Ezekiel Bread

Every once in awhile I like a challenge. Nothing too mind boggling or difficult, just something new and different to give me a little challenge. As the big boys always say, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

I have heard of Ezekiel Bread, but I never really knew anything about it.Did everyone but me know what Ezekiel Bread was? Well, a couple of weeks ago I was reading in the Old Testament in Ezekiel. I read Ezekiel 4:9 which says, “Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and put them into one vessel and make bread of them.” In this verse the prophet Ezekiel is told by God to make bread in a certain way and then he lives on water and this bread for 390 days while he resides in the desert. After reading this I remembered about the bread and so I did some looking on the internet and found a recipe for Ezekiel Bread.

Ezekiel bread is a bread made from four grains and four beans. Typically it contains wheat, spelt or rye, barley, millet, lentils, great northern beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans ground in a grain mill. The specific mixture of grains and beans has been tested by food scientists and found to be complete nutritionally.

This is kind of a fun project. If you can find all the ingredients it is worth the effort to make it. I already had most of the ingredients but I found the spelt flour and millet at the Winco in Pocatello. You need quite small amounts of the beans and most of the grains and if you can buy them in bulk, you won’t spend much. If you have trouble finding some of the ingredients, check at a health food store where most all of them should be readily available. Once you find all the ingredients and get your wheat grinder out you are ready to go.

I wouldn't want to live on just this bread and water for 390 days but it would definitely beat fasting for 390 days and it is good to try something new and different every now and then, just for fun.

Ezekiel Bread
4 c. warm water (110º-115º)
1 c. honey
½ c. olive oil
2 packages active dry yeast
2 ½ c. wheat berries
1 ½ c. spelt flour
½ c. barley
½ c. millet
¼ c. dry green lentils
2 T. dry great Northern beans
2 T. dry kidney beans
2 T. dried pinto beans
2 t. salt
1. Measure the water, honey, olive oil, and yeast into a large bowl. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir all of the grains and beans together until well mixed. Grind in a flour mill. Add fresh milled flour and salt to the yeast mixture; stir until well mixed, about 10 minutes. The dough will be a batter bread. Pour dough into two greased 9 x 5” loaf pans.
3. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until dough has reached top of the pan.
4. Bake at 350º for 45 to 50 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown.

This bread is different from other breads but it is very good. A fun experiment. The texture is different, a little crumbly but if that bothers you, then you can slice it and freeze it and toast the slices if you want.

This is healthy bread. It is full of protein; it makes a complete protein because of the whole grains and beans. Try it and see what you think. It is an interesting and fun recipe to try. You may want to make up some mixes to give as gifts with the scripture or story attached, and maybe throw in a bottle of jam or honey.