On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, at 10:09 AM, Greg wrote:

> Will wrote:
>
>> I have a different interpretation of porridge bread and it is
>> somewhat connected to the concept of porridge.
>> If you crack grain, slake it down, and let it sit in a covered bucket
>> for a day or so, it starts to ferment. This fermentation is an
>> essential part of making regular porridge as bran needs to be
>> softened by water and phytic acid is reduced during fermentation.
>
> If by "regular porridge" you mean something like Quaker Oats in hot
> water or milk (as I would), has the process you describe already been
> done to such products before they are packaged and sold? Or is heating
> another way of accomplishing, quickly, the same thing?

Porridge, to me, is cracked (or rolled) and soaked, slightly fermented
grain that is then slow cooked.
There is a difference in both texture and flavor when you use cooked
cereal vs. the raw, fermented soaker stuff that was probably last
popular a hundred years ago.

Bread with cooked cereal, as in Quaker oats, or even my own home brew
variety when cooked, is heavier and gummier. The flavor is more vegetal
as well.

"is heating another way of accomplishing, quickly the same thing..."

I suppose the answer is yes and no. Yes, it is quicker if you measure
elapsed time. No, it is not quicker, if you measure effort, you must
cook the cereal, clean the pot, etc....