Learn how to sprout wheat! It is unbelievably simple and SO important, as it unlocks the nutrients in the wheat so your body can use them!
Sprouting wheat. It sounds like a weird, granola thing that will be a difficult process, but it's totally not. I promise. I was skeptical too. I had heard that it was better nutritionally to sprout grains, but just assumed it would be hard to learn and do. I'm here to tell you that you just need to try it because it pretty much couldn't get any easier.
I use sprouted wheat regularly in my kitchen and it probably takes me a total of 15 minutes every time I need to make a new batch (which is every month or so). The process is so simple that it's second nature, I don't even have to think about what I'm doing. There are no measurements either, just a couple of steps.
I LOVE having freshly milled flour that actually adds to the nutrition of the items I bake, unlike processed white flour. I use it in muffins, german pancakes, cookies, crepes, tortillas, crackers, pie crust and more!
Why Is It Important to Sprout Wheat?
There is something in wheat (and other grains, seeds and nuts) called phytic acid or phytate. It is an anti-nutrient, which means it protects the nutrients in the grain so they are not absorbed into the body. They can also steal nutrients from other foods that you eat at the same meal! Thievery! The sprouting process reduces or removes these anti-nutrients so your body can actually utilize the nutrients in your food. I don't know about you, but when I eat something I want my body to take in ALL the goodness!!
Are There Other Ways to Reduce Phytic Acid?
Yes! There are 3 methods:
- Sprouting
- Soaking - Using slightly acidic water to soak a grain or legume overnight can reduce phytic acid. I do this mainly to my steel cut oats the night before having them for breakfast and the nuts and seeds that I snack on regularly.
- Fermentation - This is the most effective method for breaking down phytic acid and the most common way is using a sourdough starter to ferment the wheat in a recipe. The way my family eats wheat right now, it makes more sense for me to sprout it rather than maintain a sourdough starter, although I do intend to dive into sourdough in the future! See my favourite sourdough resource here.
What Equipment Do I Need to Sprout Wheat?
- Large bowl
- Mesh strainer
- A few tea towels
- Food dehydrator (or oven)
- Grain mill
How to Sprout Wheat
Thoroughly rinse the wheat berries (whatever the amount you want to sprout) and be sure to remove any debris! Pour them into a large bowl and add enough filtered water (we use the Berkey filter, find out more here) to cover the berries by 1-2 inches. Cover and let soak 8 hours or overnight.
Drain the water and rinse wheat berries thoroughly.
Place tea towels to line the inside of your bowl and leave a good amount of the towels hanging off the edge of the bowl.
Pour the wheat berries back in and cover the top of the bowl by wrapping the rest of the tea towels over top. Moisten the tea towels on the top. Allow about 24 hours to sprout.
As soon as you see signs of sprouting on all the berries, the process is complete! The amount of time the berry is allowed to sprout will also affect the final product of your baking. I have found it is best to stop the sprouting at the earliest signs of it, as it produces the best results for baking and you still reap the health benefits!
At this point, you can refrigerate the berries for up to 3 days and use them as a topping in salads, on your breakfast cereal or yogurt, or to bulk up a soup. You can also dehydrate them and grind them into flour to use in your baking!
How to Dehydrate Sprouted Wheat
There are 3 methods to dehydrate your sprouted wheat:
- Food dehydrator - spread the berries out in a thin even layer on the dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 110°F or less for 18-24 hours. (If you dehydrate above 113°F you may destroy the good enzymes in the wheat!)
- Oven - most ovens do not reach below 150°F, so some enzyme activity will be lost. The berries will dry faster, usually between 8-12 hours, depending on the temperature of the oven. Set at your oven's lowest temperature and check after 8 hours.
- Air dry - spread in a thin even layer on cookie sheets and cover with breathable material, such as a thin tea towel or cheesecloth. Place in a dry, well-ventilated spot and allow to dry for 18-48 hours. Dry time will depend highly on the environment.
How To Know Your Sprouted Wheat is Fully Dehydrated
Before sprouting, weigh a wheat berry. After sprouting and full dehydration, the wheat berry should weigh about the same as it did before sprouting. If it weighs more, continue to dehydrate.
How to Mill and Store Sprouted Wheat Flour
If you wish to store longer term, store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer and mill the desired amount just before use. Mill according to the directions of your grain mill. I mill all my sprouted wheat after dehydration, store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer and pull out whenever I need it. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What Did You Think?
Please let me know if you sprouted your own wheat with this method and how it went! Also be sure to subscribe to my email for more healthy food preparation methods!
Sprouted Wheat Recipes
Grab my healthy breakfast ebook for more ways to use your sprouted wheat:
More Traditional Food Preparation
- HOW TO RENDER FAT
- SOAKING NUTS AND SEEDS + HOW TO DEHYDRATE THEM
- KETO BONE BROTH | INSTANT POT RECIPE
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Food Dehydrator (This one is similar to mine.)
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📖 Recipe
How to Sprout Wheat
This process is unbelievably simple and SO important, as it unlocks the nutrients in the wheat so your body can use them!
Materials
- Wheat berries
- Filtered water
Tools
- Bowl
- Mesh Strainer
- Tea Towels
- Food Dehydrator or Oven
- Grain Mill
Instructions
1. Thoroughly rinse the wheat berries (whatever the amount you want to sprout) and be sure to remove any debris! Pour them into a large bowl and add enough filtered water to cover the berries by 1-2 inches. Cover and let soak 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the water and rinse wheat berries thoroughly. Place tea towels to line the inside of your bowl and leave a good amount of the towels hanging off the edges of the bowl.
3. Pour the wheat berries back in and cover the top of the bowl by wrapping the rest of the tea towels over top. Moisten the tea towels on the top. Allow about 24 hours to sprout.
4. As soon as you see signs of sprouting on all the berries, the process is complete! The amount of time the berry is allowed to sprout will also affect the final product of your baking. I have found it is best to stop the sprouting at the earliest signs of it, as it produces the best results for baking and you still reap the health benefits!
5. At this point, you can refrigerate the berries for up to 3 days and use them as a topping in salads, on your breakfast cereal or yogurt, or to bulk up a soup. You can also dehydrate them and grind them into flour to use in your baking!
Notes
There are 3 methods to dehydrate your sprouted wheat:
1. Food dehydrator - spread the berries out in a thin even layer on the dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 110°F or less for 18-24 hours. (If you dehydrate above 113°F you may destroy the good enzymes in the wheat.
2. Oven - most ovens do not reach below 150°F, so some enzyme activity will be lost. The berries will dry faster, usually between 8-12 hours, depending on the temperature of the oven. Set at your oven's lowest temperature and check after 8 hours.
3. Air dry - spread in a thin even layer on cookie sheets and cover with breathable material, such as a thin tea towel or cheesecloth. Place in a dry, well-ventilated spot and allow to dry for 18-48 hours. Dry time will depend highly on the environment.
If you wish to store longer term, store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer and mill the desired amount just before use. Mill according to the directions of your grain mill. I mill all my sprouted wheat after dehydration, store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer and pull out whenever I need it. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Susan Horner
What kind of wheat grinder do you use? Since you linked to the WonderMill, is that the one you recommend?
thehomeintent
WonderMill is what I use and I love it!
Carol Kilcoyne
Would freeze drying work as a drying method?
Errika
I had no idea, but did a little research and found this article from Harvest Right Freeze Dryers: https://harvestright.com/blog/2021/sprouted-flour-made-easy/. Here's a quote from the article, "While dehydrating grain gives a product that must be ground in a grain mill, the grains which are freeze-dried can be powdered in your hands, and are easily powdered in a food processor or mill." So yes, you can freeze-dry them as the drying method!
Marielize Goldie
I use organic spelt/dinkel. Soak and sprout. (Initially, I also dried and milled). After watching rice bread recipes. I tried making bread directly from the whole, soft, sprouted spelt, using my vitamix.
That is now my fast and preferred way because I can make smaller bread, but more regularly and superfast if I use yeast + sourdough enhancer. A person can always do a whole sourdough process.
I soak 1 1/2 cups spelt,
sprout
blend the whole, soft berry to a fine (or even rough dough) on high speed in a powerful blender.
add my yeast or sourdough salt etc mix at lower speed
rise to an extra 1/3 in size directly in 2 small pans (at 40C in my airfryer if I'm in a hurry)
Then bake at 200C for 20 min in the airfryer.
Everybody will have to try the softness of the dough they prefer, just experiment until you find what you like.
Errika
Interesting! It's always good to hear what works for other people. Thanks for sharing!
Tracey
I would really like to know where you get your wheat berries. Can you please share that?
Errika
I buy them at my church's local food storage center. In the past I have gotten them from bulk food stores (Bulk Barn here in Canada).
Patrick
You can also get wheat berries from the Mormon church. Their website is really funky but I have always gotten my orders https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/new-category/food-storage/5637160355.c
Paula Sorcic
I use Azure Standard. I seems to be the most cost effective and they are all organic.
Errika
I would love to, I've heard so many good things! Unfortunately, they don't deliver in Canada where I am.
Jenni
Did you have any adverse effects from eating unsprouted grains that were resolved with the switch?
Errika
My migraines became less frequent, however around the same time I started doing this, I also made some other dietary changes, like eating less processed food and reducing my dairy consumption. Hard to say if one change made the difference or all of them together!
Marisol
Do you have a recipe for sprouted flour yeast bread? Or have you tried making bread with sprouted flour and sourdough starter?
Thanks
Errika
I haven't made sprouted wheat bread yet, but you can find some other sprouted wheat recipes here on my site. I haven't used sprouted flour with my sourdough starter either! I'm sure it's doable!