Bread: Soaking wheat flour

Store bought, white bread just doesn't cut it for me. I grew up with my parents making tasty homemade bread every week and once I met crusty-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside bread in Europe, there was no question of lowering myself to buy the bleached whiteness.

Still, how do you get wheat bread that doesn't feel like baked bricks? By soaking the wheat in an acidic mixture before baking with it. White flour has been peeled, sort of, leaving only the soft inside part of each kernel. Whole wheat flour uses the whole kernel, including the rougher outer layers, which are harder to digest, but better for you. By soaking the flour, some of those outer layers break down, making it easier on your stomach, by aiding in digestion as well as nutrient absorption. It makes the bread a lot lighter too!

When I first heard this idea, it took a while for me to wrap my head around it. Then I realized people eat sauerkraut and pickles and lots of other odd things that have been bathing in acid before consumption. Then I tried it and found that it works.

How it's done

This is a work in progress, but here's what I've tried so far.

• Measure out the amount of wheat flour you want to use into a bowl. (What else would you put it in? A plate? Okay...) This could be any percentage of the flour for the recipe. (Ex: Lately I have done about 75% of the recipe as wheat flour and used unbleached all-purpose flour for the other 25%. Again, it's a work in progress and experimenting is fun...if it turns out well, otherwise, chalk it up as experience.)
• Add all but 1/2 c. water that the recipe requires.
• Then add a tablespoon of acidic stuff per cup of water. I have tried lemon juice and cultured plain yogurt, though there are other options, like apple cider vinegar or whey, and yogurt wins out as my favorite. It must have active cultures in it, otherwise nothing happens.
• Mix it all together and allow it to rest for 12-24 hours. Cover it with something that won't allow the moisture to escape, like plastic wrap or container lid.
• If the amount of flour overwhelms the water, and it's too dry, you can add liquid oils or sweeteners, but I haven't tried that. This site (http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html) explains a lot about the how and why.
• When you are ready to bake the next day, just add the remaining ingredients as usual. It is a lot more difficult to incorporate the other ingredients, so be ready to use a mixer or to knead for a while.

What happens

When the flour has been soaked, and the yeast does its job properly, the dough with feel very spongy and supple. It's really cool to see the difference from unsoaked dough, but I am a bit of a nerd in that regard. While the bread is baking, you might notice a sour or tangy smell, which isn't there with unsoaked bread. The taste is slightly different, not sourdough taste, but a little, little zip, and the texture is excellent! It's light and fluffy, again, if the yeast has done its job.

Personally, not that you need to know, but I haven't found a great difference in how my tummy responds. Maybe I just need to pay more attention, but the texture is worth it, even if the other benefits are more subtle.

Have you tried this too, or something similar? What works for you?