Ezekiel Bread. Enough said. This is one of my favorite breads and still one of the most popular reasons people find their way to this little blog. I have a few versions of this recipe but the one below is the one I use most often. For additional directions and pictures of it being made, click here. To read my lay-person’s biblical interpretation of this recipe, click here.
I haven’t posted this recipe in a while, but it is still my favorite bread, and is in fact still the #1 reason people visit my little blog. To read my views on this bread, click here. For pictures of it being made and additional directions, click here.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Ezekiel Bread; a meal in itself. I’ve posted this recipe a few times prior, but not in quite a while. It is my favorite bread (to eat and to make) and in fact is still the #1 reason people visit this blog. More than 500 people find their way to my little page each day for this simple but delicious recipe. As I’ve also mentioned before, while this recipe looks somewhat difficult to make, it is really not (read the directions in steps). One of the biggest difficulties people seem to have is that the dough is too wet (likely from not squeezing out the beans and grain enough). This is not a problem, simply add additional flour. This bread is not only delicious, but also nutritious. If you are a baker, or someone who wants to bake, I hope you try this recipe…you won’t be sorry. There are additional links below.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
For additional directions and photos on how to make this bread, click here.
The read my views and philosophy on this bread, click here.
I made this today and am, in fact, eating a warm and butter-slathered slice as I type these words. This is still my favorite bread, and it is still the #1 reason people find their way to my meager blog. The recipe is below, but for more pictures and a brief description, click here. And better yet, to read my Biblical views on Ezekiel Bread (or at least my interpretation on this recipe), click here.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
I’m not one to normally by bean blends because it is so easy to just blend your own (and anything pre-mixed is usually more expensive), but last week I was at the grocery store and saw these and they looked so beautiful I purchased them. Fourteen types of beans, the label stated. I do plan on making soup out of some of them but on this day I was making a batch of Ezekiel Bread and substituted these for the beans and grains in the basic Ezekiel Bread recipe. The outcome was/is delicious…I’ve been eating it for the past two days. (If you’d like to learn more about Ezekiel Bread–how to make it and my interpretation of it–click both the links in previous sentences.)
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the beans until very soft. As the beans cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the beans are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the beans are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
First photo (on my way to work in the morning)…two plastic bowls containing the beginnings of Ezekiel Bread; the preferment in one bowl and autolyse in the other.
Second photo (on my way home in the late afternoon)…two empty plastic buckets, and three freshly baked loaves of Ezekiel Bread.
To see photos of this bread being made and to read about my views on this bread, click here. To read a bit about the specifics of the recipe, click here. To see other things that can be carried on a bike, click here.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid. Place two bowls side-by-side; one will hold the pre-ferment, the other autolyse. In one bowl combine the cooked and drained grains with ½ cup of the cooking liquid, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 2 teaspoons instant yeast. Stir it just until combined then cover it with plastic wrap. In the other bowl combine 4 cups whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten, and 2 cups cooking liquid; stir it just until combined then cover it with plastic wrap (take care not to get yeast into this bowl). Allow the bowls to rest at room temperature for about an hour, during which time the preferment will begin it’s job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and the autolyse will soak liquid, swelling the gluten. After an hour or so, combine the ingredients from both bowls into the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, olive oil, salt, and 3 teaspoons of yeast (add the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl. Knead the dough on medium speed for about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover it loosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains. Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
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Beautiful, isn’t it? This is just another example that you can make bread out of nearly anything you like. I happen to like chickpeas, and try to put turmeric in a lot of things because of the yellow hue it offers, but mostly because turmeric is so good for you. While the dough looks really yellow when it is raw, most of the color cooks out when it bakes. And the chickpeas add a really interesting sort of softness to the bread’s texture. I mention that this is a variation of Ezekiel Bread because I used the same method as when making that bread but simply substituted the grains, legumes, and beans with chickpeas. As someone who eats a lot of bread I am always trying different ways to make it healthy. This is a nice variation. The recipe is below, but if you’d like to see how to make my recipe for Ezekiel Bread, click here. And if you’d like to read about my views on Ezekiel Bread, click here.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the beans in the water for 60-90 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. As the bean cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the beans are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid. Mash the chickpeas a little with a kitchen mallet or a heavy whisk.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
In order to explain the title of this post I have to tell a brief story. And the reason I tell this story is that I am a firm believer that good food can come out of mishap, or at least a near mishap. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The above picture is that of my makeshift outdoor kitchen I often use in the summertime, lest I heat up my teeny indoor kitchen. Two days ago–in the evening–I decided to start a batch of Ezekiel Bread. I hadn’t made it in a while and thought I’d boil the beans and grains outside, then let the dough rise and ferment overnight in the fridge. I had the pot at a low simmer while doing yard work and went to the front yard and talked with a neighbor for a while. To cut to the chase…I forgot I had the beans simmering (at this point I had just red, white, and garbanzo beans in the pot; no grains).
More than an our later I sat down at my computer with a glass of wine to check my blog stats and email, and I noticed that I had another comment on the Ezekiel bread recipe. And as I’m sitting there thinking about how of all the posts that I make on this blog, nearly 80% of new visitors still find their way here through that recipe. I’ve mentioned this before, and am grateful for it, but I do hope people stick around and find something else they like as well. And this is what I was thinking about when I remembered the beans cooking on the stove in the back yard.
Shiiitt!!! I yell, startling my two pugs as I start running for the back door. My computer, where I was sitting is in the very front of the house and the outside stove is in the very rear. And as I sprinted towards the back door I could smell the faint aroma of caramelized beans (burnt, I thought). By now it was night and I had to take a flashlight with me. When I got back there I could hear the pot sizzling (not a good sign), but to my surprise I caught the beans at the precise moment before they went from caramelizing to burning. I quickly carried the post in the house and added more water to it, sending a plume of bean-infused steam into the air. I had to scrape stuck beans from the bottom of the pot, then added the remaining ingredients to finish cooking (and for these I set a timer).
After the beans and grains were cooked I cooled the liquid quickly by adding some ice cubes to it so I could make the starter and autolyse to work over night. After mixing whole-wheat flour for the autolyse, I realized that I didn’t have enough whole-wheat flour to make the pre-ferment with the beans and grains (egad!). So I made it with unbleached bread flour (that’s it pictured above, fully active the next morning).
Anyhow, what I’m trying to say–I suppose–is that most the time things aren’t perfect but they usually work out. Often people tell me this recipe looks complicated or laborious when it’s really not. If you read it and break it into steps you’ll see that it is not difficult or complicated at all. I do hope you try it. The slice pictured at the bottom of the page is the one I ate for breakfast this morning…and yes it was delicious. And I’m not sure if it is because of the series of mishaps with this particular batch, but it seemed to taste especially delicious.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
I haven’t posted this recipe or a variation of it in a while (actually, I haven’t made it in a while) so thought that I would. I’ve mentioned before that, oddly, with all the various content on this blog this recipe is still the number one reason first time visitors find their way here. So if you just stumbled upon this blog through a search engine or a link for this recipe this is it…but I hope you stay for a few minutes longer and look around a bit. But, with that said, this is till my favorite bread recipe…it is a meal in itself (and it is a lot easier to make than it may seem at first). I boiled the beans and grain outside last night to keep the kitchen cool, let them ferment overnight, and made the dough at home this morning and carried the raw dough to work on my bike and baked it there. And also, if you are a first time visitor or if you just noticed this Ezekiel Bread Recipe for the first time, I hope you read this link as to my views on this recipe (it also contains additional directions and pictures of the bread being made). The only variation I used in the recipe I made today than the one that is listed below is that I topped the raw dough with sesame seeds for a little added crunch.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Firstly, this post is not about how to make Ezekiel Bread, per se, but more about how to incorporate bread making into the rhythm of your daily life rather than upsetting it. I have always thought, and still do, that the bread mostly makes itself, we simply provide the correct conditions and guide it along. And while this can be applied to any of the bread recipes on this blog it just happens that I was making Ezekiel bread. There is a recipe for Ezekiel bread below, but if you’d like more detailed instructions with additional photos–and to read about my views on this bread–click here and here.
Anyhow, the reason it took me 48 hours to make this bread is not that it is any more difficult to make than other breads, it’s just that, well…sometimes life gets in the way of your plans. Here’s a quick story and an example of what I mean.
Two evenings ago I thought I’d start a batch of this bread and let it ferment overnight, so I boiled the grains and beans in the evening. After they were boiled I shut them off on the stove to let them cool and forgot about them. Literally. So I just put a plate over the pot and went to bed for the evening. I had to work yesterday evening but thought I’d make the bread prior to going to work so I started the preferment and autolysis first thing in the morning. Well, you guessed it, time slipped away from me and I never even mixed the dough let alone baked the bread. So I covered the bowls of preferment and autolysis and placed them both in the refrigerator, and then went to work. This morning when I initially woke, I took the bowls out of the fridge to let them come to room temp for about an hour or so. Then–finally–I combined the two bowls and mixed the dough. After placing the dough in a rising bucket I returned it to the fridge and went to church. When I came home the dough had risen so I pushed it down and replaced it into the fridge while I did some yard work. Later, I removed the dough from the fridge, cut it into three pieces–two for bread and one for pizza–and panned all of them up. After allowing them to warm a bit again, I returned them to the fridge while I did some errands and stopped at the grocery store. When I returned, I removed the doughs from the fridge for the last time and preheated the oven while I made the pizza. By the time I put together the pizza the oven and pizza stone was hot enough so I baked the pizza. After removing it, and allowing it to cool for about 5 minutes, I baked the bread while I ate the pizza. All-in-all, it was about 48 hours from boiling the beans until the bread came out of the oven and–while the above text may make it sound complex–it barely disrupted my life. One can postpone the dough from rising and fermenting it by refrigerating it, thus controlling how it progresses.
This recipe in general is delicious, but because of the long slow fermentation it tastes especially full-flavored. And yes the pizza was/is delicious as well. Now if you’ll excuse me I think I’ll go grab another slice.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Place two bowls side-by-side. In one, start an autolyse with the bulk of the flour, oatmeal, and some water. In the other, start a preferment (biga) with the remainder of the flour, water, and a portion of the yeast. Allow these mixtures to rest and ferment for at least an hour but up to 12 hours.
Next you’ll combine the two mixtures together, and add the maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and remaining yeast. Knead the dough until it passes the windowpane test.
Transfer the dough to a bowl or dough bucket, and allow it to rise, double in size, and ferment for about an hour. Push the dough down and allow it to rise again.
Cut the dough into two or three pieces, shape them into loaves, roll them in oats, and place them in loaf pans. Allow the bread to rise for about an hour, and bake them in a pre-heated oven. Simple and delicious. (a recipe is below).
7/99, as in July 1999…this is my 13-year-old levain (sourdough starter) which I brought out of hibernation. I’ve yet to make 100% whole wheat bread with a natural starter…this is next on my list. After that, naturally leavened whole wheat Ezekiel Bread. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you want to read more about sourdough–with pictures, info, and how-to instructions–click here. For an Ezekiel Bread Recipe, click here.
Beautiful isn’t it? It’s a slice of a loaf of Ezekiel Bread I made yesterday and had for breakfast and lunch today. It’s airy but not too airy…firm enough to make a nice sandwich bread but at the same time soft enough that most people–even those used to supermarket bread–would enjoy it. You can see specks of beans visible in the cross section. But this is another example how you can really play with the basic recipe…adding or subtracting ingredients as you like (without upsetting the basic bread structure). What’s different about this particular loaf is not what I left out of the recipe but what I added…a cooked and diced sweet potato. Why, you may ask? Simply because it had been sitting in my fridge for a few days and I wanted to use it up. It adds a bit more softness and flavor to the bread and at the same time mashes in and becomes part of it, barely detectable.
Anyhow, for my favorite Ezekiel Bread recipe, and the one that works every time, click here. To read my interpretation on Ezekiel Bread recipes in general, click here.
“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)
Regular visitors to this blog know that I like to make my own 100% whole wheat bread, but also that Ezekiel Bread is my favorite (and though I don’t currently have data to back this up, I am convinced this is the most nutritious bread there is). I haven’t posted the recipe in a while so thought I would for a couple reasons. The first, simply, is that I like it. And the second is that when talking to people (or if they taste the bread) they tell me the bread looks or tastes really good but the recipe seems complicated. Well I’m here to let you in on a little secret…it’s not. The only difference between this bread (or any other bread that contains whole boiled grain) is that the beans and grain are boiled before being added to the recipe. Anyhow, this is how I made Ezekiel bread today (pictured above) without letting it interrupt my life…rather, I controlled it so that the various stages worked around my time today (the recipe is at the bottom of this post).
This morning, shortly after lighting a fire in the wood-burning stove, I boiled some beans and grains. I don’t often use the wood-burning stove to cook on that often–in fact I haven’t used it as often as usual for heat because of the mild winter–but today I did, and the boiling grain made the house smell great (my two pugs loved it…that’s them below sleeping next to the stove). And over the years my view of this recipe–or more specifically, my view of the beans and grains involved–are on the same line with my view of theology…extremely liberal (to read more about my liberal views of this bread, click here). Today, for example, I didn’t have millet or bulgur but did have brown rice and chick peas so I used them instead…nearly any bean or grain will do (but not to worry, the recipe listed below is tried and tested…and it works). Anyhow, while I had my coffee, checked emails, Facebook, and updated this blog…the beans and grains boiled. When they were done I placed them outside on a rear porch railing to cool (it was only 32F/0C…why tax my fridge). And while it cooled I went and did a few errands on my bike, stopped at a coffee shop, and took a few photos.
When I returned the beans and liquid were cool, so I mixed the two separate bowls (see recipe below) and went for a walk and to a health club for a quick swim. When I returned I mixed the dough, had dinner, then “went to my inner room” for a few minutes of meditation.
After the dough rose I went to a local tavern for a couple beers, but before I did I shaped the loaves and put them in their loaf pans. And just before I left the house I turned on my oven to preheat it (my 20-year-old oven takes a long time to heat). When I returned home the bread was risen and oven hot so, after spraying both the bread and oven with water, I placed it in the oven. While the bread baked I wrote the previous post, pet my dogs, and had a glass of wine. And now, as I type these words, the rear of the house is warm–because the oven was on–the entire house has the awesome aroma of freshly baked bread, and I have two loaves of really good Ezekiel bread that cost pennies to make (compared to dollars at the local co-op for a sometimes mediocre loaf). I’ll freeze one loaf and slice into the other for toast in the morning…but actually, I think I’ll go grab a slice right now with butter on it while it’s still fresh and warm.
To read more about Ezekiel Bread and with more explicit photos, click here or here (but please use the below recipe as it is the revised version).
4 cups whole wheatflour
Boil the grains in the water inlogical succession according to cooking times: first the white andred beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, speltberries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add themillet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after eachaddition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all ofthe grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercookedgrains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as thegrains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because thecooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of therecipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). Afterthe grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to roomtemperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooleddrain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon,reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface andcut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightlyoiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow toferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gentlytouched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake thebreads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times(either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breadsevery ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown andsound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans andallow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes beforeslicing.
Pictured above is one of the tacos I made for my son and I for dinner tonight, before it was rolled up of course. Buried under the vegetables and sour cream are the carnitas…delicious. But more on that in a minute. First I have a couple unrelated comments.
Between urbansimplicity.com and urbansimplicty.wordpress.com there are nearly 100 followers (both blogs have the same content; while urbansimplicity.com is my main blog I mirror it’s content at urbansimplicty.wordpress.com). It’s a small amount but I am thankful for those that do read, comment, and email…it makes me remember that I’m not just clicking away aimlessly into the blogesphere. But what is interesting, I think, is how the majority people–first time visitors, I suppose–find there way here. According to stats there are anywhere from 300-to-400 visitors a day. Some blogs get this many visits in an hour (or less) but for me–and my idiosyncratic little blog–this is totally adequate. Anyhow, more than 90% of first-time visitors find there way here by Googling the phrase, Ezekiel Bread Recipe; this site is the second to come up. Go figure.
Anyhow, for the first time visitor…I hope you click around a bit and find other things interesting, and maybe even stop back. But to simplify your search, here’s a couple links within this blog. For an Ezekiel Bread Recipe that contains a portion of white flour (one of my earlier recipes), click here. For a recipe that contains all whole wheat flour–and my thoughts and philosophy behind this recipe–click here. And for a revised Whole Wheat Ezekiel Bread recipe, click here.
My apologies to regular visitors who are getting tired of me carrying on about this bread (it is my favorite…but you know that)…on to the carnitas.
This is really a play on the classic recipe for Mexican carnitas, which is traditionally made with pork. This would be more of a carnitas de pollo, or chicken carnitas. The word, carnitas, incidentally translates as “little meats,” making reference to the little pieces of the resulting dish.
Traditional carnitas–made with pork–requires hours of long and slow braising, but making it with chicken is relatively quick and simple. I use boneless legs because they have enough fat on them, whereas the breast would be too lean and dry. The premise of the recipe is this:
Simmer the chicken in water (with a splash of olive oil and salt) until the water evaporates and the chicken begins to fry in it’s (and the olive oil’s) fat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook it until the chicken begins to brown and the onions are translucent. Then, if you like, you can add herbs and/or spices (I added chili powder, cumin, and oregano). Add more water to the pan and scrape anything loose that has stuck to the bottom…this is pure flavor.
Simmer the chicken until the water evaporates again, only this time–as the water simmers and evaporates–break or pull the chicken apart. This should be easy enough to do with a spoon and fork. When the water is evaporated you’ll here the chicken begin to sizzle (remember that you cook with all five senses). Taste the chicken to see if it is seasoned to your liking, and allow it to crisp up a bit by cooking in the fat again. Tip the pan to allow the fat to run to the other side before removing the chicken. This is a quick and easy recipe to do, and one that is so delicious it makes my mouth water just typing these words…and your guests will think you ordered dinner from a fine Mexican restaurant. Anyhow, here it is in pictures.
A cardboard box containing three loaves of just-baked and still-warm Ezekiel Bread (I let them cool off on the ride home…9F/-12C outside as I rode home). Two plastic dough rising buckets (one my way to work this morning one held the bubbling Ezekiel biga and the other its autolyse).
For Ezekiel Bread Recipes, or for more information about it, click here or here.
I haven’t posted a recipe for Ezekiel Bread in a while, but it is my favorite bread. The picture of the pizza above and the bread below were both made using the recipe that follows. Interestingly, Ezekiel Bread recipes are still one of the number 1 ways that new visitors find there way to this blog. I’m not sure how these recipes (all variations on a theme) became so popular, but if you Google it you’ll see why this is. Likely, I think people are looking for a recipe that is not complicated, and also one that works. I really believe this is one of the most misunderstood bread recipes there is. If you’d like to read my interpretation of it–with additional pictures and step-by-step instructions–click here. If you want to read why I adjusted the liquid content in the recipe (which is the same recipe included in this page), click here. If you want to see the original post on this recipe–which includes white flour and the most comments any other post on this blog has ever received–click here.
4 cups whole wheatflour
Boil the grains in the water inlogical succession according to cooking times: first the white andred beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, speltberries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add themillet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after eachaddition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all ofthe grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercookedgrains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as thegrains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because thecooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of therecipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). Afterthe grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to roomtemperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooleddrain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon,reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface andcut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightlyoiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow toferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gentlytouched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake thebreads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times(either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breadsevery ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown andsound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans andallow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes beforeslicing.
As many of you know, I like bread. A lot. I enjoy making it, but more importantly I enjoy eating it…and I do not believe it makes you fat. I could easily be a poster boy for the high-carb diet…I eat bread, pasta, or rice at nearly every meal and am well within my proper body weight. The key, I believe, is whole grains…they are really good for you. I also believe that everyone should make their own bread (at least sometimes)…not only will it nourish your body, but also your emotions; there is something very primal about having your hands in raw dough and transforming ingredients so basic into something so complex. It is, in short, an alchemistic art-form. And breads you purchase–even though they may say “whole grain”–have a lot of other things in it besides the grain. Take a look at this label for “whole grain bread”…a paragraph long list of mostly unpronounceable ingredients is unnecessary. In truth, to make a really good and wholesome loaf of whole wheat bread you need only these four ingredients. In the recipe pictured here–bedsides the seven-grain mix–I count eight other ingredients…all recognizable and pronounceable. If you don’t have a seven grain mix you can use whatever grain you have (brown rice works great). This is made in the same way that I make Ezekiel Bread, only it’s easier because you can boil the grain all at once (click here or here for Ezekiel Bread recipes). Anyhow, this recipe is way easier to make than it may seem at first look. I hope you try it…both your body and soul will be glad you did. If you’d like to read more about how to bake with whole wheat–it’s similarities and differences with white flour–follow this link.
“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)
This is one of my favorite breads..it is not too difficult to make and it is super-nutritious. I’ve posted on this bread and variations of it in the past (click here, here, and here), and this is a revised version of those recipes. In this recipe I use 100% whole wheat flour (which I did in this recipe as well), but what is really different–and while this may seem insignificant, it is really not–is that I reduced the amount of liquid in the biga (pre-ferment) from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. This makes a somewhat dry starter but it keeps the subsequent dough from being too wet (which was a concern I’ve heard voiced by readers and bakers who tried the recipe). Another thing is that I added a few tablespoons of vital wheat gluten. Because whole wheat flour has less gluten than white flour, and the high concentration of grains, I felt this bread would benefit from a bit of added gluten…and it worked great. I had intended on offering metric measurements for this recipe for readers/bakers outside the US (purchased a digital scale recently), but alas time got away from me. I’ll do it in the future. Anyhow, if you enjoy baking, or even if you have never baked bread but want to, I hope you try this recipe…it is not as difficult as it may seem at first, but it is really delicious.
To learn more about my views of this bread, with more explicit directions and pictures, click here.
4 cups whole wheatflour
Boil the grains in the water inlogical succession according to cooking times: first the white andred beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, speltberries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add themillet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after eachaddition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all ofthe grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercookedgrains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as thegrains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because thecooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of therecipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). Afterthe grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to roomtemperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooleddrain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon,reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface andcut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightlyoiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow toferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gentlytouched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake thebreads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times(either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breadsevery ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown andsound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans andallow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes beforeslicing.
I’ve posted recipes for this bread–or variations of it–in the past on numerous occasions, but the two most popular are here and here. Those two posts, in fact, draw the largest amount of visitors to this blog everyday (through search engines, I imagine). Yup, I can carry things on my bike until I’m blue in the face, and talk about quotes and all things spiritual…but the topic that gets the most hits are my recipes for Ezekiel Bread.
This post is a little different in that I made the bread at home (opposed to at work in a commercial kitchen), and I did not use any refined (white) flour; just whole wheat. And for that reason the recipe is slightly different than the others (a printable recipe follows the pictures). This one, I believe, is more true…refined flour was unknown in biblical times. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In this post I also wanted to offer some of my personal views on Ezekiel bread and its recipes in general (I know what you’re thinking…here he goes again, up on his little soapbox…but hey, isn’t that why people write blogs in the first place).
Many people know–but some may do not–that the original recipe, vague as it is, comes directly from the Bible, in the Book of Ezekiel.
“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)
That’s it; that’s all it says. But I’m getting ahead again.
A couple years ago I dropped off a loaf of this bread–still warm–to a store that bakes their own bread (a few friends work there). After I left I had heard how a couple of them said that while the bread was delicious it was not really Ezekiel bread because real Ezekiel bread is made from sprouted grains and contains no flour. This did not surprise me because I had heard comments like this before (read them, mostly, on the Internet). I have to wonder how someone would have such a definitive opinion on this recipe from just one sentence. Here it is again:
“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)
Before I offer further views I first have to say that I read this recipe the same way I read the Bible; I read the Bible with a metaphysical view and am intrigued by it’s mystery (and even sometimes overwhelmed), but view it mostly as metaphor. In short, I am not a literalist and truly believe that most if not all of the Bible is open to interpretation (and yes, I realize that some may say that I’m going to hell for this proclamation, so here’s another one…I don’t believe that hell exists). Now I’m really getting off point.
This said, I can see how someone could interpret the above sentence to say to sprout the grains before making bread with them…but then again, it doesn’t actually say that. There is no mention of adding water to the jar to sprout the grains or even how to make a sort of dough…but just to use them to make bread for yourself (and I have neither the time nor desire to expound on all the metaphors of bread in the Bible). But if a person were to add water the grain would eventually begin to ferment (and leaven) given the amount of time Ezekiel is told to lie on his side in the desert. And as far as using flour in this recipe…umm, I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure that flour is made from wheat, spelt, and barley; three of the main ingredients.
Nobody that I know of would want to take this recipe to the literal extent. After giving Ezekiel the recipe, instructing how much of it he should eat each day, and how long he is to lie on each side in the desert, God tells Ezekiel to cook the bread over human excrement, to which Ezekiel pleads that he be allowed to use animal dung instead of human waste. Thankfully God agrees. I’m still trying to figure out the metaphorical or mystical reason behind this; surely it is not literal. The Book of Ezekiel is, of course, a record of a series of visions recorded by the Prophet Ezekiel. Thus in my view there is no way to tell what the actual recipe was or is.
As aforementioned, like most (or all) of the Bible, I believe that this recipe (sentence) is open to interpretation. The recipe that follows is my personal interpretation.
What’s slightly different in this recipe (opposed to previous versions where I used some white flour) is that rather than using a loose pre-ferment (French poolish), I used a firmer one, more like an Italian biga. And I also incorporated the autolyse method with the remaining flour (meaning I soaked the whole wheat flour to soften it). Anyhow, here it is in words and pictures; a printable recipe follows. It’s a simple recipe…basically, put some beans and grains in a pot and make bread for yourself.
Start by boiling the grains in logical succession to insure that they are thoroughly cooked without completely dissolving. If too much water evaporates add more to the pot (you’ll need some of the cooking liquid for the bread recipe. by using the cooking liquid you are utilizing nutrients that may have been leached out of the grains during their cooking).
After all of the grains are soft, strain them–reserving the liquid–and allow them to cool off (refrigerate them if necessary). Beautiful, aren’t they?
Make the pre-ferment with the cooked grains, whole wheat flour, and a portion of the cooking liquid.
Allow the pre-ferment to rest for at least an hour or two ( I let it ferment overnight). Then, in a second bowl, combine the whole wheat flour with some of the remaining cooking liquid (do not add yeast or anything else to this at this point…this is the autolyse method I referred to earlier). The flour-liquid mixture only needs to rest for an hour or so.
Next, combine the pre-ferment with the flour-liquid mixture, along with a bit of honey, olive oil, salt, and an additional pinch of yeast. Knead the dough until it passes the windowpane test.
Place the dough in a bowl or rising bucket and allow it to rise once or twice. I slowed its fermentation by placing it in the refrigerator for six hours, but you can still see it’s rise…it almost popped the lid on the bucket.
Portion and shape the dough. Place it into pans and allow it to rise.
Bake the loaves for 30-40 minutes and then let them cool before slicing. You can see the nice open crumb and specks of grain. It is not necessary to grind the grain because most of it sort of mashes into the dough as it’s kneaded. It is as delicious as it looks. This bread makes excellent sandwiches and toast. Some say that it is nutritionally complete.
This post and the pictures may make it seem like this is a difficult or overly complicated bread to prepare…it’s not. It is as simple as any other bread with just a couple extra steps (mainly cooking the beans and grains). If you look at the recipe and break it down into steps or stages you will see that it is rather simple. I encourage you to try it…you will be glad that you did.
4 cups whole wheat flour
Boil the grains in the water in logical succession according to cooking times: first the white and red beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, spelt berries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add the millet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after each addition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all of the grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercooked grains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as the grains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because the cooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of the recipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). After the grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to room temperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooled drain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon, reserving the cooking liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightly oiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gently touched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake the breads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times (either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breads every ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans and allow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
