Essene Bread

9 Reviews

“This is a sprouted bread recipe - very old, and said to have been created back in the biblical days. Also, this recipe literally, takes days to make. Your efforts and time will be well rewarded with a couple of the most singular breads-solid, sweet, and moist. Wheat berries are available from your local natural foods store. Traditionally, Essene bread was probably baked on hot rocks under scorching sunlight, but where I and most of us live, this is not possible. Baking at the oven temperatures which I suggest might destroy the sprout enzymes, but monitoring baking loaves for much longer than 2 hours is too long for me. Guaranteeing the preservation of the enzymes might require baking at a very low temperature for perhaps 4 hours. If you have the stamina, then go for it.” - by MARBALET

Ingredients

3 cups wheat berries
3 cups water to cover
1 tablespoon cornmeal

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 2 small loaves

Directions

Beginning several days before you hope to be eating this bread, rinse the wheat berries in cool water, drain and submerge the berries with cool water in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or cloth, and allow the berries to soak at normal room temperature overnight or for about 12 hours. The berries will soak up a considerable amount of water. Drain the berries in a colander, cover the colander with a plate to prevent the berries from drying out, and set it in a place away from light and where the sun won't shine on it. Rinse the berries about 3 times a day, and they will soon begin to sprout. In a couple of days the sprouts will reach their optimum length of about l/4 inch. Growth depends on moisture and temperature so be patient.
Grind in a food mill or in a food processor.
After grinding, dump the mushed up grain onto a clean work surface. Squeeze and knead the grain for about 10 minutes, and then form up 2 small round, hearth-style loaves with your hands. Sprinkle an insulated cookie sheet with a little bran or cornmeal, and put the loaves on it.
Preheating the oven is not necessary. Cover the loaves with cloches, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and bake for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes more. Allow the breads to cool thoroughly on cooling racks for several hours, and then, because of the high moisture content, store in the refrigerator. For best results, slice this bread thinly, or break with hands

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (12 total)

Calories
163 cal
8%

Carbs
34.6 g
11%

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Reviews (9)

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THESSA

Dec. 9, 2003

"I have been looking for a sprouted bread recipe ever since leaving the USA, where I could buy it in the grocery. Thanks so much for submitting this nutritious recipe! I knew going in that it would ..." See moretake several days to make, so the time did not bother me, and we have a heavy duty grinding machine, so that was not a problem either. I must say, I eat sprouted bread for the super nutritional value, but this bread tastes great! So sweet, chewy and crispy all at once. I am delighted and it will become a staple in our house... Thanks Holly!"

AuntNellie

Sep. 14, 2009

"Those who said it tasted like grass let their berries sprout to long. Just let them barely sprout a tiny bit. More than that and you get grass...." See more"

JOYJ

Oct. 21, 2003

"I followed the directions given and found the sprouting and grinding easy. I baked the two loaves for 5 hours on low heat with covers over each loaf. They were almost too moist. The taste was very ..." See moregrassy. I have had other sprouted breads which did not have this "grass" flavor. I am not sure what went wrong. This recipe was so easy to make that I would like to try it again, if anyone can suggest what needs to be done to improve the flavor."

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