Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Bread with Sprouts Added

Okay, I promise this is my LAST post about sprouts for awhile!  You, Dear Reader, must think I am quite obsessed with these little growths.  But, I had to let you know that I did make the bread with some non-dried sprouts added and it really turned out delicious!  Here is the recipe:

Bread with Sprouts

1 1/4 - cup very warm water
1 - tbsp yeast
1/4 - cup olive oil
1/4 - cup honey
1/2  - tbsp salt
1 - cup sprouts (these sprouts were grown to about 1" long and roughly chopped)
1 1/2 -  cup flour (I used white because that is what I had on hand.  Will try whole wheat next)
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 to 2 - cup flour (white again)


In large bowl mix water and yeast and wait 5 minutes for it to foam (proof).  
Stir in oil, honey, salt, sprouts, wheat bran, and 1 1/2 cups of flour. 
Stir until well mixed, then cover and let sit in a warm place for an hour.

Next, stir the dough down and gradually add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour as needed to create a kneadable dough.
Put on floured surface and knead until smooth.
Place in greased bowl and turn to coat.
Cover and place in a warm area for 60 to 90 minutes until the dough has doubled.

Finally, punch dough down into bowl and shape into a loaf.
Place in a greased loaf pan and lightly grease top of bread.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

I didn't have the patience to wait and cut my bread while it was still slightly warm.  This made it hard to make thin slices.  Next time I will cool in overnight first.


Happy Baking!

Dried Sprouts

Hidee Ho, Neighbors! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I went ahead and dried some of the sprouts to be ground into a flour at a later date.  To dry them, I just put them in the cold oven and selected the lowest setting (170).  As soon as the oven was done preheating, I turned it off and just let the sprouts sit in the oven as it cooled.  I repeated this over and over for about 5 hours, then the last time, I just left them in the cold oven for a couple of days.


They are now crunchy and not quite as sweet, which I like.  I am not sure how I will grind them into flour....perhaps use my husband's coffee grinder?  Then I will try to add them to a bread recipe or perhaps just make some crackers.  I will let you know!

Has anyone tried any sprouting?  I would love to hear comments or suggestions.  :)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Bibical Bread Fiasco and What I Learned About Sprouting

I am sorry to report that my sprouted wheat bread was a flop!   :(

So...last time I showed my nicely sprouting sprouts and was excited to go home and make Essene (bread made only of sprouts).  But, those crazy little sprouts grew and grew while I worked that day and when I returned home they were about twice the length of the grains!  If you remember, I was supposed to make bread out of them when the sprouts were just 1/3 the size of the grain.



The Good News:  Sprouts are SO sweet and yummy...crunchy and chewy.

The Bad News:  If I want to try this again I am going to have to give in and buy a food processor.  I may enjoy chopping veges and being close to the food, but crushing these sprouted wheat berries into a gooey dough would take a large rough stone mortar and pestle and more energy than I have.  

So, I am planning on buying a small cheap food processor and trying again...now realizing that when I see those sprouts emerge, I have to bake bread right then!

I went ahead and tried to grind the sprouts to see if I could make it into some kind of bread.  I ground it with my smooth wooden pestle which just slipped around.  It did crush the wheat berries causing a milky sticky white stuff to come out, but my efforts did nothing to break down the hulls.  



Next, I tried putting the sprouts between two pieces of wax paper and rolling them stubbornly with my rolling pin.  Same result basically....gooey insides popped out, but chewy hulls intact AND it sticks to the wax paper.  I did this with just a couple handfuls of the sprouts.  I still had two mason jars half filled with the sprouts so I decided to just keep growing them for a few days and see what happens next.

Finally, I just picked as much as I could off of the wax paper, made a cookie shape, and baked it in the oven at 170 for several hours.  The result was a teeth jarring little cracker tasting item that we threw out after tasting.  More Good News:  The little pieces we were able to eat were tasty!  Kind of like wheat thins.  



So, when I try again with the food processor, I think I will roll some out thin and try to make some crackers. 


SO, WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THESE DARN SPROUTS???

1) I found a bread recipe that was made with standard flour but called for a cup of sprouts.  I am working on that today and will post the recipe if it turns out well.

2) We are putting some on salads.  Very sweet...almost too sweet.

3) I was madly googling about sprouts and what to do with sprouts and found a post of someone who dries them in the oven at a very low temp and then grinds them into a flour, so I am working on that today as well.

Hope this saves some work for someone else who might try this.  Lessons learned.  :)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sprouting Wheat!

Well, the fact is obvious:  I need a new camera!  Please forgive the blurry photos.  We bought our digital camera back in the days when the lowest priced one I could find was $300...somewhere around 2004.  With our intense budgeting, I cannot just grab money and go buy one.  I will have to save my monthly pocket money for awhile. 

Anyway, I began trying to sprout my wheat berries on Monday evening.  I put them in a jar, filled the jar with cool water and covered the top with a nylon footie secured by the jar ring.  Then I shook them up and swirled them around and drained the water out a couple of times to clean them.  Finally, I refilled the jar with water and let it set on my cool sunless countertop for the night.  In the morning I swirled the water again, drained the jar, and refilled it.  Here is what it looked like:



Tuesday evening I swirled and drained again, then added water and swirled and drained well...shaking it a little and patiently waiting for the water pouring out to become a slow drip.  Now you are not keeping the grains in water aquarium style like above, but just wanting to keep them moist.  I put the jar upside down in a bowl to continue draining, but tilted to still get air like this:


I also covered the glass part with a towel, leaving the end open so it could get air.  I had heard that you don't want it exposed to light.  I continued swirling and rinsing twice a day.

On Wednesday evening, I noticed small white sprouts had begun to emerge!  From all the websites I have read about it, they say that you should make your bread when the sprouts are about 1/3 the length of the grain.  I think they will be ready tonight so am looking forward to making Essene bread tonight!  Wish me luck!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Happy Talk

You gotta have a dream
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?

From the musical South Pacific

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Ancient Bread Update

For those of you interested in the ancient sprouted flourless bibical bread I plan to make (Whoo!  what a long description!), I just bought the wheat berries yesterday, so now will have to put them in water for a few days to sprout. 

To sprout I have to put the wheat berries in a jar with an aerated top.  I thought I would put a piece of nylong hose over it and seal with a rubberband.  Then you alternately soak and rinse the wheat berries until you have sprouts at least as long as the berries themselves.  I think it takes about three days.  I will try to get started on it tomorrow. 

I don't have a food processor so am contemplating the best way to crush the sprouts.  I have a wooden pestle, but it is way too small...I need a big stone pestle/mortar.  Maybe I will put them in wax paper and roll them with my rolling pin.

I may be silly, but I am a hold-out on the food processor.  I just would rather do things by hand...get the exercise and be closer to the food.  Weird, I know.  :)
I will definitely post on here as soon as I have sprouts!

Friday, February 11, 2011

I just can't get it out of my head...

This is a song that I learned while attending a Cornucopia seminar in the 70s.  Powerful stuff that I have kept in my heart all these years and sing often enough so that I won't forget it.  I just thought I would share.  Anyone else read The Handbook to Higher Consciousness or get involved in the Cornucopia seminars or communal living?

Beware what you tell yourselves children of light
Demanding and judging will alter your sight
And forcing your way only leads to a fight
Cause nothing is wrong more than anything's right

When life didn't please us, we made ourselves sad
When we couldn't control things, we made ourselves mad
This kept us from loving what we already had
What we want we call good, what we don't we call bad

Wherever you wander don't leave love behind
Whatever you're giving is what you will find
Accept what life shows you or live like the blind
The beauty or ugliness comes from your mind

Remember our spirit and follow your heart
We can make our own troubles or take them apart
When the tradgedy ends watch the comedy start
In the story of life your just playing your part

Summer Raven ~ Cornucopia ~ Living Love Ministries

Friday, February 4, 2011

Nothin says lovin like Manna from the Oven

I have found a recipe for sprouted wheat bread made the ancient way!  I am so excited as I have been trying to find a healthy nutritious homemade bread alternative that I can stand.  I have tried flax breads, but I just cannot stomach flax, YUCK!

Wish me luck!  I will report back on how it turns out.

If anyone has tried this or has a similar recipe, please let me know.

Oh!  Also, this link has some theological statements that are not necessarily my opinion...I just wanted the recipe.  :)  

http://www.librarising.com/health/essenebread.html

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

New Followers

Welcome, new followers.  I am honored by your presence.  :)   I will check out your blogs too! 

It is silly the thrill I get when I see a new "follower".  I also wish I could change that term!  Makes me feel like I am asking people to agree with or support anything I do.  It should be "interested party" perhaps....

Any ideas?
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