Cooking with Wheat 101 (Part 2)

Introduction

This post is part 2 of Cooking with Wheat 101 and part of a series of posts dedicated to Cooking with Whole Grains 101.

Part 1 provides a definition of wheat, an overview of its history and its nutritional properties.

As discussed in part 1, the current day processing of conventional wheat involves dousing it which questionable chemicals from the time it is sown in the ground all the way until it is manufactured into baked products.

Therefore, in part 2, the focus is on how to process wheat (preferably organic) without artificial chemical inputs and for optimal digestibility and nutrition.

Optimal Digestion

My Cliff Notes definition of optimal human digestion is:  the breaking down of complex starches, proteins and fats into simpler forms prior to consuming them so that our digestive track can more fully absorb these nutrients.

When it comes to whole wheat, the lightbulb moment for me was when I realized the sprouting wheat berry is already doing the breaking down of stored nutrients naturally so that it can provide fuel to the growing plant.

The breakdown process involves the enzymes naturally present especially in the bran layer of the wheat berry (as shown in above image).

When the enzymes come in contact with water within the right temperature range (think warm spring weather), they wake up and go to work.

Also helpful to boost enzyme activity is the right acidity level and a number of micronutrients and vitamins.

The wheat berry naturally produces the optimal acidity by increasing its vitamin C levels.

With the help of dedicated enzymes, wheat also increases the micronutrients it needs by unlocking the B vitamins found within it.

When I think of enzymes, I think of a conveyor belt process. 

Because enzymes don’t multiply, they need time to break down the complex nutrients into simpler forms, one complex nutrient block at a time if you will.

Temperature can speed up this conveyor belt but only up to a point.

This is why time is so important for the sprouting process.

In order to achieve maximum digestibility, we humans simply need to allow the wheat berry to sprout or mimic the sprouting process when using wheat flour.

Indeed, this is why you will see presoaking, the adding of acids (i.e. apple cider vinegar) within a warm temperature range and rest time as the main tools for natural wheat processing.

Forms of Wheat

Ideally, it is best to start with the whole wheat berry because in that form, nutrients can be preserved for years when using optimal storage conditions. 

Other forms derived from whole wheat are sprouted wheat and wheatgrass as well as the ground up versions of these main forms.

Culinary Uses of Wheat

Below we will discuss how to make the various forms of whole wheat and the best way to prepare them for optimal digestion.

Sprouted Wheat Berries

As just discussed, the enzymes involved in sprouting break down complex nutrients into simpler components.

While our guts also contain enzymes that can break down starches, proteins and fats – the native wheat enzymes are optimal for that purpose.

As a result, our gut needs to do less work when the wheat enzymes have done the heavy pre-lifting so to speak.

Therefore, sprouting wheat berries is an excellent first step in preparing wheat berries.

Typically, wheat berries will be sprouted and then processed further by boiling or dehydrating, as will be detailed further below.

Which Wheat is Best for Sprouting?

If you plan on using sprouted whole wheat berries in salads, pilafs, smoothies or as part of a breakfast cereal blend, typically soft wheat berries are preferred.

While they will keep their shape well, they also will be more pleasant to chew because of their softer outer bran layer.

If you plan on making bulgur, hard wheat berries will hold their shape better when ground up and later rehydrated.

( An explanation of wheat berry types was provided in part 1. An even deeper dive into wheat berry types can be found in this post.)

How to Sprout Wheat Berries

1. Soak a cup of wheat berries in 3 times the volume of water overnight.
2. Drain the wheat berries and place in a wide mouth half gallon mason jar at a 45° angle with a meshed lid.

3. Rinse and drain twice a day.
4. Sprouting time varies depending on intended final use:
   • for sprouted flour, it is sufficient for the sprout shoot to barely emerge. (usually within 24 hours)
   • for use as a side dish or in salads, the sprouted wheat can be used at any point where the shoot has emerged and is less than the length of the grain.(within a couple of days)
   • for malt you will want to let the sprout shoot grow to slightly less than the length of the grain.(two to three days)

Blanching/Boiling Sprouted Wheat Berries

While some people consume sprouts raw, it is often advised to at least blanch the sprouts in boiling water for one minute and then place in ice water. 

This method insures the destruction of pathogens that can sometimes appear if sprouting is not done in optimal circumstances.

I have also seen recipes where the sprouts are boiled for about 5 minutes though personally I prefer a minimum of 10 minutes.

What will work best for you will depend on the stage of sprouting that is your preference.

For wheat berries where the sprout barely emerges (my preferred option), you will want to boil your sprouts longer so that they are plump and translucent in appearance, without any trace of starchiness.

While enzymes are killed by boiling, you still will be benefiting for a much more digestible, sweeter grain with a softer bran layer than if it had been left raw.

If you sprout your wheat berries until the shoot is close to the length of the berry (fully sprouted), then the bran will be more tender and easy to chew.

To Blanch Fully Sprouted Wheat Berries

1. Have some ice water ready in a bowl.
2. Bring 2 times volume of water (relative to sprouted wheat berries) to a boil.
3. Pour wheat berries into boiling water for a minute (to blanch) and then quickly drain into a colander.
4. Place wheat berries in the ice water to stop the cooking process.

Stovetop Boiling of Fully Sprouted Wheat Berries

When combined with boiling, the fully sprouted wheat berries are at their most tender and close in softness to brown rice.

1. Bring 2 times volume of water (relative to sprouted wheat berries) to a boil
2. Pour wheat berries into water for 5 to 10 minutes to your desired level of tenderness. (soft wheat will cook faster than hard wheat)
3. Drain wheat berries and spread out on baking sheet to cool if not using immediately.

Stovetop Boiling of Minimally Sprouted Wheat Berries

Minimally sprouted wheat berries have a softer bran layer than raw wheat berries and they will take about half the time to cook.

They are more firm than fully sprouted wheat berries but also more familiar for most people.

If this is your first time cooking wheat berries, it is a good starting point.

Since the enzymes have not broken down the starches, proteins and fats as fully, a longer boiling time is required.

1. Bring 2 times volume of water (relative to sprouted wheat berries) to a boil.
2. Pour in wheat berries and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook for at least 30 minutes until grain is translucent and tender throughout. (soft wheat will cook faster than hard wheat)
4. Drain wheat berries from water and spread out on a baking sheet to dry if not using immediately.

Pressure Cooking of Minimally Sprouted Wheat Berries

Pressure cooking is ideal for wheat berries as it makes the bran layer even more tender.

This is especially helpful if you are using a hard wheat variety.

Instructions below are given for the Instant Pot.

1. Use a two to one ratio of water to wheat berries with a pinch of salt.
2. Pour minimally sprouted wheat berries into your pressure cooker.
3. Set Instant Pot to 20 minutes high pressure (15 minutes for soft wheat) with natural release.
4. After at least 10 minutes of natural release, drain any remaining water from wheat berries.
5. Wheat berries are now ready for use in salads, grain bowls, pilafs or smoothies.

Note:  Since there will be variability in wheat bran hardness, the times above are approximate.  They may need to be tweaked if wheat is not sufficiently tender – or too mushy.

Dehydrated Sprouted Cooked Wheat a.k.a. Bulgur

Cooked sprouted wheat can be dehydrated and then coarsely ground to make bulgur.

The benefits of bulgur is that it can be rehydrated with boiling water much more quickly than cooking wheat from scratch.

The drawbacks are that bulgur, as a processed food, can lose some of its nutritional value over time and the healthy fats are likely to go degrade.

Therefore, you will want to make sure you store your bulgur in optimal conditions – an airtight container in cool dry place or in the freezer.

While bulgur can be made with soft or hard modern wheat, typically durum and Kamut are preferred.

There are multiple ways to make bulgur which are described in detail here.

If you are aiming for optimal digestibility, then sprouted bulgur is the best option.

Instructions below use a dehydrator and a stone mill as that is the best case scenario.

For other options, please refer to this post.

How to Make Sprouted Bulgur

1. Weigh out your wheat berries and note the weight.
2. Sprout hard wheat berries until the shoot barely emerges as detailed above.
3. Spread wheat berries one layer deep on dehydrator trays and set dehydrator to 125° F for about 24 hours.
4. Weigh your dehydrated wheat berries to make sure they equal the initial weight – a sign they are fully dry internally.
5. Coarsely grind bulgur using coarse setting of stone mill.
6. Sift out finer pieces (you can regrind them at fine setting to make sprouted flour).

Boiling Raw Wheat Berries

Many many recipes will call for cooking wheat berries without any prior sprouting or even soaking.

Not only does this option take more cooking time (an hour or more depending on whether you are using soft or hard wheat berries) but it also results in a less digestible product.

Without Presoaking

If you didn’t have time to plan ahead you can add an extra spoonful of apple cider vinegar per cup of wheat berry to the cooking water to help soften the bran.

You can also toast them first for an extra nutty flavor.

To boil raw wheat berries:

1. Use a 2 to 1 ratio of water to wheat berries.
2. Bring water to a boil. 
3. Add a pinch of salt, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and pour in wheat berries.
4. Bring heat to low and simmer for an hour or more until wheat berries are tender through and through.

With Presoaking

While sprouting is the best way to activate the wheat berry enzymes and soften the exterior bran layer, the next best option is soaking the wheat berries overnight in an acid medium such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

The added acid serves to activate the enzymes and speed up the bran softening process.

1. Soak wheat berries overnight in twice the volume of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar added per cup of wheat berries.
2. Drain water from wheat berries.
3. Follow instructions for stovetop boilling or pressure cooking of minimally sprouted wheat berries.

Toasted Wheat Berries

Toasting of wheat berries is best done as a first step prior to boiling raw wheat berries (or bulgur).

Toasting will enhance the nutty flavor in the wheat berries as well as make the bran layer more digestible.

To dry toast wheat berries:

1. Heat up a shallow pan to medium heat.
2. Spread raw or dehydrated sprouted wheat berries one layer deep in pan.
3. Stir with wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until berries emanate a toasted aroma.
4. Remove from heat promptly and transfer berries to a cool plate to avoid burning.

Wheat Malt

Wheat malt refers to long sprouted wheat berries where starch has turned in part into the simpler sugar maltose.

Typically, to halt the sprouting process, the wheat malt is dehydrated.

There are two forms of malt: diastatic malt and non-diastatic malt.

The diastatic malt has been dehydrated at a low enough temperature that the enzymes are still available.

Non-diastatic malt has been dehydrated at higher temperatures which denature the enzymes.

What Enzymes Are in Wheat Malt?

Typically, when discussing malt, the emphasis is placed on the enzymes that break down starches, the most famous being alpha amylase and beta amylase.

However, there are many other enzymes in malt that are responsible for breaking down proteins and fats as well.

Per Monica Spiller malt enzymes include:

“amylase, phytase, pentosanase, peptidase, lipase, and oxidase, which respectively release sugar from starch, minerals from phytate, soluble pentosans (arabinoxylans) from the fiber in cell walls, modify protein, hydrolyze fats to their constituent fatty acids, and oxidize unsaturated fatty acids”

For baking purposes, the fermentation process is boosted when (wild or commercial) yeast has access to simpler sugars such as maltose early on.

Later in the dough fermentation process, there are enough simpler sugars available in the dough itself because the flour enzymes have had the time to do their work.

Is Diastatic Malt Needed in Whole Wheat Flour?

You may have heard that whole wheat flour does not need any diastatic malt because it contains plenty of enzymes in its bran layer.

Whole wheat flour certainly contains plenty of enzymes, especially when compared with sifted wheat flour.

However, research has shown that wheat enzymes do degrade when wheat is held in storage for a year.

Therefore, even whole wheat flour can benefit from the addition of wheat malt.

Typically, it is recommended to add wheat malt at the rate of 0.5% or less of the flour weight as a starting point.

Depending on how the dough performs, you can then adjust that rate with the next bake.

To Make Wheat Malt

1. Weigh out raw wheat berries you intend to use for malt.  (Half a cup of wheat berries or 90 grams is more than enough for the occasional baker)
2. Sprout wheat berries as instructed above until shoot is at least a third to a little less than the length of berry.
3. Dehydrate sprouted berries using a dehydrator set to 110 F or below for about 12 hours.
4. You now have diastatic wheat malt.
5. (Additional step to turn into non-diastatic wheat malt: transfer dehydrated sprouted berries to a baking sheet and roast at 170 F for about an hour. )
6. Weigh out the dehydrated sprouted berries to make sure they are same weight (or very close) to initial raw wheat berry state.
7. Briefly pulse dried malt in a spice grinder or high speed blender for about 30 seconds ( you don’t want to overheat the diastatic malt as that would denature the enzymes)

Note:

• The wheat malt contains simple sugars which can cause stickiness. 
• Therefore, it is preferable not to use a micronizer mill to grind the wheat malt as it might clog up the burrs. 
• Likewise, if using a stone mill, you will want to clean the stone afterwards with some raw rice.

Wheat Malt Syrup

Malt syrup is non diastatic and is usually used for its sweetening and browning properties.

I have not yet made true malt syrup but hope to try making it in the future.

According to this post, to make a substitute for malt syrup, you can dilute dehydrated malt in some warm water, adding 20% of the malt weight as a guide. 

For example, for 100 grams of malt, you could add 20 grams of water.

Apparently, the modern way to make malt syrup is to add corn syrup to the malt (mentioned in The Rye Baker).

If you are interested in making your own malted sweetener, one fascinating video shows how to make brown rice syrup by combining chopped up wheatgrass with cooked sweet sticky rice.

Cracked Raw Wheat

Raw wheat can be coarsely ground with a blender or a stone mill to make cracked wheat.

Cracked wheat is quicker cooking that raw wheat and, after sifting, can be used to make pilafs.

To make cracked wheat, you can follow the same steps as this recipe for cracked Kamut.

Just as for sprouted bulgur, hard wheat is a better option here as it will hold its shape better.

On the other hand, if you don’t sift out the ground wheat, then you have the makings of a quicker cooking porridge.

For porridge, a soft wheat variety will give you more tender and faster cooking results.

Raw Whole Wheat Flour

Raw wheat berries are most often processed into flour.

Typically soft wheat berries are preferred to make whole wheat pastry flour with a protein content around 9%.

Hard wheat berries are used to make flour suitable for bread baking.

All purpose flour is usually made with sifted hard winter wheat or a blend of wheat berries to achieve a protein content around 12%.

Hard winter wheat is usually used for sourdough breads.

Since store bought whole wheat flour is usually not labeled as all purpose or bread flour, you will want to check the protein content to determine it best use.

Hard spring wheat has a higher protein content (around 14%)  and it is typically preferred to make yeasted breads which rise quickly.

In terms of gluten, what is called modern wheat has been bred to have a higher concentration of gluten than older wheat varieties.

Case and point, for the holidays, I recently purchased some sifted organic all purpose flour made from winter wheat as well as some organic whole wheat flour from a brand new to me.

Both flours had incredibly strong elasticity – very much like chewing gum – when hydrated at 75% Baker’s hydration ( 75 grams of water to 100 grams of flour).

Both flours were much much stronger than the heirloom winter wheat varieties I typically use even though they didn’t have a substantially different protein content.

These flours were also much stronger then previously purchased store bought flours from several years back.

Neither flour stretched out as easily as the heirloom varieties (what is typically referred to as extensibility).

Since not everyone is used to whole grains, often I make some blended baked goods when bringing food for a get together.

I tested out the flours to make 36 hour sourdough baguettes with varying degrees of whole wheat.

After very long rest times, the store bought flours did perform well though I found them a bit too chewy.

All this to say that if you are sensitive to gluten, most store bought flours seem to have a higher concentration of gluten then heirloom varieties.

As noted by Monica Spiller, you will want to be sure you are dealing with true heirlooms rather than an modernized version.

This post on online sources of wheat is a good starting point to find heirloom varieties.

For optimal digestion, you also will want to be using whole wheat flour.

As also stated by Monica Spiller:

Neither the plant nor humans can properly assimilate and use this stored starch and gluten without the accompanying B-vitamins, minerals, and other components (phytochemicals) present in the wheat germ and bran.

Home Milling

Furthermore, milling your wheat berries at home, will insure you also benefit fully from the volatile vitamin E and other oils present mostly in the germ.

This post on choosing a grain mill discusses the pros and cons on various milling technologies.

Whole Wheat Bread

While it contains more nutrients, a 100% whole wheat bread is typically more challenging to bake than bread made from sifted wheat flour.

That is because the bran pieces can shred through the gluten and make it harder for the loaf to rise.

Accordingly, many bakers prefer very finely milled whole wheat flour when making whole wheat bread.

Some recipes that aim for the popular large holes in hearth breads call for a high protein and therefore high gluten bread flour.

Others call for the addition of vital wheat gluten which can be problematic for those with gluten sensitivity.

Others often combine whole wheat flour with sifted all purpose or bread flour to get a better rise.

If you are aiming for optimal digestion, then long fermented sourdough recipes are your best bet, based on scientific esearch as well as personal experience.

My simple original 100% sourdough loaf pan bread recipe was inspired by a recipe in the Josey Baker Bread cookbook.

Because it uses a loaf pan, the need for a very strong (aka high gluten) flour is reduced.

But there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Since posting that bread recipe, I have learned even more about the benefits of malted flour, a long pre-soaking and also adding vitamin C (or lemon juice).

Recently, I have had good luck testing out the 36 hour whole grain baguette posted here.

From that recipe, I have learned the benefits of a very high hydration for whole wheat flour – in this particular case 105%.

An updated whole grain bread recipe for this blog is definitely on my to do list.

Whole Wheat Pasta

Typically, durum and Kamut are used for flour and water pasta recipes because those grains have excellent stretchability.

My from scratch Kamut pasta recipe can be found here.

Whole wheat bread flour can also be used to make whole wheat pasta. 

Usually, when using wheat, the most popular recipes call for adding eggs.

Some vegan recipes use oil and water to replace the eggs.

If you want to make Asian style wheat noodles, then using hot water helps to develop the gluten.

Baked baking soda or alkaline solution can be used to make whole wheat ramen noodles but the recipes I found typically don’t use entirely whole wheat.

Apparently, the trick when using whole wheat flour and water is to reduce the hydration to a range between 38% to 45%.

The lower the gluten content, the lower the hydration.

For optimal digestibility, I have seen recipes which add a portion of sourdough to the whole wheat flour.

As the pasta dough dries slowly, it is presumed that enzymes continue to act on the dough and make it more digestible – however I could not find any research specifically on this topic.

Sprouted Wheat Flour

As discussed in the introduction, sprouting wheat makes it more digestible and also sweeter.

Because the enzymes have already done a lot of their work when you get to the sprouted flour state, you can get very digestible breads and pastries without a long fermentation.

Typically, commercial yeast will be used in combination with sprouted wheat flour because bread structure could be compromised with too long a rise time.

Other than that, you can substitute sprouted flour for whole wheat flour in most recipes.

Sprouted whole wheat flour is ideal for baked desserts.

It’s lower gluten strength and inherent sweetness works perfectly in most dessert recipes.

A great book with savory and sweet recipes for sprouted flour is Bread Revolution by Peter Reinhart.

Sprouted wheat can be either dry milled or wet milled to make sprouted flour or a sprouted dough.

Dry Milling Sprouted Wheat Berries into Flour

1. To make sprouted wheat flour, the wheat berries are sprouted as detailed above until the shoot is barely emerging and then dehydrated below around 110° Farenheit so as to preserve the enzymes.
2. Once the berries are fully dry, then they can be milled using any dry milling technique.

Wet Milling Sprouted Wheat Berries into Dough

1. Sprouted wheat berries can be wet milled and used immediately to make a bread dough or other baked goods.
2. For home wet milling, if they don’t have a dedicated wet mill, people will use a food processor, meat grinder, or even a masticating juicer as detailed in this post.

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is the young grass plant of the wheat berry once it has fully sprouted and started to grow chlorophyll rich green leaves.

While no longer a grain, wheatgrass is arguably the most nutritious stage of the wheat plant as discussed in part 1.

According to Charles Schnabel, wheat grass is best slow grown outdoors.

The wheatgrass Mr. Schnabel recommended using was hard winter wheat allowed to grow outdoors in natural conditions for 200 days.

In this situation, wheatgrass is sown in the winter, starts growing a little but then goes dormant until the spring.

Over the 200 days, wheatgrass has time to grow a healthy root system which is able to extract nutrients deep within the soil.

In addition, because of its exposure to sunlight, winter wheatgrass is usually a vibrant green with abundant chlorophyll.

Wheatgrass is at the peak of nutrition just prior to reaching the “jointing” stage, when the initial blade of grass separates out into two blades and a concentric circle appears at their intersection (or “joint”).

Since winter wheat grows best in the central United States wheat belt, it is often sold in dehydrated or freeze dried form to preserve optimal freshness.

On the other hand, Ann Wigmore, who made wheatgrass popular again several decades later, recommended growing wheatgrass indoors on trays with composted soil as the growing medium.

Proper ventilation was emphasized to ward off mold.

Per Ann Wigmore, wheatgrass could be harvested when 7 to 10 inches high and then regrown and harvested again twice.

The second and third harvest were considered somewhat less nutritious than the first.

To Grow Wheatgrass

An easy low tech way to get you started growing wheatgrass is shown in this video.

Instructions to grow wheatgrass below are a modified version of the video, based on my best sprouting experience.

1. Sprout wheat as instructed above until sprout barely appear.
2. Fill some pint sized deli cups with potting mix.
3. Place wet sprouts on top of potting mix so that no soil shows through – about one layer deep.
4. Cover cups with lids loosely and use a or thick towel to mimic dark environment in soil.
5. Hydrate sprouts twice daily using a spray bottle filled with water.
6. Within 3 days, roots should have grown into soil and shoots should be emerging.
7. At that point, you will want to water once – but not excessively.
8. Keep uncovered and place in indirect sunlight to allow shoots to grow a darker green.
9. Harvest when wheatgrass is 7 to 10 inches by cutting 1 inch above the soil.
10. Allow wheatgrass to grow another time by hydrating a few days later.
11. Compost soil with wheatgrass roots so that you can later reuse the compost to grow more wheatgrass.

Wheat Rejuvelac

Wheat rejuvelac is an enzyme rich beverage with a mild lemony taste and a cheesy fragrance popularized by Ann Wigmore.

Wheat can be made into rejuvelac by placing sprouted wheat in filtered water for one to two days. 

And in depth post on making rejuvelac can be found here.

Conclusion

It was the goal of this post to provide you with ways to prepare whole wheat for optimal digestion.

Hopefully, you now have a greater insight into the natural tools at your disposal: namely wild yeasts, enzymes, time, temperature and acidity levels.

In my opinion, when properly prepared, whole wheat can be one of the most delicious and healthful foods in the world.

Wishing you a grainlicious experience!

Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist.  This post is provided for general educational purposes. For a full disclaimer, please see here. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclaimer for more information.