Every day, more people are learning about the benefits of sprouted grains and sprouted flours. The flour made from sprouted grains provides more protein, vitamins and minerals than refined flours, and it’s easier to digest.
Unique Pretzel Bakery was founded in Reading, PA, during the late 1890’s and has continued to grow for six generations. Our most famous brand is Unique Pretzels “Splits”, a split-open pretzel which was accidentally invented in the early 1950s after the dough was left to set too long and the pretzels split during baking.
In addition to our 120-year-old traditional pretzel recipe, we have introduced the only 100% whole grain sprouted flour pretzels in the industry. They are kosher, vegan, diabetic-friendly, and may help people who are sensitive to traditional flours and those who simply want to eat better.
Unique’s Sprouted “Splits” and Sprouted Shells are made with a revolutionary new sprouted flour from Essential Eating® Sprouted Foods. It has great baking characteristics, delicious flavor, and is kosher and USDA Organic certified, but one of its biggest benefits is that the body digests the sprouted whole wheat flour more like a vegetable than a starch.
What is a Sprouted Grain?
Whole grains are simply seeds that have not yet sprouted (germinated). They are covered by a protective outer layer called the bran. When whole, they contain compounds that inhibit them from sprouting until the time is right. When subjected to the right temperatures and moisture conditions, the bran cracks open and a new plant begins to form. At this stage, they are called “sprouted grains.”
The new sprout fuels its growth by digesting some of the starch in the grain, converting the starch molecules to simple sugars. Simple sugars are vegetables, and vegetables are the easiest foods to digest.
Until recently, sprouted grains have been incorporated into products by means of a “mash” process. The grains are wet-milled and ground into a paste for use in baking. Mash products tend to be coarse in texture, have a bitter taste, and may contain parts of the broken up bran and foreign matter.
A newer process of turning whole sprouted grains into flour, the one used by Essential Eating®, involves rinsing, drying, sifting and milling the sprouted grain into flour. An improvement over the mash process, sprouted grain flours have better taste (without adding sweeteners), and are milled to produce smooth-textured, great tasting product that is 100% whole grain.
Top 5 Benefits of Sprouted Grain
The top 5 benefits of sprouted whole grain flour are:
- Better digestibility
The body can digest sprouted grains easily because sprouting has broken down the starches into simple sugars. These can be used for energy instead of being stored as fat (as starches are). - More nutrients
Sprouting grains increases antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamins B2, B5 and B6, and carotene, and neutralizes phytic acid which hinders the body’s absorption of nutrients during digestion. - A living food
Sprouting returns the whole grain to its plant state, which can be digested by the body with the help of vegetable enzymes instead of pancreatic enzymes. - Better taste
Sprouting removes the bitterness usually associated with whole grain. This means it’s not necessary to add sweeteners to improve the flavor. - Longer shelf life
When grain is sprouted, dried and milled under measured conditions, it maintains its freshness much longer than un-sprouted flour.
Sprouted grain and the flour made from it result in some of the healthiest pretzels you can eat. Unique’s Sprouted “Splits” and Sprouted Shells are low in fat, cholesterol-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, trans fat-free, and contain only non-GMO ingredients. Look for them at your local Wegmans, Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Giant stores, or visit us online.