The healthiest bread yet? The genius Ezekiel x Life-Changing Loaf of Bread Mash-up

My bread baking journey has been brief so far. Only this spring did I start baking sourdough bread– a classic case of lockdown baking. Having an interest in creating good food at home with seasonal ingredients and staples,  I have been experimenting with ways to make my bread healthier and adapt it to my work schedule. I want to bake the healthiest bread!

It didn’t take long until I came across the Life-Changing Loaf of Bread, with its fool-proof recipe for a super healthy flourless bread. I thought this might be the healthiest bread that I have eaten.

I know the health benefit of sprouted seeds and remembered vaguely that bread made from sprouted grain exists, so I read about Ezekiel or Essene Bread, which you can  easily make at home, too. The recipe comes straight from the Ezekiel 4:9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” Most modern recipes have changed this a bit, but in general, bread is still made from sprouted whole grain and sometimes baked,  sometimes dehydrated and kept raw.

The idea to mash up the two came to me pretty quickly.  I am surprised it doesn’t appear to have been done before.

The resulting bread is not only super easy to make, but it also tastes great, and there is no need to stick to leavening and rising schedules. Unlike  sourdough, which has given me lazy starters and overproofed bread a few times because I had some unexpected delays, this bread will forgive almost anything.

You like the look of this loaf? Read on.

So, let  share how I make my healthiest and damn good tasting bread. If you have seen it anywhere else,  please let me know so I can credit the recipe.

You can buy most ingredients at your local supermarket. I buy my rye grains from a local drugstore that happens to have an “organic food” section. Same for psyllium seed husks – most drug stores and organic supermarkets have them – they are usually sold for helping your bowels work more efficiently.   I use pomegranate molasses from a Turkish supermarket, of which there are many in Berlin – you can substitute with a lot of other ingredients – see below.

Please note this bread is not gluten-free as it contains rye. It may be possible to substitute the rye for sprouted oats. However, as oats are often processed in the same facility as other grains, oats may contain minute amounts of gluten.

Ingredients for the healthiest bread

• 2 cups (about 350 gram) whole rye
• 1 cup ( about 90gram) oat flakes
• about 2 cups in total of needs and nuts: I usually add walnut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed and linseed
• 4 tablespoons psyllium seed husks
• 3-4 tablespoons  molasses, honey or maple syrup. I use pomegranate molasses
• 1-2 teaspoons (10g) fine salt
• 3-4 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoons sourdough starter (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (optional)
• 2 tablespoons whole rye flour (optional)

Equipment needed

Again, very easy, most you should already have. No need for sprouting jars or pricey cast iron cookware. You’ll need a bowl big enough, a lidded pot, a measuring jar or cups, a spoon, baking paper and a ovenproof dish. Also, you will need a stick blender or mixer to coarsely grind the rye. If you have a loaf tin, good, but it works without.

Get sprouting – Start this at least two days before making the bread

Take the rye grains and soak them for 12-24hours in a pot of water. Change the water every 12 hours.

Rinse the grains, cover the pot and let it stand for about 24-36 hours until you see the rye grains sprouting nicely.

Rinse the sprouting rye every 12 hours with clean water to rinse away any bacteria buildup and to keep the grains moist.

Then you are ready to make the dough! After a final rinse, I take my stick blender to the pot and partially grind the now soft rye, making sure there are plenty of whole grains left over.

Making the dough

Combine the rye and  all the dry ingredients in a large enough bowl and mix.

Add the syrup and approximately 450-600ml of water, about two large glasses. This depends on whether you use chia seeds, psyllium seeds or just the husks, and what type of nuts and sees you add. You should get a nice sticky mass at the end that is still stir-able once you added the water. Mix well with a spoon or your hands.

I usually add chia seeds, sourdough starter and flour, simply because I have them, but I am too lazy to melt and measure out coconut oil. I aim for a nice sticky loaf that I don’t need a loaf tin for.

Then its time for the dry ingredients to soak up the water. I tend to leave my dough on the kitchen counter for 2-4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Making and baking the healthiest bread

Preheat the oven to 200C. While the oven heats up, take your dough and spoon it out of the bowl – it might be a bit sticky at this time. Roughly shape it into any shape you wish or put it into a greased baking tin. The amount given makes about one standard size loaf or two smaller loaves.  Bake for 60-75min at 180-200C. Check before turning the oven off that the bread is done – it should sound hollow when you tap it. Turn the oven off and let the bread cool for at least an hour with the oven door ajar.

Ta-Da! We have the healthiest bread!

Here is the finished loaf after a bit of cooling down. This is a standard loaf just slapped together. You can see the linseed, sunflower seed and rye grains. If you like, you can decorate the top, of course!

I use baking paper and one of my vintage Pyrex dishes to bake – no need for  a lid or turning mid way – just come back after 60min and check it’s done.

The bread doesn’t stick to anything if baked this way, and I simply rinse the dish and re-use my baking paper several times.

I like my bread loaves unadorned and a bit rough and ready, but it is possible to do some shaping of the bread. It will rise a little when baked with flour and a small amount of sourdough but retains its shape very well.

Of course, one cannot NOT post a “crumb shot”. This bread has nothing to hide! Because the rye, nuts and grains have soaked in some water, the bread is easy to cut. My bread keeps wrapped in a linen cloth in the bread bin for at least three days. However, it usually gets eaten well before that, or I cut it in half and freeze it.

I found it pretty hard to wait for over an hour to let it cool down… but it is quite important! I tried it with some butter, and a large glass of iced Vietnamese coffee… the perfect “Eastern German suburbia”  combination.

The Small Print

Nope, no affiliate links or anything in here! Not stringing myself out with tons of inks dropping – because you really don’t need much to make this bread, and there is no need to buy any new stuff if you have a basic kitchen setup! If you want to support my blog, just feel free to tweet or pin this post,  leave a comment or click through to another article.

Please note that this is an amateur recipe so if you are allergic or sensitive to anything, then don’t eat it. No responsibility is taken by the authors of this post for allergic reactions, indigestion, or most likely, fast disappearance of the healthiest bread that also tastes good.