This Ezekiel Bread is made from freshly milled grains and lentils.

I had this bread on my list to make for several months. I got my chance when I met a couple of bread vendors at the local farmer’s market this past summer.

One of the vendors, Jerry, at freshlymilledbreads.com, sold Ezekiel bread and the Ezekiel grain mix, if you wanted to try making it yourself. 

Fast forward to November…

The HBinFive Bakers made historical breads for the monthly challenge.  Ezekiel Bread is a historical bread, so this was my first choice for my submission. 

I didn’t have the recipe (yet), so I made Gingerbread instead.  The Gingerbread was delicious, but I still wanted to make Ezekiel Bread. I finally got the recipe and made it the other night.

The original Ezekiel Bread is referenced in Ezekiel 4:9 in the Bible.  It is called a “fasting bread” because Ezekiel was commanded to eat a specific amount of this bread every day. Supposedly, this is all he ate for 430 days.

“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” Ezekiel 4:9 (NIV)

The scripture is not specific on how the bread is to be made. Some versions use sprouted grains. For my first attempt, I made a batter bread version using milled grains.

When researching this bread, I came across this site with different recipes and methods for making Ezekiel Bread. His methods look interesting, so I’ll probably try one of his versions for comparison.  He boils the grains rather than milling them into flour. 

Since Ezekiel was instructed to lie on his side for a specific amount of time, it makes me wonder how he actually made his bread. Not sure how he would’ve milled the grains. That’s probably why some versions sprout them.  The passage does say to put the grains in a storage jar, but that could be for storage, not sprouting. 

For this bake, I used the method below:

 

Ezekiel Bread from Milled Grains

Makes: 3 medium or 2 large loaves

Source: I received a scanned copy of this recipe from the folks at freshlymilledbreads.com. 

According to the recipe, this is a wonderfully nutritious bread, and the combination of grains and beans makes a complete protein.  This mixture makes about 9 cups of flour. Expect the loaves to be a little dense due to the inclusion of whole grains and lentils.

Ingredients:

Combine the following whole grains:

• 2 1/2 cups hard red wheat
• 1 1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically, spelt was used)
• 1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
• 1/4 cup millet
• 1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
• 2 Tbs. great northern beans
• 2 Tbs. red kidney beans
• 2 Tbs. pinto beans

Stir the above ingredients well. Grind in a flour mill.  I used my electric WonderMill Grain Mill.

Dough Ingredients:

• 4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tsp salt
• freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
• 2 Tbs yeast

 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine water, honey, oil, and salt. Add all of the flour and yeast.  Stir until well blended, about 10 minutes.  This is a batter-type bread and will not form a smooth ball. 

I began mixing the dough using a Danish dough whisk, then switched to a stand mixer to make sure it was thoroughly incorporated.

Transfer the dough to greased loaf pans.  You can use two large loaf pans (10x5x3), three medium loaf pans, or two 9×13 brownie pans.  I opted to use two 9×5” loaf pans, which may have been a mistake. My dough didn’t pour; I had to spread it in the pan. Next time, I’ll try three 8×4” loaf pans and see if I get different results.

Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until the dough is about 1/4 inch from the top of the pan.  Do not let the loaves overproof!  If it rises too much, it will overflow the pan while baking. 

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.

I barely let the loaves proof for an hour, so I didn’t think the dough was overproofed; however, the loaves collapsed during baking.  I think the dough was too heavy for the pans.

Even though I didn’t get the beautiful dome effect on top of the loaves, they taste pretty good. They are a little dense, but not too much considering the amount of grains included.  This bread is tasty and fulfilling.

Although the loaves collapsed, at least I didn’t get the tunnel in the dough effect from it not being completely baked through.

 

I’ve been enjoying slices of this bread spread with a little bit of peanut butter.  It doesn’t need much. I can only eat one slice at a time.  This is a very filling bread. It tastes and smells very earthy – in a good way.

Happy Baking!

Cathy