February 7, 2008 - 10:09am
Grains
I seem to have a problem with grains, such as rye grain etc, as in say Dan lepods recipe he says "boil the grains for 45 mins and then soak overnight. Now iv'e tried this twice now with different recipes but they still taste hard even after baking the loaves, making them almost inedible, iv'e actuly soaked them for much longer but without success. Any ideas how to rectify this problem ?
Cheers
Dave W
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Why don't you grind them first and then put them into a soaker overnight?
Thank you good simple idea, i'll try that next time, perhaps boil them first and then chuck em in the food prossesor for a min, and then soak em overnight.
Cheers
dave W
How hard is your water? I think that can make a difference. Legumes take longer to cook in water with a high mineral content, grains may do the same.
How long is your overnight soak?
For rye I have to soak for 12 hours to get them soft enough.
I soak mine, first, overnight, then boil them, till tender...
Beth
say, 1/2 teaspoon in your recipe in with the cooking berries. Normally whole berries cook in 25-30 minutes of boiling (turn down the heat once boiling and continue to simmer). Water 3 parts to 1 part berries. Use a stainless pan and just let them cool down slowly.
I once had some dried beans I couldn't get tender for the life of me, then weeks later, remembered I'd baked them once in a pie shell, using them for weight. Apparently baked them into rocks.
Mini O
Perhaps you might want to try sprouting them as long as they aren't cut or anything. Sprouting doesn't generally work any better for softening grains, but it usually softens them up as much as boiling does. It generally takes me about three days to sprout wheat berries a little longer for rye berries.
I would agree with the water thing; I have hard water, and I can't soak stuff in it at all. If I soak beans, for instance, they just stay hard as a rock, even after 24 hours.
So I would say try it with spring water first, or maybe a mixture of tap water and distilled water.