Jenni Kayne asked me to share with her readers one of her favorite tips that I have taught in class — soaking grains. So we have collaborated on a today’s post! Do check out her amazing lifestyle website, ripplustan.com which is one of my favorite sources for learning about new products, entertaining ideas and of course, fashion!
I am a big fan of a mostly plant-based diet and more importantly, I emphasize as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible. Whole grains can definitely be part of a healthful diet, but they are much more nutritious and digestible when prepared the way our ancestors did by soaking, fermenting or sprouting them before cooking or eating.
Whole grains contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which binds with certain minerals (e.g. zinc, phosphorous, calcium and iron) and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. Phytic acid is also very hard on the digestive system. Most of the phytic acid is contained in the exterior bran and germ layers of the grain. Ironically, whole grains are much higher in minerals than polished or refined grains, but we won’t receive those benefits unless we neutralize the phytic acid.
Phytic acid is also an enzyme-inhibitor which keeps the grains/seeds dormant until the conditions for germination are just right. Not only does phytic acid prevent seeds from sprouting, it also helps protect them from predators by blocking digestive enzymes so that the seeds stay untouched as they pass through our digestive tract.
Soaking, fermenting or sprouting your grains before cooking them will neutralize the phytic acid and release the enzyme inhibitors, thus making them much easier to digest and making the nutrients more assimilable. Phytic acid can be neutralized in as little as 7 hours when soaked in water with the addition of a small amount of an acidic medium such as vinegar or lemon juice. Soaking also helps to break down gluten, a hard-to-digest protein found in grains such as wheat, spelt, rye and barley.
Fortunately, grains are very easy to soak. You just need to start the process the night before or the morning of the day you want to eat them. Pour grains into a bowl and cover with warm or room temperature filtered water. Add a tablespoon of something acidic, such as yogurt, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, whey or kefir, for example. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 7 hours or longer. Change the water after 24 hours if you’re still soaking. Drain and rinse the grains before cooking with fresh water.
Even though 7-8 hours is the minimum recommended for soaking, even a few hours is better than nothing. An extra benefit to soaking grains is a shorter cooking time. The longer you soak them, the less time is needed to cook and also less water. There’s no formula to figuring this out, but usually if you soak 1 cup of brown rice for 8 hours, you can reduce the cooking time from 50 minutes to about 40 and use about 1/3 cup less water. For 1 cup of soaked quinoa, you can cook for about 10 minutes and use 1 ½ cups of water.
If you’ve been eating whole grains, nuts and seeds for years without soaking, don’t stress. A small amount of phytic acid is reduced just by the cooking process alone. But for minimal effort, you can significantly improve the digestibility and nutrition of these important foods.
Hello, I read on some other blog that you shouldn’t soak your oats overnight in the fridge. I find it quite weird since I always soak my oats in milk and I thought that if milk is kept outside the fridge it will spoil. What is your take on this?
I soak oats to make oatmeal on the counter with a little yogurt and then in the morning I rinse the oats and then cook them. When I make overnight oat and chia porridge with almond milk, I always refrigerate it because it will spoil otherwise. It is advised to soak grains, nuts and seeds on the counter or in a semi-warm environment to help neutralize the phytic acid more quickly and efficiently.
What is the optimal method for germinating if the intention is to cook the product? Should i be waiting for visible signs of germination? Or is a lengthy soaking (>12 hrs) sufficient for this purpose? So far i have bee waiting for the visible but this can take 2 days or more depending, and if it isn’t truly required then i’d rather not put myself thru the pace. The real issue here is that forgetting to start a 2 day process really messes meal planning up. We cook more or less en mass on sunday to minimize meal prep through thursday…
You asked the important question – “for purposes of cooking.” Soaking neutralizes the phytic acid. 12 hours is absolutely sufficient and up to 24 hours is even better. If you were not then going to cook the rice, continuing to soak for several days, changing the water regularly, in order to sprout, or germinate, the grain would open up a plethora of live enzymes and proteins and additional vitamins. Yes, you would actually see the grain grow a tail. You would have to cook the grains right away or perfectly dehydrate them to use another time. I have not found data to show how much of the new enzymes and vitamins survive the cooking process. I do not have time to sprout grains, so I soak them as described above or I buy sprouted grains and cook them at home. It’s more complicated than I just described, but whatever you do is an improvement over cooking dry grains without soaking.
After I have soaked the oatmeal overnight, if I rinse it won’t the helpful vitamins and minerals rinsed away?
I have never read that anywhere. Do you have any source for that info? I would be interested to learn more about that. Thank you!
No I don’t have a source. After soaking overnight, it seemed to me that the oatmeal water has particles in it. So it was my idea that there may be dissolved oatmeal nutrients being washed away or rinsed off.
So is it bad to cook it in the soaked water?
I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about. There are still plenty of nutrients (more, actually) left in the oats. It is not bad to cook in the soaking liquid, but if you have added something acidic, it may alter the flavor of the oatmeal. I usually add a little yogurt or lemon juice when soaking and that’s why I drain and rinse before cooking.
Our ancestors, who knew how to cook well (unlike our modern-day “educated” generation), would pour out the water, rinse with fresh water, then slow cook over wood fire in clay pots (this brings other benefits, particularly if you use acids when soaking). They would not have reused the water that contains the phytic acid. They were healthy, we aren’t.
As for the widespread belief that stone age humans supposedly merely reached their 40s, show me a birth certificate. They died at an unknown age being so fit that we assume them to have reached no more than their 40yrs. Think about that.
I agree with all your points Julia
Can I cook enough steel cut oats with apples and raisins cinnamon and ginger for 5 Days and still retain nutrient contents
Yes!
Hi Pamela, may I ask if it is it ok to store soaked brown rice in the fridge for a couple of days before cooking? Sometimes I go on work trips and would like to soak rice overnight before the trip, then store the soaked brown rice in fridge, ready to be use when I return? Any tips on this matter?
Thank you in advance, Christian
Hi Christian, I don’t believe this should be done in the fridge for several days. If I were you, I would soak and cook batches of grains and store them in the freezer. They freeze really well.
Hi Pamela, some people say to cover the brown rice that is soaking and others don’t. Your instructions do say to cover. Should it be a tight seal or loosely covered or can you impart any wisdom on this? Doing it for easiest digestion…..thanks as always!
Covering is just to keep out dust and such. If you have apple cider vinegar in there, fruit flies may be attracted to it. Cover with anything you choose. Or don’t cover — it won’t affect the finished product 🙂
I started soaking my barley yesterday and thought I would cook it tonight but I won’t have time. I know i should change the water after 24 hours, but What if I don’t get to it tomorrow night either? can I pour the water off and put it in the refrigerator? How long will it keep? Thanks for this great information.
No problem. Drain it, rinse it and if you think you’ll make it tomorrow, soak it in fresh water. After 24 hours, I like to change the water every 8 hours. Otherwise, drain and rinse and store in the fridge for up to 2 days and then cook.
Does quinoa go bad if you soak it 24 hours without an acid? I did this by accident and it developed a weird smell, kind of like beer. I rinsed it out and added some new water to cook it. I’m eating it as I type this comment 😛 hopefully nothing crazy happens
24 hours without an acid is fine, but I recommend changing the soaking water after 24 hours. I even like to change the water after 12. It starts to ferment a little, which is also fine. I have noticed a sweet aroma when I soak quinoa. But in the future, if it’s really warm in the kitchen, consider changing the water after 12 hours.
I read in your article that the soaking of whole grains breaks down the gluten. can that help someone who is gluten intolerant?
Yes, it is possible but it depends on the degree of one’s intolerance. I’ve heard of traditionally fermented wheat-based sourdough breads that GF people can eat. Celiacs should NOT attempt to eat soaked gluten-grains though. If the person has a mild intolerance, I would give it a try with a small amount of properly soaked grains and consult with a physician. 🙂
I was just reading your flour soaking recommendation. Never heard of that. Always wondered what to do with flour. Question: I make my bread from a slow rise that uses only ½ tsp yeast per 6 cup flour batch. Stir into 3 cups water with 2 ½ tsp salt. Cover w/ damp cloth and plastic grocery bag 12 hours or until double. No kneading. Work as little as possible on a heavily floured surface to form 2 loaves and rise till double again. Bake 425 for 15 min, 350 for 40 more. ANYWAY, would this process also reduce the physic acid?
Also, what about flax seeds? They get all jelly when soaked.
Thank you for your very interesting blog!
Helen
Do you use a sourdough starter for your bread? From what I understand, if you use a starter and no yeast and a long fermenting time, physic acid is significantly reduced. SOunds like that’s what you’re doing! You can read more here if you’re interested: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/living-with-phytic-acid/
No starter. Just ½ tsp standard dry yeast from the local co-op. Back in the “old days” I used a tablespoon and the first rise generally took just 2 hours. This bread does not have the distinctive aroma that sour dough has, but is still good. And so darn easy! Thanks for the reply and for the link!
Wow. That is one complicated article! Sounds like the overnight rise is at least better than the old standard 2 hr rise. Maybe I’ll try grinding and adding a little rye flour to each batch of bread.
My Favorite Recipe: 3 cups water, 2 ⅓ tsp salt, ½ tsp active dry yeast, 6 cups flour (some of it freshly ground rye if you’ve got it) . In a 5 quart ice cream pale, mix first 3. Add flour. Stir only enough to take up flour. Cover pale with damp cloth and plastic bag. Leave at least 12 hours. Turn onto heavily floured surface. Work only enough to divide into loaves. Place into greased, floured pans. Raise until double. Bake 15 minutes at 450, reduce to 350, bake 40 to 50 minutes more until done, turn out onto cooling rack. YUM!
Helen…I just started making sourdough myself because of it’s health benefits compared to other quick rise breads. I was very intimidated, but it’s not difficult once you get the hang of it. Just a little practice and you’ll be on your way. I have a 2 month old, and I’m doing it! My arms are getting toned from the kneading! Ha. I know there are also no-knead sourdough recipes. Breadtopia is a great source. Blessings.
Lovely. Thank you, Alexa!
Great post Pamela. I love amaranth but those teeny seeds slip through even my fine meshed cone strainer. How do you rinse or drain yours? Do you ever just cook them in their soaking water?
Hi Linda! Ironically amaranth is the one grain/seed I don’t care for so I don’t use it. But if I were you I would try drain them in a nut milk bag. 🙂
Maybe try a double layer of cheesecloth, or an unbleached coffee filter?
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for the wonderful education you are providing here!
I soak steel cut oats overnight with some ACV in the fridge and cook them with the same liquid! Looks like I have some adjustments to do.
Can I soak the oats outside the fridge? I live in Singapore and temperatures are in the late 20’s deg Celsius all year.
After cooking the oats, I add a concoction of blended nuts/seeds/dried fruits to the oats. Is that too much to consume in a bowl? I basically add almonds, walnuts, cashew, pecan, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried coconut, goji berries with a tablespoon of coconut oil after a dash of 7 grain milk or almond milk.
Cheers
I rinse and start with fresh liquid because I want to eliminate the vinegar/acid and the soaking liquid can get kind of murky. You can soak outside of the fridge in those temps, and in fact it speeds up the process of breaking down the physic acid. I don’t know how many nuts/seeds/dried fruits you are adding, but if you find your porridge to be digestible this way, and you don’t have a weight problem, then I’m sure it’s fine!