Thursday, July 14, 2011

Ezekiel Bread - A Loaf of Biblical Proportions



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My curiosity led me to this bread. It gets its name from a passage in the Book of Ezekiel (4:9). To the best of my knowledge, it's the only place in either the Old or New Testament where a recipe, at least a recipe of sorts, is given. The exhortation is meant for the Israelites who will be in exile for 390 days. The recipe is for a bread intended to help them survive famine and the rigors of life in the diaspora. While it is not particularly tasty, the combination of grains used to make the bread, combine to make a complete protein that satisfies all the body's nutritional requirements. It was the original survival bread and it came from a prophet who recommended cooking it over a dung fire. Every word of this is true. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

"But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days."

I suspect only a few of you will be tempted to make the bread, but it has a history I thought all of you might fine interesting. I don't recommend this bread for beginning bakers. The dough is tricky to work with and the bread is not to everyone's liking. My beloved's comment on sampling it was, "Nutritious." That is the kiss of death around here. I know from experience he won't take another bite. Here's the recipe.

Ezekiel's Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey

8 cups wheat flour, finely ground
4 cups barley flour, finely ground
1/2 cup millet flour, finely ground
1/4 cup rye flour, finely ground

2 cup cooked lentils, mashed
1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
4-6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water to which honey has been added. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
2) Combine wheat, barley, millet and rye flour in a separate bowl. Set aside.
3) Place lentils, oil and 1/2 cup water in a blender. Puree mixture. Place puree into a large mixing bowl along with remaining 1 cup water. Stir in yeast mixture and salt. Beat in 2 cups of flour mixture. When smooth stir in remaining flour mixture.
4) Place on a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl. Let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Knead again and shape into 4 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Yield: 4 loaves.






One Year Ago Today: Shrimp and Rice Salad with Cucumbers

















Two Years Ago Today: Pork Medallions with Ancho Chili and Cherry Glaze








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Rye Spelt Bread - Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Whole Grain Bread - Divine Baking
Pete's Whole Wheat Bread - The Recipe Girl
Multigrain Wheat Bread - Living in the Kitchen with Puppies
Whole Wheat Flax Bread - The Local Cook

58 comments :

Elin said...

Mary....you make me laugh when you say no one will make this after reading from the bible...yea but looking at your recipe I WILL ! Thanks for sharing it..I think it is healthy and filling with the lentils and all the healthy rye, millets etc etc...God is wise !

Have a wonderful day,
Elin

Anna said...

Is this anything like the Ezekiel bread in stores? it looks completely different! But I like that - and it's pretty neat that the Bible gives us this recipe. I definitely want to give it a whirl! Thanks for sharing :D

Ginny Hartzler said...

Looks kind of time consuming, but it is really pretty. I imagine it is very healthy!

Sanjeeta kk said...

Love that pillowy bread, Mary! And what healthy ingredients to go in.

Eileen said...

What a great story. I had no idea bread could be that healthy.

sangeeta said...

I will be baking this bread for sure. What lentils did you use Mary?

I like baking all healthy breads and love the hearty whole grain breads and the rich taste they bring....so i am in for this one too.

Kim said...

wow, you made your own ezekial bread!! that's amazing! flavors in ezekial bread is just amazing. and i love how it is a complete protein :D beautiful recipe.

Anonymous said...

Ha! Your post made me grin. And that bread loaf looks really tasty!

Katarina said...

What an interesting story and Ientils in bread is great! Have a nice day!

Anonymous said...

Mary, that is the most interesting story! Thank you for posting the recipe :)

Chris's Gourmet Fashion said...

Definitely an interesting post. I probably would need to taste this before deciding if it was just nutritious or tasty :) Thanks for the history.

Angie's Recipes said...

Mary, the bread looks so GOOOOOOOOD with golden brown colour and perfect crumb!

Bring Pretty Back said...

I have some friends that buy this bread from a local health food store and love it! "nutritious" funnny!!! Sounds like my husband!
Just discovered your blog and love it. I am going to look around and see what I can out on the menu tonight!
Have a PRETTY day!
Kristin

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

The ingredients make it sound very healthy. I love a challenge! This will be on my future to do list!

Martha said...

you make me chuckle :) I've made it for my family too and they didn't seem to crave like I wished they would :) have a blessed day!

Tanna said...

I so enjoy coming here to learn interesting things about food as well as to find delicious recipes. I love the "nutritious" designation. LOL! I actually think I would really like this recipe. Pretty amazing that it is a complete protein. Thank you, Mary. blessings ~ tanna

The Blonde Duck said...

Oh drool.

StephenC said...

Fun story.

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Mary, I know this verse well. I have been doing a study on Ezekiel. He was such an interesting prophet and the way God used him was incredible!
I have heard of Ezekiel bread but never made it. It must make a whole bunch looking at the amounts of the ingredients. I like your version of the bread better than the ones I see in stores. They have too many sticks and twigs!
Thanks for this "heavenly bread".
Yvonne

Clint said...

The dung thingie sounds novel, but methinks I'll stick with my store-bought rye.

Unknown said...

I might not be tempted to make it? Have you seen the picture you took? That makes me want to make it.. it looks lovely!!

PeggyR said...

This sounds very good!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I enjoyed reading about the history of this bread Mary. It is 40C so it won't be today but my curiosity may get the better of me.

Heather S-G said...

What a cool history! It's actually those type of back-stories that make me want to bake a recipe pronto. It doesn't look like it has all of those grains in it...how tricky ;) Very fun :D

brandi @ BranAppetit said...

that bread looks perfect! it definitely looks different than the "ezekiel" bread in stores - this looks much better!

Epicurea said...

thanks for sharing this intersting story, so it's maybe one of the world's oldest bread recipes!

Jocie's Mom said...

So cool! Great story, great history, great looking bread. I can barely manage box mix cupcakes so I'll just admire this one from afar but well done!

What's next said...

Don't think I'll try making it but loved the story and that you made it!!!

From the Kitchen said...

It has been awhile since I've made yeast bread. I learned the skill when we lived in Texas and there were no good sources for good bread--my husband's true "staff of life". The Chicago area has so many excellent bakeries that there hasn't been a need to knead!

Best,
Bonnie

June said...

I had to laugh at the Silver Fox's comment. I get that when I serve sauteed spinach. LOL

Donna Elick said...

So funny, I was just talking to my Mom about this bread last night. Glad to see you make it. It looks like it came out great and it is supposed to be nutritious. : )

Unknown said...

Beautiful bread Mary. Thanks for sharing. Great post!

Maria said...

beautiful loaf!

That Girl said...

We religiously (ha ha) buy Ezekial bread, but I never knew the story behind it!

Jeannie said...

But the photo looks so good! Bet will be delicious eaten with that pork medallion dish!

Chiara said...

This sounds very good Mary! have a good day...

Anonymous said...

This looks amazing, Mary! Great story too, thanks for sharing. Bread that's nutritious? Who can say no to that!?

Lisa said...

You gotta love a bread that offers that kind of real nutrition and can boast of such a fine recommendation. It's a good reminder that the Bible is relevant in the kitchen too!

Melinda said...

You are right-this looks a bit rough.
Sounds good though.

So happy to see you at Dreaming!

Melinda

Joanne said...

Haha yeah nutritious is not really the best post-taste comment. I had no idea that Ezekiel bread actually got it's name from a real biblical recipe! How cool.

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Mary, You are right...not so tempted to make the bread, however, the information and story behind it is interesting and so worth reading. Thanks!

Wendy Irene said...

It was so fun to learn about Ezekiel Bread! It came out beautifully in your picture.

Gloria Baker said...

Mary, is amazing an your loaf look wonderful!! gloria

Simple cake recipes said...

your pictures certainly make me wanna bake :)

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

Wow how soft this looks sounds healthy and my kind of bread!

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

The bread looks fantastic! Enjoyed the post!

Anonymous said...

wow,, this is great,, I hear everyone talking about this bread,, I'll gove it a go,, I'll let you know how i do,, thankyuou

Banana Wonder said...

I LOVE this bread recipe... lentils?? Awesome! I am going to try this. Thanks for the recipe. PS. Do you speak Greek?

Rosita Vargas said...

Very good proposal bravísima Mary as always, hugs.

The Honey Nut said...

Such a pretty loaf! I would eat that even if it gets the "dreaded" healthy food label.

Elaine said...

It looks like a pretty dense bread. I think my family would have the same reaction as yours. I love the history though.

The Harried Cook said...

I think that loaf looks so good! Too bad it's 'nutritious'! I would still love to try this...Thanks for sharing, Mary!

Terri @ that's some good cookin' said...

Mary, I have made this bread in the past and was just thinking about it recently. I have lost my recipe, so thanks for posting your recipe! And yes, this bread does have an interesting flavor. My husband's response to it years ago was pretty much like your husband's response; but, then, John is for all intents and purposes white-bread-or-die.

Jeanette said...

Isn't it funny how the bible provided a healthy bread recipe, and that it is only recently that people have started to refocus on whole grains.

Unknown said...

I've seen a similar bread in stores but never had the opportunity to try it. I didn't realize the recipe was closely related to a passage in the old testament though the name probably should've tipped me off.

Rebecca said...

I just read about this in the book The Year of Living Biblically. It looks really interesting!

scrambledhenfruit said...

I'm sending this on to my daughter in law- she'll definitely try this, as she's been asking me if I knew of a good recipe for it. :)

Dreambox said...

The bread was served what would have been unleavened. This is the unleavened bread that symbolizes the bread eaten by Jews fleeing Egypt. They were so fast, I have no time for bread to rise. Therefore, Matzoh is used to SEDAR to commemorate the exodus from Egypt.

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