Sprouted grains, once considered the province of hippies and esoteric foodies, today have captured the imagination of mainstream bakers. Basically it’s about treating grains as vegetables – growing them into plants, then grounding them into malt, milling them for flour, and incorporating them into dough. The sprouting converts starches into simple sugars that, in turn, transforms into give easily digested energy. In addition, they give breads a textural crunch and sweetness.

I recently sprouted some grains at home, using kamut and spelt. It took two days and required minimal maintenance; just soak seeds for four hours, drain, and put them in a jar, then rinse twice a day to avoid spoilage, cover with cheese cloth and watch them grow. At the end, you could make a "power loaf, an Ezekiel bread, or toast them slowly for malt powder.  Sprout them if you got 'em!