Re: Soaking Flour in the Fridge?

[Guest guest]

I don't know about soaking in the fridge, maybe it slows it down?

After I soak my batter or dough and if it's been out 24 hours and I

can't get time to do something with it, I refrigerate it then. The

next day it's still really good.

Laurie

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/6/02 12:29:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jc137@...

writes:

> Can I put dough (that needs to be chilled eventually anyway) in the fridge

to

> soak? Sally always says put your soaking grains in a warm spot...just

> wondering if a cold temp would prevent getting all the phytates out.

Putting it in the fridge will dramatically slow down any fermentation going

on, but the grain soaking in an acidic liquid should probably break down

_some_ of the phytates. Still, my understanding is that most of the

benefits-- the bulk of phytate reduction, pre-digestion, tannin break-down,

lighter texture, etc-- come from actual fermentation of the grain, the

activity of the bacteria pre-digesting it. Lactobacillus require a warm

temperature to activate, which is why something as bacteria-dense as yoghurt

still takes a few weeks to go overly sour and more to start curdling when

it's in the fridge, but will do so in hours if left out.

I agree with Laurie. If I don't have the time exactly 24 hours before I want

to use the recipe to soak the dough, I do it when I can, and put it in the

fridge after 24 hours. Personally, I think everything is best if soaked for

the full 24 hours. Based on my one experience making muffins, I think maybe

it should go further for them, but I might need to fidgit with the recipe as

well.

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

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compassion, which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to

bear the sight of the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature.

Thus they pray ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the

truth, and for those who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian