How To Properly Prepare Grains
For the past year, I have restricted most of my grains in my diet. I have been slowly reintroducing grains back into my diet.
I have learned a lot about grains and how to properly prepare grains.
There are 3 ways one can properly prepare grains to make them more digestible. I will be expanding on this information in a future post.
- sprouting grains
- fermenting grains
- soaking grains
If you care to read more on soaking grains you can read this post here.
Soaking Oatmeal
Today we are using the soaking method. By soaking the grains in an acidic medium (lemon juice, buttermilk, liquid whey, yogurt, or apple cider vinegar) you break down the anti-nutrients in the oats and the minerals are released making the oats digestible.
Soaking grains has been done for centuries by our ancestors and it has only been since after WWII that this process has been eliminated.
So if you are looking for a traditional way to prepare your oatmeal, try this recipe. You might be surprised how great you feel and how filling this breakfast is. I am not hungry at all after I have oats in the morning until 12:30 pm and I feel great!
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Traditionally Prepared Soaked Oatmeal
Prep Time: 7 hours- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: american
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Learn how to soak your oatmeal to make them more digestible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled organic oats (not quick oats)
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2 tbsp acidic medium (yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, buttermilk)
- 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of oats, water, and the acidic medium into a glass bowl and stir well. Cover and let it sit overnight on the counter (at least 7-8 hours).
- In the morning add another 1 cup of filtered water and the unrefined sea salt, stir well. ***Note – if you feel the oatmeal is too sour, you can rinse the oats before adding the additional 1 cup of water, but this is not necessary.
- Heat to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Serve with a generous portion of butter and cream.
Notes
Recipe Method From Nourishing Tradition
Nutrition Info: Calories: 153.8 Fat: 3.0g Carbohydrates: 28.3g Protein: 5.1g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
Hi- thanks for this.
I have a couple of questions. 1) Normally when I cook oatmeal, the ratio is 4:1. Here it is 2:1. Is that because of the soaking?
2) I use steel cut, not rolled oats. Would there be any difference in the soaking time or amts. of water? (And maybe that is the answer to #1?)
3) Can you also do a post about the need (is there one?) to soak nuts? I have heard that the skin on the almond should be discarded and that they should be briefly par-boiled to release some poisons?
Thanks for all your wisdom.
Candace Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message
@CandaceDavenport to answer your questions … 1. If you like your oatmeal runnier, you certainly could add more water, but 2:1 offers a very creamy oatmeal. 2. Steel cut oats would work just fine. You can soak the same time, but you will need to cook them a little longer closer to 10 minutes. If the liquid absorbs quickly you can add some more water, but the 2:1 should work fine too. 3. I will work on a post about soaking nuts. Yes, you should be soaking your nuts. You can also buy them pre soaked but they are quite pricey.
Can I microwave after soaking, vs stove top?
I’m sure you could, but I don’t use a microwave so you’d have to test it to see how it works.
What are your thoughts on steel cut oats? A
Thanks Halle. I have been having oats each morning lately and they kind of feel like they’re just “sitting there” lately. I’m going to give this a try tonight for tomorrow.
Let me know how it turns out Tracy…It is night and day for me…I must soak mine, I feel so much better after I do and they sit with me great! @ Rhonda, steal cuts are fine to eat, I haven’t tried soaking them however, I have always used rolled oats and not the quick oats.
Thanks for sharing this.
Rhonda the steel cut oats are great I love them better than regular oats. I soak them over night and in the morning I cook for about 10 minutes maybe less but they are great
Do you not throw out the water that the oats have been soaking in? I know that when soaking nuts you get rid of the water.
You don’t have to, but I do because I use vinegar as my soaking medium and I like to rinse my oats and then cook them to remove the vinegar taste a bit.
I think you should get rid of the antinutrient-containing water.
How funny Lorenda, I was just going to tell Rhonda that she would be fine with steel cut but to cook them a bit longer. She can still soak them in a 2:1 ratio, it should work out just fine.
I do my 3:1 ratio as that is how I was told to cook them and it works out great but either way they are good especially with alittle pure maple syrup and scrammble eggs mixed in
I had steel cut oats this morning with some banana, cinnamon, and coconut butter It didn’t quite hold me over. I could feel my blood sugar start to drop about 1030.
Rhonda I do mine with butter and half and half and heavy cream and the fat holds me over just right. Maybe the bananas pushed you over on the carbs?? You’re a protein type right?
I am a protein type. Could have been the banana, was hoping the coconut butter would add enough fat. My blood sugar has been weird lately. I think it is because of the stomach bug I had recently. I think my body is healing & adjusting. I went several days without eating much then I went into overdrive! Lol! Nothing bad necessarily just eating. I had salad today & it really did a number on me…miserable. I was so burned out on salads, I stopped eating them. I continued spinach with eggs & did fine.
Just clarifying: Halle, you’re still eating a protein alongside your oatmeal, correct?