When adding flax seed to bread, is it better to grind it into a meal (using an electric coffee mill) OR soak it in water?

Which method makes the flax seed nutrients more bioavailable? Which method better reduces the tendency of flax to interfere with gluten development?

I've spent countless hours searching the web with no definitive answer. Here's the gist of what I've found...

> Recipes from professional bakers commonly recommend soaking flax. (However, this may be a result of their background - it is hardly cost effecient for a bakery to be grinding their own flax meal on a daily basis, it's much easier and less labor intensive to use a soaker.)

> Bloggers who are home bakers sometimes soak, sometimes grind. There's no concensus.

> Nutrition mavens tend to recommend grinding over soaking but never give any valid, verifiable, scientific reference(s) for their preference. If I can't find independent research that supports their claims, why should I trust them?

If you can enlighten me - especially if you can give me references to solid articles in peer-reviewed journals that I can access on the web - I'd love to hear from you. Thanks in advance.

Greetings -

Best o' the season to y'all.

Is there a significant difference between using freshly ground cinnamon or nutmeg, as opposed to the pre-ground variety?

And if fresh is that much better, what do you typically use to grind them?

Cheers,

- Richard

Anyone try roasting wheat before grinding it? I saw an episode of "Good Eats" on Food Network where Alton Brown (Host) recommended roasting wheat berries in a heavy pan before soaking and using them in cereals. The idea was that the heat changed some of the simple sugars into more complex (flavorful) compounds.

I wonder if this would effect grinding, gluten development, rise (not as much sugar for the yeast), etc.? I found a few discussions on roasted flour here, but not roasted whole grains.

Phxdog (Scott)

It's a family tradition of ours at Christmas to make poppy seed cake - kind of like a sweet bread dough with poppy seed paste spread on it which is then rolled up like a swiss roll and baked.  Mum has always done it in the past, but I'm trying to take it on now.

I need to figure out how to grind the poppy seed though.  Last year I tried making the paste with unground poppy seed, and it just wasn't right.  I have a Champion Juicer, with the grainmill attachment which I use for grinding wheat for my flour, and I was wondering how it might go with Poppy Seed.