Whiteley Creek Homestead

If soaking grains overnight to release nutrients bound by phytates/phytic acid prior to cooking or baking (as explained in the previous two posts) seems impossible to fit into your present schedule (although it really doesn't require any more time… just a bit of preplanning) or if a recipe doesn't have an adequate amount of liquid needed to obtain the flour paste consistency for the "soaking" process, there are sources for purchasing sprouted grain flour (sprouting being another method to win the phytate battle) so that all you have to do is scoop and measure. To save you $, I will share how to make homemade sprouted grain flour, but that is for another day. Today, I called on Bob's Red Mill to assist me in baking a loaf of bread. My bread machine kneaded the 10 grain bread mix and encouraged the first rise in its temperature-controlled environment. I then transferred it to a loaf pan, set it in my conventional oven with a pan of hot water on the rack underneath to provide a warm environment, then closed the oven door for the second rise since my kitchen is quite cool this morning. I used my convection toaster oven, that I received from Dick for Christmas, to bake it to a golden brown.   

 
The mix makes a 1 1/2 lb loaf with 2 grams of fiber. One would expect the fiber content to be higher with that many grains, but you can pump it up with some additions such as ground flaxseed, wheat germ or dried fruit… add some raw sunnies or walnuts for crunch. Making bread from scratch doesn't take but a wee fraction of time longer than this mix, but it's perfect for busy days when you want the aroma of freshly baked bread to waft through your kitchen with as little as five minutes effort expended.