ESSENE (SPROUTED) BREAD

How to make bread from sprouted grains. Essene bread is a dense, heavy bread. You cut very thin slices; they are sweet and quite filling.

Ingredients

4-6 cups of sprouted organic wheat, rye, barley or other grain (you will get this much sprouted grain from 1-2 cups of dry grain). The grains should be soft, and the sprouts just starting. Pick through them to remove any unsprouted or discoloured grains.

Recipe

Mince the sprouts. The best tool to use is a slow juicer with the mincing cone attached. You can also use a food processor, a blender, or a big pestle and mortar.

Shape the dough into a bread pan greased with coconut oil, or lay it out on some baking paper.

Leave it in a warm spot (20-25 centigrade) for 12-24 hours. It can rise up to double in size. It rises more if it is finely minced. Adding a sourdough starter can help too.

RAW version
The best, most alive bread is made if you slow-cook the loaf for a total of 24-36 hours. You can put it in the sun, or use a VERY low oven if your oven can turn down that low. The maximum temperature allowed is 40C / 104F. If you keep it below that temperature, the high level of enzymes and other nutrients in the sprouted grains are kept intact. This makes a very digestible and healthy loaf.

BAKED version
Alternatively, you can bake the loaf in an oven at 110-115 centigrade (225-250 Fahrenheit) for two hours. This makes a sweet, almost caramelised, dense loaf. It is similar to many store-sold essene breads.

Variations
Rather than a loaf, form into flattened balls

To improve the flavour and texture of the traditional bread above:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

To make a more interesting or a sweeter bread:
1/4 cup of sesame seeds or caraway seeds OR
1/2 cup of currants, raisins or dates

To make a bread that rises more:
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1 Tablespoon of kefir whey
or
1 Tablespoon of sourdough starter