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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 โœ”

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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

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.

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! ย 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)
4.8 from 20 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: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, 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 (132)

  1. Abbas Gadhia

    Sep 29, 2018 at 6:55 am

    5 stars
    Hi, How is this technique different from sprouting the grains first, dehydrating them and then preparing the flour? Do the anti-nutrients get further deactivated/removed by the procedure i mentioned or is the technique you suggested equally good for removing the anti-nutrients?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Sep 29, 2018 at 10:41 am

      Here is an article that explores sprouting vs soaking in depth. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/sprouting-vs-soaking-fermentation/

  2. Carmy

    Sep 15, 2018 at 7:00 am

    Hi Sara,
    In order to break down more of the grains lectin proteins and antinutrients what would be the maximum safe time that I can soak grains or flours on my countertop? The longer you soak, the more that the antinutrients and the lectin proteins get broken down, right? Do I need to change out the water if I can soak longer than 24 hours? And when soaking grains, do I strain off the fermented liquid then and rinse grains before cooking? Thanks for educating us all. Very thankful. I have two boys with autoimmune disease, so am doing everything I can to improve there gut health, so that they may one day be off of there immune suppressant drugs. Carmy

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Sep 15, 2018 at 8:17 am

      You really aren’t going to achieve better results going longer …you will just risk the flour going moldy or getting too dry. Follow the recipe above for best results.

  3. cindy3539

    Jul 23, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    Can one soak Einkorn flour this way, too?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Jul 23, 2018 at 8:31 pm

      Yes you can ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Anna

    Jul 18, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    Can you soak overnight in the fridge? Does it have to be at room temperature?
    Thank you,

    Anna

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Jul 18, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      The flour needs to soak at room temperature.

  5. Susan

    Apr 16, 2018 at 4:07 am

    I am trying to convert a muffin recipe that calls for 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 1/2 cup melted butter. These would be combined to form the soaked batter. After I had combined these ingredients the batter turned out to be closer to a dough, moistened and somewhat crumbly–not very wet at all. How wet should soaked flour be to be effective? Maybe not all recipes can be converted? I’ll be finishing my muffins tomorrow so I’ll see what happens.

    Reply
  6. Juanita Bunch

    Mar 21, 2018 at 6:46 pm

    thank you! If I understand, I can soak wheat flour ( preferably whole grain) in either yoghurt or milk to “deactivate” (so to speak) my gluten sensitivity or allergy. I have been reading “nourishing Traditions” and am also going to try making a sourdough starter.

    Reply
  7. Georgina

    Feb 17, 2018 at 7:28 am

    Hi Sarah I watched your video soaking flour, very helpful thank you, the reason I am also interested in the soaking method is I’m interested in the eat right for your blood type, and as I’m B+ wheat is not allowed, and I think that’s because of the gluten and lectins, so I’m hoping the soaking will help make the flour more digestible Thanks

    Reply
  8. Abigail

    Dec 14, 2017 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    Do you still add the remaining milk or water since it is already moist? How about for breads? What would I need to do to make bread this way? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Dec 15, 2017 at 9:03 am

      I would recommend the cookbook Nourishing Traditions that has bread and other recipes for baked goods specifically designed for soaked flour.

  9. Alice

    Nov 20, 2017 at 9:09 pm

    Hello Sarah, I buy a stone ground ready to mix four which also contains dried cane juice, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. I really like it to make muffins that I can have in the morning but I was wondering if I could soak this mixture over night? My main concern is the cane juice. I do not want bacteria to grow.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Nov 21, 2017 at 11:30 am

      This mixture is not appropriate for soaking. It must be flour only, ideally freshly ground.

  10. Rino Pino

    Oct 17, 2017 at 11:40 am

    This procedure doesn’t make any sense at all from a health and nutritional standpoint, anti-nutrients are still there in the batter. You soak overnight to DISCARD the “bad stuff” in the morning. Rinse and repeat whereas necessary.

    “Important caveat: Lectins are resistant to DRY HEAT such as what would occur in baking. Thus, cooking with legume flours for breads and similar foods is neither traditional nor prudent if the legumes arenโ€™t soaked or sprouted first.”
    https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/lectins/

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Oct 17, 2017 at 12:47 pm

      The remnants of the anti-nutrients are there, but they have been deactivated. They are no longer a problem so no need to rinse, discard or do anything else.

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