[header] How to soak beans [title] Check the beans for rocks. [step] Pour the beans onto a large, flat baking sheet and spread them out until they're distributed across the entire surface. Sift through the beans by hand and pick out any foreign object you find. 
No amount of soaking will soften a rock! [substeps] Since beans grow in the ground, it's not uncommon for them to contain small stones or other debris. Rocks will usually be easy to spot, as they're colorless and tend to be smaller than most kinds of beans.