Fermenting Oatmeal - Our Ancestors Fermented their Grains and You Should Too

Nothing is better for gently waking up your digestive tract and energizing you for the day ahead than oatmeal. It is the ultimate breakfast food. The well-meaning advice of many nutritionists, to consume whole grains as our ancestors did and not refined flours and polished rice, is misleading and often harmful in its consequences; for while our ancestors ate whole grains, they did not consume them as presented in our modern cookbooks in the form of quick-rise breads, granolas, and other hastily prepared casseroles and concoctions. Our ancestors, and virtually all preindustrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes, and casseroles. The scientific rationale, is that the outer layer of most grains contains a compound called phytic acid, which can block mineral absorption during digestion. Fermenting grains by soaking them before cooking neutralizes phytic acid and renders the grain far more nutritious. A short soak, 24 hours in cool weather, 8 to 12 hours in hot weather, accomplishes this without affecting the flavor. Then again, sometimes you want to affect the flavor. Not everyone likes their food mild and bland. Some of us crave intense sour flavors. The longer you allow grain fermentation to proceed, the more acidic flavors will develop, thanks to the presence everywhere of lactic acid-producing Lactobacilli.

You can also try to lacto-ferment your oats. It's simple: soak the oats in water and yogurt overnight, which kickstarts some lacto-fermentation in the oats. Mixing just a little yogurt into the oats kicks off the lacto-fermentation process. The beneficial Lactobacillus in the yogurt goes to work on the starches and sugars in the oats, creating lactic acid, a preservative, and helping break down the tough structure of the oats.

The bonus of this technique is that whenever you soak your grains, you're saving a bit of cooking time, and this method is no exception since soaking oats overnight makes for a really quick on-the-go breakfast. Also, adding the yogurt into your soaking liquid really amps up the flavor and makes for a much more interesting bowl of oats.

Oatmeal is the quintessential comfort food. Fermenting oats before cooking them makes them creamier, richer in flavor, and more nutritious. Oatmeal is very versatile. Some people eat savory oatmeal, with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. You can also serve it up sweet with peanut butter, molasses and vanilla.

For the freshest, most nutritious oatmeal, coarsely grind whole oats yourself when you are ready to use them, though steel-cut oats or rolled oats will work fine, too.

Time frame: Around 24 hours

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 servings):

1 cup/250 milliliters oats, coarsely ground, steel-cut, or rolled
3 cups/750 milliliters of water
6 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
Sea salt

Process:
1. Soak the oats in the water. Cover to keep dust and flies out.
2. Ferment overnight, or for several days. A short ferment begins pre-digestion but has a mild flavor not heavily influenced by fermentation. The distinctive flavors of fermentation emerge after 24 to 48 hours, depending upon temperature, and become more prominent the longer you let it ferment.
3. Cook the oats. Add a pinch of salt and bring the oats and water to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the oats absorb all the water, about 10 minutes. Add a little more water if you prefer a thinner, runnier texture; more oats if you prefer it firmer. Stir frequently, as the sticky, starchy oatmeal can burn easily.
4. Serve. However you like to eat your oatmeal, sweet or savory, you’ll love the creaminess of this fermented version.

If you're looking for a way to add a little excitement to your morning oatmeal routine, this is a great place to start. And it's certainly timely, as we soon will be finding ourselves firmly in fall, a season in which I find nothing more comforting than a warm, deeply flavored bowl of oats to start the morning. Please share your favorite oatmeal recipes in the comments below.

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Fermenting Oatmeal - Our Ancestors Fermented their Grains and You Should Too

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