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raw flour.. how?

beanbean Raw Newbie

Hi! waves I think this is officially my first post here! I’m sorry, I lurked for quite a while (so sneaky!) but I’m in the open now, and just wanted to say hi to everyone!

Anyways, my question- I was looking at the recipes on here recently (poemomm, your recipes are GORGEOUS) and I was curious about the flour- I believe it was teff and sorghum that were used. I know they’re used and believed to be raw by everyone here, and that Bob’s Red Mill does say that directly, but I was curious how that’s possible. To my understanding, those grains don’t actually take on the “magical enzyme-ness” until they are soaked and starting to sprout- even if they’re not heated before that, aren’t they not quite raw until then? And if that’s true, how can the flour be raw- even if it’s not heated beforehand, wouldn’t that be a form of processing that would render it not so? Same with beans- there are bean flours that Bob’s Red Mill makes that are raw… I was curious how flours could be raw if they are still processed. (Though I know it’s popular to soak, dehydrate, and then grind, I don’t think they would do that first) So is it still raw if you just grind up the dry oat groats, grains, beans, whatever, before even soaking?

Wow for the long post- lot of questions- but if anyone has any info, please post it! I’m dying to try some of the recipes that call for the flour, but I’m a bit confuzzled on the raw-ness. And those brownies are absolutely begging to be made… mmmmm….

Much obliged!

Bean

Comments

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I agree, any grain we eat should always be sprouted first.

  • Before going raw I used Bob’s quite a bit and never did they claim to be raw on their packaging…I was just checking out the website, they claim their almond flour is made from raw-blanched almonds, hahaha, bit of a contradiction there! I am 100% positive that none of their products are raw. Hope that helps.

    You can make your own almond flour however, just dehydrate the left over pulp from making almond mylk! It’s delicious, I just made some mini donuts this morning with my left overs(I don’t have a dehydrator so I had to use it up right away!)

    http://www.bobsredmill.com/home.php

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    Hi bean this is beany. hee-hee. Well I would do as most suggest. Soak, sprout, dry, grind. A simple way to do this is as soon as you get the seed. Soak, sprout, dry, then they will always be ready to grind. I have found if it is “organic” or “raw” it will say the fact loudly on the package. Other wise not so. Course nuts is another subject. ugh

    I understand what you are asking. so, If the seed or grain can sprout it is raw. The point to soak and sprout is to get more of the nutrition and digestibility out of them

  • SueSue Raw Newbie

    I too am curious as to the “rawness” of the teff and sorghum, two grains I never heard of before reading about them here. I also checked the Bob’s Red Mill web site, and while the products looked great, there was no mention of these products being raw. Yes, I know there was another post that someone had pointed out that they contacted “Bob’s” and they were told the product was definitely raw, but does it say so on the package? I’m just curious because I would like to try these two new grains.

  • beanbean Raw Newbie

    I wonder if you could get the same results (ish- or something to bind it together with, at least) from blending grains right after soaking (before they sprout)- do they need to be sprouted to have enough enzymes for proper digestion? I don’t have a dehydrator where I am right now, but I have grains… and water…. eh? Possible?

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I think it’s much better to sprout a grain.

  • I am also curious about this. I don’t think it would be a great idea to use raw flours in a recipe unless they are germinated+dried+ground. Raw kamut flour for example.. Eating raw ground wheat grains? Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Getting the answers to these questions would be very helpful.

    Are there any nuts/seeds/legumes/grains/pseudograins/etc that would be fine to eat raw and unsoaked? Something with minimal or no enzyme inhibitors? Is it possible to soak raw flours to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors?

    I’ve read that pecans have minimal enzyme inhibitors and are fine to eat without soaking. IMO they lose a lot of their flavor once they are soaked too. I usually just rinse them or soak for a couple of minutes before eating.

  • Hi Folks… I was reading this thread and thought my recent communications with Bob’s Red Mill might shed a bit of light. I e-mailed the company asking if their coconut flour was raw, and I also wanted to know about steel cut oats. This was their response (Just a few days ago.)

    HI Amigovia,

    Thank you for your email.

    Unfortunately our Coconut Flour is not “raw”. The coconuts are dried at higher than 118° for microbes to be eliminated. Also any of our oat products would NOT be raw either. All commercially grown oats that you find on the market will have been toasted or steamed to inactivate a fat enzyme that they have.

    Basically most of our products are raw (im sorry we don’t have a list). You would want to avoid any nuts, nut Flours, oats, and cereals that we sell. All other products have no processing done to them and are considered raw. I hope this info helps you.

    Thank you!

    Lea

    Customer Service

    Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I think Amigovia has a point as does James. I think a company like Bob’s Red Mill wouldn’t be a great source for a raw foodist. I support the idea that they should be sprouted, however, just because Bob’s Red Mill isn’t reliable doesn’t mean eating sorghum/teff is out of the question. We need a source for the whole, raw, sproutable grain, that we could sprout ourselves. I think this would be very interesting.

  • I think there is a difference between raw and alive. A sprouted grain becomes alive. If the teff grain has not been cooked, it is a raw flour, but not alive.

    Sprouted grains are easiest to digest for those of us with digestive disorders. But I haven't had a problem yet using teff flour now and then in a raw recipe. Maybe it would be a problem if I used heavy amounts of it.

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I'd prefer to use whole sprouted grains to grind myself, besides, you could dehydrate whole sprouted grains and then grind them in flour.

  • I make almond flour using my dry blade for my Vitamix.

  • I always have buckwheaties in a jar ready for making pastry/bread. I will add in some ground dry seeds to the mix too.

     

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