Cook-A-Long with Brooke-A-Long: Edition 5

I am really excited to be sharing this Cook-A-Long post with you.  I'm excited for a number of reasons:

1.  This bread is really, REALLY, good!  It is my all-time favourite bread recipe, ever.

I started making it about 5 years ago now and it's been a staple in our household ever since.  It's high in protein, literally packed with goodness and tastes delicious (I'm particularly fond of it toasted and then spread with almond butter).

2.  I've had multiple people say to me that they're a bit scared to start making their own bread because it seems a bit daunting.

I accept that starting down the path of baking your own bread can be a bit scary.  I'd suggest starting with small steps - you don't have to bake a week's worth of bread in one day (I do, but that's because it works best for me that way).  One of the reasons I do bake multiple loaves at once is because I have the world's dodgiest oven (please Santa, bring me a new oven for Christmas, PLEASE!!!) and it's easier to just have it on and heating the whole house up once rather than every day.

Start with one loaf.  Do it while your baking something else - make the bread, let it rise, get your other thing ready (go on, make the Magic Bean Chocolate Cake, you know you want to!) and then cook them both at the same time.  One of the great thing about Bible Bread, is that it only rises once - you don't knock it out and let it rise again, so it takes very little time and effort.

Once you've tried a couple of loaves, start experimenting with different sorts to see what you like best.  Every week I make Bible Bread, a 5 Seed Loaf, some spelt rolls and then usually something else to mix it up and try a new recipe.

Baking bread isn't hard.  Thermie does all the work, so just follow the instructions and you'll be fine.  If you run into problems, I'm happy to help you out - everyone should get to have the smell of fresh bread emanating from their kitchen!

3.  Cyndi is fabulous and I'm very grateful to her for allowing me to share this recipe with you.  I love that Cyndi is so passionate about helping people live better.  I've watched her listen to people confess that their poor food choices are impacting their happiness and seen her visibly inflate them and show them there is a solution and that they have the power to change their diet and their lives. 

Whether you agree 100% with everything she says or not, she is to be applauded (and loudly!) for helping to raise awareness of what is in commercially produced food and for inspiring people to change.  To read more about Cyndi and her work, visit Changing Habits and learn more, so you can do more.

Bible Bread

(taken from Cyndi O'Meara's Changing Habits Changing Lives Cookbook)

Ingredients:-

370g filtered water

1 tablespoon organic cold-pressed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried yeast
300g organic unbleached white flour

250g Supermix (see note below) or:-

- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons organic raw sugar
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon maize flour
- 1 tablespoon ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon soy flour (I use quinoa or buckwheat flour instead)
- 1 tablespoon linseeds
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon besan flour
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats

Method:-

Place water, yeast, oil and salt into TMX bowl.  Add all other ingredients and bring together on Speed 7 for 5 seconds.

Lock the lid and then knead for 4 minutes (remember not to walk away while your machine is kneading).

While the bread is kneading, lightly butter a bread pan (I use a 15cm square tin). 

Pour the mixture into the tin and sit somewhere warm to prove.  (I usually bake bread in the morning and so sit my loaves out on the bbq in the sunshine with a fly cover over the top).  Give the bread a good 20-30 minutes to rise (it pretty much doubles in size).

Bake at 180 for 40-50 minutes.  This is the only area that requires some decision making - it all depends on how hot your oven gets.  Bible Bread in my oven takes a full 60 minutes (because most of the heat has escaped out the dodgy door).  To be sure it's done, go for the skewer test - stick a metal skewer straight down the middle of the bread.  It's cooked when it comes up cleanly.

Tips:-

If you find that you really like this bread you can save time by making the supermix in advance. I mix all mine up and keep it in a container, ready to go (it saves a lot of time!).  

Instead of tablespoons use cups:

1 cup sesame seeds

2 cups organic raw sugar

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup maize flour

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup soy flour (I mill quinoa or buckwheat down instead and use that)

1 cup linseeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup besan flour (freshly milled in the TMX on Speed 10 for 1 minute, with ear muffs firmly in place)

2 cups rolled oats

Enjoy!!!

Super Easy Method For Soaking Grains

All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer or bran.  If the phytic acid isn't broken down before consumption, it can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption.  (At this point, you want to remember that the whole reason for eating whole grains is because we know they contain more vitamins and minerals and are better for us - BUT only if we actually get to absorb those qualities!)

You can break the phytic acid down in grains simply by soaking them overnight.  This also neautralises enzyme inhibitors which are contained in all seeds.  Soaking also assists in the digestion of the grains because the gluten protein is partially broken down into smaller components that are more easily absorbed by the body.

Given that bible bread is so high in grain and seed goodness, we really want to make sure all those fabulous nutrients are available to us.  The easiest way to do this is just by soaking the grain overnight, as follows:-

1.  Place all ingredients except water, yeast, oil and salt into TMX bowl. 

2.  Crush slightly on speed 5 for 5 seconds. 

3.  Add 370g water to the bowl, plus 1-2 tablespoons of an acidic medium (buttermilk, kefir, yoghurt, lemon juice).  This neutralises the anti-nutrients that are formed while the phytic acid breaks down. 

4.  Put the lid on and let it sit overnight.

5.  In the morning, add yeast, oil and salt.  Bring together on Speed 7 for 5 seconds.

Lock the lid and then knead for 4 minutes (remember not to walk away while your machine is kneading).

Continue as per the method above.  Enjoy!