Sprouted flour can still go rancid (oils oxidize upon prolonged exposure to air), and I think there can be other nutrient loss if it's kept at room temperature and not sealed, just like non-sprouted flour. It may be ideal to have the sprouted whole grains and then grind them as you need them, but I've read differing opinions on this topic, and don't really know for sure. To be safe, I keep my sprouted flour in the freezer, with most of it in the deep freeze and a smaller quantity in the kitchen freezer for easier access. The company I mentioned above says they grind the grain just before it's shipped, so it should still be very fresh when it arrives (I try not to order in the summer, because heat supposedly accelerates the oxidation/nutrient loss).
I typically don't bother soaking rice, because it's not very high in phytates, we rarely eat it more than twice a week, and it's not usually the main component of a meal for us. Beans I soak at least 12 hours at a warm temp (in my oven with the warming drawer on below, which keeps it over 100F inside the oven), sometimes more like 18 or 24 hours. You're not trying to sprout the beans with a 12 hour soak (IME sprouting legumes takes several days, and involves a lot of rinsing and draining to avoid mold and other ick), just neutralize some of the phytates and enable more breakdown of the complex carbs (the ones specific to legumes that humans can't digest well, which lead to gas when they reach the lower intestines still intact - I forget the name, are they oligosacharides?). Sprouting beans is good, too, as it also increases some vitamin content, but it definitely takes more time than the typical soak before cooking. I notice a difference in digestibility of beans with a 12-24 hour warm soak and long, slow cooking. What it does for the phytate levels, I can't say.
I typically don't bother soaking rice, because it's not very high in phytates, we rarely eat it more than twice a week, and it's not usually the main component of a meal for us. Beans I soak at least 12 hours at a warm temp (in my oven with the warming drawer on below, which keeps it over 100F inside the oven), sometimes more like 18 or 24 hours. You're not trying to sprout the beans with a 12 hour soak (IME sprouting legumes takes several days, and involves a lot of rinsing and draining to avoid mold and other ick), just neutralize some of the phytates and enable more breakdown of the complex carbs (the ones specific to legumes that humans can't digest well, which lead to gas when they reach the lower intestines still intact - I forget the name, are they oligosacharides?). Sprouting beans is good, too, as it also increases some vitamin content, but it definitely takes more time than the typical soak before cooking. I notice a difference in digestibility of beans with a 12-24 hour warm soak and long, slow cooking. What it does for the phytate levels, I can't say.
thanks, ajp, for the flour info! i might try my hand at it!
: (That's sprouted popcorn with raw milk cultured butter and sea salt, of course 
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