Sprouted Wheat Bread

I’m now gluten-free but back when I could eat wheat this was my standby sprouted grain bread. It makes a pretty dense loaf but the flavor is great!

Sprouted Wheat Bread

3 cups hard red wheat

1 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons warm water

3 tablespoons honey

Rinse 3 cups hard wheat (any high gluten/protein wheat) with water and let stand 12-18 hours at room temperature. Drain off liquid, rinse grain with fresh water, and store in a dark place covered with plastic wrap. Rinse every 12 hours for 36 to 48 hours maximum. Most of the grains should sprout. Drain well and refrigerate until cool.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water. Measure two cups of the sprouted wheat into the food processor bowl using the cutting blade (not the bread dough blade). Pour about 2 teaspoons of the dissolved yeast liquid, a table-spoon of honey, and about 2/3 teaspoon of salt over the wheat.

Process about one minute or until the wheat forms a ball. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and process about two more minutes. Stop processing before the ball falls completely apart. Repeat with the remaining 2/3 of the ingredients in two batches. Knead the three dough balls together by hand.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. Check after an hour and a half by gentle poking the center of the dough with a wet finger. If the hole doesn’t fill in or the dough sinks it’s risen as much as it can. (if the dough fills the hole back in slightly let it continue to rise). Gently turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and press flat, form into a ball and let rise again. Check the dough by poking with your wet finger after 45 minutes to see if it’s fully risen.

Divide in half and gentle knead into rounds. Cover the rounds and let them rest for about ten minutes or until soft.

Press the dough flat and shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Cover with a plastic grocery sack and let rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently finger poke.

Bake about an hour at 350.

The Perfect Gluten-Free Bread (finally)

Over the last couple months, as we have switched to eating gluten-free, I’ve baked many loaves of bread. Most of them were okay, a few inedible but none of them were really good. There were the bricks, the doughy, the sawdust like and even a few that tasted pretty good straight from the oven, only to completely change into a crumbly, dry, really odd tasting creation by the next day. Baking bread gluten-free bread can be really frustrating!

Before switching to gluten-free I used to make really great bread. I loved baking and experimenting with different recipes. I especially enjoyed free-form sourdough loaves. The wonderful smell while they bake, the crunchy crust and chewy center. Hot from the oven and slathered with butter, what could be better!

Guess what, there is a gluten-free bread that’s just as good. This is not just a good gluten-free bread, it’s simply a great loaf of bread. Not only that but you mix enough dough to make four loaves. The dough is stored in the fridge ready and waiting until you want to bake. For a busy mom it’s a dream come true. I love it, the kids love it and even my husband said you’d never know it’s gluten-free. Try the recipe at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It’s yummy!