A few days ago, I started sprouting a batch of lentils. This morning, I took some of the beans, now with 0.5-1 mm shoots growing out of them, tossed them in salt, pepper, and paprika, and spread them in a single layer on a pie tim, which I baked in a preheated 250F oven for about 20 minutes.
When they came out they had a lovely flavor, but were a bit gummier than I'd like. I'm going to perform the experiment again with the remainder of my sprouts tomorrow, but I'll probably change something.
What I'd like is something crunchier–I've had toasted chickpea sprouts that are crunchy and delicious, and I can only hope that a similar effect can be achieved with lentils. Does anyone have any suggestions? I could bake them longer, change the temperature, only add the salt after cooking (as one does to prevent beans in soup from toughening up)… Also, by tomorrow the sprouts will be more developed, with longer shoots. I suspect the chemical changes that take place will also make a difference.
How to achieve tender or crunchy toasted lentil sprouts
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Related Solutions
Adding a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the beans when soaking overnight should help soften them.
According to this extensive bean cooking guide from University of Alaska Fairbanks, the secret is to simmer the beans gently. Unfortunately, they have little more to say on the matter.
Kenji Lopez-Alt, in his column on Food Myths at Serious Eats says (emphasis added):
Most of us have been told at some point in our culinary careers that salting beans will cause them to toughen. It's incredible that this little bit of culinary mis-wisdom still lingers, for it couldn't be further from the truth. A simple side-by-side test can prove to you conclusively that salting beans (both the water used to soak them in and the water used to cook them) actually tenderizes the skins.
It's got to do with magnesium and calcium, two ions found in the bean skins that help keep the structure of the beans' skin intact. When you soak the beans in salt water, sodium ions end up replacing some of the magnesium and calcium, effectively softening the skins. Your beans come out creamier, better seasoned, and have a much smaller likelihood of exploding while cooking.
He provides this image of the contrast:
I believe the take away from this is:
- Pre-soak your beans overnight, as your grandmother did using salted water
- Cook them at bare simmer, stirring them minimally, to prevent physical damage to the skins.
The second can easily be achieved by placing the bean pot in a moderate (350 F, 180 C) oven rather than doing it stove top.
Best Answer
If they're gummy, they might still have too much moisture in them. Try roasting them at higher temperatures or longer and see if they crisp up.