NOVELTY - Processing biomass, comprises e.g.: (a) contacting biomass with a first aqueous liquid under conditions sufficient to dissolve water-soluble sugars associated with biomass; (b) separating first aqueous liquid from biomass to produce a first liquid phase comprising water-soluble sugars and a first solids phase comprising biomass solids; and (c) contacting first solids phase with a second aqueous liquid under conditions sufficient to render biomass more susceptible to hydrolysis but not releasing substantial amounts of sugars, thus producing a pretreated biomass.    USE - The method is useful for processing biomass for producing sugars (claimed) which is useful for producing biofuels such as ethanol.    ADVANTAGE - The method: separates free sugars from the biomass prior to pretreatment at high temperatures, thus reducing formation of some of the inhibitors formed during the pretreatment step; forms dilute solids stream which results in a lower concentration of solids in the slurry, thus resulting in less wear and tear on moving parts in the ethanol production facility; allows for higher quantities of sugars to be recovered and sent to fermentation, as the sugars could otherwise be destroyed during pretreatment; and allows for higher concentrations of biomass solids to be treated during saccharification and/or fermentation of the biomass, thus increasing the ethanol yield, increasing saccharification efficiency and production of sugars from biomass, and increasing revenue for an ethanol production facility.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Processing biomass, comprises: (a) contacting the biomass with a first aqueous liquid under conditions sufficient to dissolve water-soluble sugars associated with the biomass; (b) separating the first aqueous liquid from the biomass to produce a first liquid phase comprising the water-soluble sugars and a first solids phase comprising biomass solids; (c) contacting the first solids phase with a second aqueous liquid under conditions sufficient to render the biomass more susceptible to hydrolysis but not releasing substantial amounts of sugars, thus producing a pretreated biomass; (d) separating the second aqueous liquid from the pretreated biomass to produce a second liquid phase and a second solids phase; and (e) subjecting the second solids phase to conditions sufficient to produce fermentable sugars. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a processed biomass produced by the above method.