Whole Wheat Bread - How to Soak Grains Before Baking for Vitamin Absorption - Recipe

     I have heard about soaking grains before you cook them for a few years now, but always found it difficult to remember to do until I developed a habit of it.  The idea is well explained in Sally Fallon's cookbook, Nourishing Traditions.  Apparently people used to soak and ferment their grains all over the world.  It actually makes sense to do this given what scientists know about mineral absorption.  Grains have phytic acid which joins with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc and blocks absorption.  Sally Fallon suggests soaking grains in warm acidulated water for at least seven hours to neutralize a large portion of this acid.  She also describes how soaking in warm water increases the amount of many vitamins.  Soaking and fermenting also makes proteins easier to digest.  She explains the chemical processes that go on and it is fascinating.

     But how to do you give grains in bread access to the benefits of soaking?  I use yogurt in my recipe and put the dough into the refrigerator to keep the dough from over rising and turning into a kitchen blob monster.  It does not take long to mix the dough.  I usually mix it in the evening, put it in the fridge overnight, and bake it the next day.

Whole Wheat Bread - Soaked Grains
1 1/2 c. Warm Water less 2 T.
2 T. Plain Goat Yogurt or Plain Cow Yogurt
3 T. Olive Oil
3 tsp. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
2 c. Bread Flour
2 1/4 c. Whole Wheat Flour*
2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

*(For a lighter whole wheat bread, use 3 1/4 c. Bread Flour and 1 c. Whole Wheat)


     Place all ingredients into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook.  Mix at the lowest speed until the ingredients are almost fully incorporated.  Set the speed to the setting your mixer uses to knead dough, and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Remove bowl from mixer and shape the dough into a ball, lightly oil with olive oil, and place back into the bowl.  Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.  Take the dough out, punch down, and let rise, covered, in a warm place for 2 hours.  It will need this much time to warm up the dough.  Punch down again, and shape into a loaf.  Place in a greased 1 1/2 quart bread pan.  Grease one side of plastic wrap and place greased side down over the bread pan.  This will keep the dough from sticking when you remove it.  Rise in a warm place (I like the top of my refrigerator) for 1 hour until 1 1/2 inches above the rim of the pan.  Remove the plastic and discard it.  Bake in a preheated, 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the internal temperature of the bread is 195 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.   Run a thin knife around the rim to loosen and remove to a rack to cool.

Note:  Sometimes my bread looks done on the outside, but is not done on the inside.  I like to check the temperature of my bread by inserting a quick read meat thermometer into the bread near the rim of the pan.  That way I do not ruin the pretty brown top.  If you like a lighter crust, you may add a loose piece of foil on the top of the bread if it is getting too dark.

Equipment Note:  I have the 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series Kitchen Aid.  I love it for everything from bread, to cookies, to mashed potatoes.  It is my power house!