Something I found while searching for recipes using fresh ground flour

One of the things I've seen at a couple of sites says that in order to get a better rise from the flour you need to let it soak for a little while before making your bread. It says to mix your flour and whatever liquid you're using and let it set for awhile before adding the sourdough starter. Something about doing it this way helps the gluten. Anyone else ever hear of this or try it?

I've not done it before with wheat, but it sounds sort of like a biaga(sp). It will hydrate the flour and let the natural yeast get a head start once it is mixed in. Basically it will allow the gluten to form more easily because all the liquid has softened the structure of the wheat cells. I have done this when making rye bread because of the density of the grain, which is hard to work with, it doesn't rise very easily.

When you've done it with the wheat, does it rise better for you?

I've only done it with rye.