This Soaked Flour Sandwich bread is healthier than regular bread, in that the flour soaks overnight before baking. This has numerous health benefits, even though it is time consuming. But even though it is ‘time consuming,’ you don’t have to spend a relatively long amount of time in the kitchen; and you can eat healthier. The time is worth it.
Sally Fallon, author of the book “Nourishing Traditions” explains some of the reasons why soaking your flour before baking is healthier:
-activates the enzyme phytase, which breaks down phytic acid (phytic acid inhibits the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc)
-provides lactic acid and lactobacilli, helping to break down complex starches and proteins
-increases vitamin content
-makes the nutrients in grains more readily available
-softens whole grain flour, making it more palatable
Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk (or make your own, see directions)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup room-temp water (or more if too dry)
½ cup oil
¼ cup warm water
2 ½ teaspoons active-dry yeast
2 ½ tablespoons coconut sugar (or honey)
2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
If you don’t have 1 cup of buttermilk, then you can make some; in a 1 cup liquid measuring dish, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Then fill the rest of the cup up with milk. Let rest for a few minutes, or until curdled.
In a large bowl, or stand mixer, combine flours. Then add buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, ½ cup water, and oil. Mix and stir until thick, tough, and homogeneous. Plastic wrap the bowl, and let rest on counter overnight. (12-24 hours).
The dough, after sitting overnight, will be slightly larger, browner, and less tough.
When ready to complete bread, place the dough in a warm oven (170 degrees) to warm up, for 10 minutes.
In a small dish, combine very warm water (¼ cup) and active-dry yeast, and coconut sugar. Mix, and let rest for 5 minutes, or until yeast has bloomed.
Pour yeast mixture into soaked flour dough mixture, and mix/knead in until fully combined. Let rest for 30-45 minutes, in a warm place.
On a floured surface, turn dough out. Sprinkle over with all the salt, and knead and knead for a few minutes, until all the salt is mixed in, and dough is smooth. Separate dough into two smooth logs. Place each of these logs in two greased loaf pans.
Set pans atop the warm oven, and let rise for another half hour.
When you are about ten minutes away from being done with rise time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
When dough is done rising, place in oven to bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Take out of oven, and let cool a bit. Take loaves out of pans, and let them cool some more before cutting into slices and serving.
Once loaf is entirely cool, you can store it in a Ziploc plastic bag.
Michael's Test Kitchen 