla

    May 23, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    After I make butter the buttermilk doesn’t seem to last long. Can I use soured buttermilk to soak the wheat for pancakes?

    Reply
  5. Luisa Lowe

    Mar 23, 2011 at 6:26 am

    Hi Sarah,
    I have been enjoying your videos and blogs. I am thankful for your wealth of information. I saw your soaking flour video, but I can’t find the rest of the recipe for the pancakes. Could you send it to me or tell me where it is?
    Thanks! Luisa

    Reply
  6. Jennifer Eloff

    Mar 17, 2011 at 12:10 am

    Thanks so much! I’m working with a delicate Gluten-Free Low-Carb Bake Mix, so this will be an interesting experiment.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer Eloff

    Mar 16, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Quick question: With that much liquid – 1 cup liquid per 1 cup flour for soaking, surely that will make a difference to the recipe and how much liquid is required after that. Say, the recipe required only 1 cup of liquid/wet ingredients – does it still require exactly the same amount? It almost defies my understanding to say, yes, as the flour mixture will be quite wet and would have absorbed a cup of liquid already. I’m confused. Thanks for any enlightenment you can give me. I will be posting on this subject soon and would like to give the right information. I will link to you in my post. Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

      Mar 16, 2011 at 2:47 pm

      Hi Jennifer, after the soaking is complete, if you have any residual liquid you can pour it off and then add the remaining ingredients. Sometimes I have residual liquid and sometimes I don’t. It is the inherent unpredictability of cooking from scratch I suppose! I have never reduced any liquids in the main recipe to compensate for the soaking liquid and everything always seems to turn out fine! šŸ™‚

  8. Danielle

    Mar 11, 2011 at 8:05 am

    Thanks for the video! It answered most of my soaking questions. One more though – we are going camping next week and we typically eat pancakes at least one morning. In an effort to reduce my “to do” list while we’re camping I like to prepare things ahead of time. Can soaked grain be stored for any length of time (in the refrigerator or cooler in this case) ?

    blessings!

    Reply
    • Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

      Mar 11, 2011 at 8:14 am

      Hi Danielle, yes you can store soaked grain for a day or two in a tightly sealed container that is kept cold.

  9. Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

    Mar 3, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    Hi Lauren, yes buckwheat would need to be soaked as well. It is best to buy regular rolled oats and not quick oats. Quick oats need to also be soaked though. Glad you are enjoying the blog! Good luck with the kefir soda!

    Reply
  10. Lauren

    Feb 25, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    Hi Sarah,
    I am just a little confused on how to use the soaked flour/oats. When preparing the final product (oatmeal, pancakes, etc.) do add the regular amount of water/milk that the recipe calls for? Also, for the flour you grind, how long would you think it keeps in the freezer? I would like to start doing this, but I don’t use a whole lot of flour, and I want to make sure it wouldn’t go bad.

    Thanks!!
    -Lauren

    Reply
    • Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

      Feb 25, 2011 at 8:06 pm

      Hi Lauren, the flour freezes beautifully for several months. I’ve never had it get freezer burn or be not good before I’ve used it all up. Yes, add the regular amount of milk/water that the recipe calls for once you’ve soaked the flour.

    • Lauren

      Mar 3, 2011 at 12:02 pm

      One more question!! Well, two, haha. First, do you recommend soaking buckwheat before using? I know it’s not a “grain” but because it’s so gain-like I didn’t know if that was a good idea. Also, for oatmeal in the morning, I usually use McCann’s Quick and Easy Oats (the ones that take 5 minutes). Should I be soaking these as well? I just wasn’t sure since they’re instant-ish.
      Thanks so much!
      P.S. I am LOVING your site.. Just got kefir grains, and getting ready to make my first batch of soda tonight šŸ˜€ sooo excited!

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