Essene or sprouted bread

Essene bread is a dense, filling, unleavened bread made from whole sprouted grains, usually wheat, but may also include barley, rye, spelt, millet and/or buckwheat. It is rich in beneficial nutrients.

Essene bread contains no yeast, no dairy, no eggs, no oil or fat, no sweetener. It is only sprouted grain, with added salt if you wish.

Essene bread has become popular in recent years and is sold in natural and health food stores. It sometimes includes nuts, seeds, raisins, dates and herbs, which can make the bread more like a moist malt loaf. It has a naturally sweet taste.

The Essenes were a Jewish sect with about 4000 members, which flourished around the time of Christ. They lived an ascetic lifestyle in the countryside and practised vegetarianism.

Wherever they lived, the common people always called them “The Healers”. The word ‘Essene’ comes from the Aramaic word ‘Assaya’, which means ‘Healer’.

In Egypt, the Essenes were called ‘Therapeutae’, which means ‘Healer’ and is the origin of the word ‘Therapist’.

Philo of Alexandria, in a book written two thousand years ago, wrote that the Essenes were not only the best healers of the body, but also of the mind and soul.

Not only did they heal others, they also lived a healing lifestyle that caused them to live to very advanced ages.

The Jewish historian Josephus, in a book written two thousand years ago, declares that the Essenes lived to an average age of over 100 years, many reaching the age of 120. And that was at a time when the average age of death of non-Essenes was 45.

The staple food of the Essenes was bread made from sprouted whole grains or berry roots, which were finely ground, mixed with water, and cooked at low temperatures in order to preserve the vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Due to the way it is made, Essene bread is sometimes referred to as a "living loaf" because the grains are partially raw and the enzymes are left intact.

These plant enzymes support digestion and the process of sprouting reduces the content of phytic acid, a substance present in grains that inhibits absorption of minerals.

Rich in vitamins and minerals

Commercial bread manufacturing uses the endosperm of the wheat kernel, which contains mainly carbohydrate and very little vitamin or mineral content. The commercial milling of grain into white flour removes the bran and the germ, which results in the loss of natural fibre and numerous vitamins and minerals. To compensate, bread manufacturers often add back thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, calcium and iron.

Essene bread, on the other hand, contains whole grains and thus retains all the nutrients.

When grains, seeds and nuts are germinated, their nutrients become easier for the body to assimilate.

Because Essene bread is not baked at high temperatures, less nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process.

High in antioxidants

Sprouted grains, seeds and nuts are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from the by-products of oxidation in the body, referred to as free-radicals, which are thought to be responsible for aging, tissue damage and disease.

High in fibre

In addition to being very digestible, sprouted grains are an excellent source of fibre and plant protein.

Fibre has many beneficial effects on health, for example, it promotes bowel movements and assists with the healthy regulation of blood sugar, cholesterol and oestrogen levels in the blood.

RECIPE

How to make bread from sprouted grains

Ingredients

1-2 cups dry grain – e.g., wheat, spelt barley, rye, buckwheat (this will yield 4-6 cups sprouted grain). Barley gives a moister consistency and more of a caramel or malty flavour when mixed in with wheat.
Water

Instructions

There are 5 basic steps:

1. Soak the grain.
2. Sprout the grain.
3. Grind the grain.
4. Bake the grain.
5. Condition the loaf.

To sprout grains, wash them, soak them in water for 24 hours, then transfer them to a jar with a piece of cloth or nylon window screen secured over its rim.

Rinse with water two to four times a day, depending on the climate and the type of seed, to provide them with moisture and prevent them from souring.

Depending on the type of grain, they will sprout in 3-5 days.

The grains should be soft, and the sprouts just starting. Pick through them to remove any unsprouted or discoloured grains.

Mince the sprouts. You can use a food processor, a blender, or a big pestle and mortar. A slow juicer with the mincing cone attached also works.

Shape the dough into a greased bread pan, or lay it out on some baking paper.

Leave it in a warm spot (20-25 centigrade) for 12-24 hours. It can rise up to double in size. It rises more if it is finely minced. Adding a sourdough starter can help too.

Raw

The best, most alive bread is made if you slow-cook the loaf for a total of 24-36 hours. You can put it in the sun, or use a VERY low oven if your oven can turn down that low. The maximum temperature allowed is 40 centigrade/104 Fahrenheit. If you keep it below that temperature, the high level of enzymes and other nutrients in the sprouted grains are kept intact. This makes a very digestible and healthy loaf.

Baked

Alternatively, you can bake the loaf in an oven at 110-115 centigrade (225-250 Fahrenheit) for two hours. This makes a sweet, almost caramelised, dense loaf. It is similar to many store-sold Essene breads.

Conditioning

After cooking, wrap the cooled loaf in parchment and put into the refrigerator for at least 1 or 2 days.

The bread, after it cools, will be very hard on the outside and very wet on the inside. Conditioning it in the fridge will allow the exterior to soften and the interior to firm up.

Variations

Rather than a loaf, form into flattened balls

To improve the flavour and texture of the traditional bread above:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

To make a more interesting or a sweeter bread:
1/4 cup of sesame seeds or caraway seeds OR
1/2 cup of currants, raisins or dates

To make a bread that rises more:
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1 tablespoon of kefir whey
or
1 tablespoon of sourdough starter

References

Quod Omnis Probus liber sit “Every Good Man is Free,” 75–91, and the Apologia pro Iudaeis (in Eusebius” Praeparatio Evangelica 8.11.1–18), a work usually considered part of the Hypothetica.


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Best proteins for health

One of the things that many people worry about is whether they are obtaining enough protein from their diet, especially if vegetarian or vegan.

Plants have sufficient protein to grow giraffes, elephants, and cows, so obviously they have enough to grow relatively small people - please CLICK to Tweet.

All twenty amino acids, including the 10 essential ones, needed for good health are abundant in plants.

In real life there is no such thing as protein deficiency, provided you eat enough food in general, yet the meat and dairy industries generate huge profit with these universally accepted myths.

UK government dietary guidelines suggest that males between 19-50 years require 55.5 g protein per day and women of the same age range require 45 g protein per day.

It is very easy to achieve these targets, for example:

• A large egg contains 6 g protein
• 2 slices of bread contain 6 g protein
• 6 fl oz (170ml) milk contains 6 g protein
• 100g (4oz) chickpeas contains 16 g protein
• A tin of tuna contains 20 g protein
• 100g (40z) tofu contains 20 g protein
• 170g (6oz) beef contains 40 g protein

All living organisms contain protein, so even if you are only eating whole plants, you will still obtain adequate quantities - please CLICK to tweet.

The last National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK showed that average protein consumption is at least 1.5 times higher, and often 2-4 times higher, than the recommended amounts.

There is evidence that protein significantly in excess of our bodily needs may be damaging to our health, though further research is needed on this.

Animal protein and vegetable protein per se probably have similar effects on health. It's the protein package that's likely to make a difference.

A 6-ounce steak is a great source of protein—38 grams worth. But it also delivers 44 grams of fat, 16 of them saturated. That's almost three-quarters of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat.

The same amount of salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated.

A cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat.

So when choosing protein-rich foods, pay attention to what comes along with the protein.

Vegetable sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, and whole grains, are excellent choices, and they offer healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals.

If you like the idea of a plant-based diet but cannot fully give up eating meat and other other animal products, you can try to reduce your intake gradually, whilst increasing the number of vegetables dishes you eat.

You can also pay attention to the type of animal products you consume and the balance between them.

The best animal protein choice is oily fish. Next best is poultry. If you are partial to red meat, stick with the leanest cuts, choose moderate portion sizes, and make it only an occasional part of your diet.

Tips for choosing the best protein packages:

1. Mix it up. Most reasonable diets provide enough protein for healthy people. Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you get all of the amino acids you need.
2. Go low on saturated fat. Beans and oily fish provide plenty of protein, without much saturated fat. Steer clear of fatty meats and use whole-milk dairy products sparingly or preferably not at all.
3. Limit red meat—and avoid processed meat. Research suggests that people who eat more than 18 ounces a week of red meat have a higher risk of colon cancer. So make red meat—beef, pork, lamb—only an occasional part of your diet, if you eat it at all. Skip the processed stuff—bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats—since that's also been linked to higher cancer risk.
4. Eat soy in moderation. Tofu and other soy foods are an excellent red meat alternative, but don't go overboard; 2 to 4 servings a week is a good target. Stay away from supplements that contain concentrated soy protein or extracts, such as isoflavones, as we just don't know the long term effects
5. Balance carbohydrates and protein. Cutting back on highly processed carbohydrates and consuming unprocessed carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and vegetables helps to maintain a healthy balance between protein and carbohydrate in your diet. Eating such foods helps to regulate blood sugar, lower 'bad' cholesterol and and levels of blood triglycerides, thus reducing your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other form of cardiovascular disease. It will also make you feel full longer, and help to stave off hunger pangs.

For an excellent discussion of some of the myths about protein in the diet please see John McDougall MD's newsletter.

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