Today’s post by Lexie of Lexie Naturals.
Ezekiel bread derives its name from Ezekiel 4:9 when God instructed Ezekiel to fast by only eating bread made from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet.
Ezekiel bread is very filling and perfect for fasting, losing weight, snacking, or breakfast. If you have a young (or old) picky eater in the house, this is an excellent bread to have around. It truly is delicious, and it’s packed with protein and nutrients. It is also a batter bread, which means there is no kneading, so it’s very easy to make.
I mill my own wheat and beans (for these reasons), and I highly suggest you do the same. Several local farmer’s markets have booths that will mill wheat for you. I borrowed a friend’s mill until I purchased my own. If you simply can’t find a mill to use, you can purchase the flour (you’ll skip the first step of the recipe if you buy pre-milled flour).
The following recipe has been altered from the Bread Beckers Recipe Collection and from my friend, Mrs. Cathy. Enjoy!
Homemade Ezekiel Bread
- 2 1/2 cups wheat grains (I use either hard red or hard white)
- 1 1/2 cups spelt (like this)
- 1/2 cup hulled barley (like this)
- 1/4 cup millet
- 1/4 cup dry green lentils
- 2 Tbs. dry northern beans
- 2 Tbs. dry kidney beans
- 2 Tbs. dry pinto beans
- 4 cups lukewarm whey (or water, the whey just adds more flavor and nutrients)
- 1 1/8 cups raw, local honey
- 1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil or coconut oil)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. active dry yeast (2 packages)
- 1/2 cup milled flax seed (optional)
- 2 Tbs. dough enhancer (optional)
- 1 Tbs. gluten (optional)
- 1 egg plus 2 Tbs. water (optional, for egg wash on top)
- sunflower or sesame seeds (optional, for garnish on top)
- dried fruit (optional, for added flavor and nutrition)
1. Mix the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and grind in a flour mill. You may be required to mill the wheat separately from the beans depending on your mill’s instructions. This will make approximately 9 cups of flour.
2. In a large glass bowl mix whey (or water), honey, oil, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl mix the milled flour, yeast, milled flax seed, dough enhancer, and gluten until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir or knead for about 10 minutes. This can be done by hand (I use a dough hook) or in the mixer. You do not need to knead this to death like you do normal dough bread. Remember this is a batter bread, and it will NOT form into a nice smooth ball.
5. Pour dough into greased pans (I like to grease my pans with a little bit of coconut oil or olive oil). This recipe makes 2 large loaf pans (10x5x3), 3 medium loaf pans, or 4 small loaf pans (I usually do 4 small pans). It can also be put into 2 9×13 pans.
6. Optional step: “Paint” an egg wash over the top and sprinkle sunflower or sesame seeds over the egg wash. You can also push dried fruit into the batter.
7. Cover with a towel and let rise in pans for one hour or until dough is about 1/4 inch from the top of the pan. It will overflow in the oven if you let it rise too long.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-50 minutes. I use the smaller pans so it only takes 30 minutes; however, if you are using the larger pans it will take closer to 45 minutes. You can stick a thermometer in the side to check for doneness. You want it to reach 190F or for a toothpick to come out clean.
9. Remove pans from oven and place on a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edges and remove loaves from pans immediately. Let them rest on their sides (this will allow more air to circulate around them). Resist the urge to cut into the loaves. They need to cool at least 30 minutes before you cut them. They will continue to bake and make yummy magic during this time. I usually let mine cool all day.
Ezekiel Bread Recipe Notes:
- If you have a sensitivity to wheat or gluten, just omit them and add more spelt, millet, lentils, or beans (garbanzo beans would work too).
- I often cut this recipe in half, it works just as well.
- You need to eat this bread within about 72 hours. This bread does not have any preservatives so it will not stay fresh as long as store bought bread. Do not refrigerate this bread. If you will not consume the loaves within 72 hours you need to slice the bread, wrap it in bakers paper, and freeze it. This way you can take out slices at a time. Let it sit out in room temperature to thaw. Do not place it in the microwave or it will lose nutrients.
- You can buy the grains and beans premixed from several trusted places online; however, I prefer to buy my own bags of dry beans and mix them myself. This is much more frugal, and it allows me the freedom to add exactly how much I want.
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PrintMake Your Own Ezekiel Bread {Guest Post}
Ingredients
- • 2 1/2 cups wheat grains (I use either hard red or hard white)
- • 1 1/2 cups spelt
- • 1/2 cup hulled barley
- • 1/4 cup millet
- • 1/4 cup dry green lentils
- • 2 Tbs. dry northern beans
- • 2 Tbs. dry kidney beans
- • 2 Tbs. dry pinto beans
- • 4 cups lukewarm whey (or water, the whey just adds more flavor and nutrients)
- • 1 1/8 cups raw, local honey
- • 1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil or coconut oil)
- • 2 tsp. salt
- • 2 Tbs. active dry yeast (2 packages)
- • 1/2 cup milled flax seed (optional)
- • 2 Tbs. dough enhancer (optional)
- • 1 Tbs. gluten (optional)
- • 1 egg plus 2 Tbs. water (optional, for egg wash on top)
- • sunflower or sesame seeds (optional, for garnish on top)
- • dried fruit (optional, for added flavor and nutrition)
Instructions
- Mix the first 8 ingredients in a bowl and grind in a flour mill (You may need to mill beans separately depending on your mill’s instructions) This makes approximately 9 cups flour
- In large glass bowl mix whey (or water), honey, oil, and salt
- In another bowl mix the milled flour, yeast, milled flax seed, dough enhancer, and gluten until well combined
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir or knead 10 minutes either by hand, dough hook, or mixer (since this is a batter bread, it will NOT form into a nice smooth ball)
- Pour dough into 2 large (10x5x3) greased pans, 4 small loaf pans, or 2 9×13 pans
- Optional step: “Paint” an egg wash over top sprinkled with sunflower or sesame seeds, dried fruit pushed into batter is also optional
- Cover with towel and let rise in pans an hour or until dough is about 1/4 inch from top of the pan, but not much higher or it might overflow in oven
- Bake at 350 degrees 30-50 minutes until thermometer reaches 190F or a toothpick comes out clean (smaller pans takes 30 minutes; larger pans closer to 45)
- Remove pans from oven and place on cooling rack
- Run a knife around the edges and remove loaves from pans immediately
- Let rest on sides but don’t cut into loaves until they’ve cooled at least 30 minutes
Lexie is a follower of Jesus, the wife of the very talented Stephen McNeill, and a stay-at-home mother of two exquisite girls (ages 4 and 19 months). Her passions include spending time with friends and family, reading, traveling, and teaching. In an effort to live more naturally and frugally, she began making and selling her own lotion, lip balm, deodorant, and diaper cream. She loves sharing these passions with others and helping other families catch the vision of living more natural lifestyle. Lexie can be found on her blog, facebook, twittter, and email.
I didn’t know! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 Welcome, Prairie Boy! WOOT!!!
Congratulations on baby arriving safe and sound.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have a recipe for Ezekiel bread that requires kneading and forms 4 round loaves. It is one of our favorite breads and is so amazingly healthy for you. I might give this one a try to compare the two.
Blessings,
Nadine
Hello
I really appreciate you post the entire recipe to bake an Ezekiel bread.
I tried two time and after it done the topfelt down.
I try to determine the cause and I have notfind the issue. I made half of the recipe with 2 cups of water
Can you tell me what I did wrong
Also don’t you thing the honey is too much? The bread suppose to have sugar free
Thank
Thank you for the info regarding your absence. Not all of us are on facebook or twitter so it’s nice to be kept in the loop. Enjoy this special time.
Rhonda 🙂
Thanks Rhonda! 🙂
Mine collapsed in the middle right at about the 30 minute mark. What did I do wrong?
Congratulations on the baby. I hate to say it, but this is not true Ezekial bread. Ezekial bread is made from sprouts of these grains and beans, not the grains and beans themselves. This is why I can eat Ezekial bread but cannot have wheat or wheat gluten.
You are right, the BRAND Ezekiel 4:9 Bread (from Food for Life) is made with sprouted grains. However, it doesn’t have to be sprouted to be considered Ezekiel bread. The idea comes from the verses in the Bible and uses the grains/beans mentioned there. You can also make this bread completely wheat and gluten free! 🙂 Just leave them out and add other grains or beans.
Okay, I see. Thank you for that info. I just may have to try it leaving out the wheat. I have two questions. What exactly is whey? and Will the recipe still work without the honey. My husband cannot have any kind of sugar, including honey. I know it is not a big amount, but he won’t eat it if there is any sugar or honey in it.
Sorry I’m just now seeing this. Whey, in short, is the liquid left after making yogurt. If you strain the yogurt for Greek yogurt you are left with a lot of whey. I try to always use all of the whey and that’s difficult since I don’t like to drink it. So, I started adding it to the bread. You can just use water. If you leave out the honey it will not be sweet, but that’s not a terrible thing. I would try to substitute with some sort of sweetener or sweet veggie or applesauce even.
Will this recipe work with the honey or any sweet.
I’d imagine that in place of the honey you could use other liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup, molasses or agave nectar.
I would think it would make a big difference in the digestibility of the grains/pulses for them to be either sprouted/fermented, which often happened as the grains sat in the fields waiting to be harvested (think of Ruth harvesting what was left lying in the field) or in the slow sourdough-like rise that would take place with the wild caught yeasts used. The quick rise yeast we have available today is a recent development and takes away from the pre-digesting process of soaking during the long rise period that occurs with slower natural yeasts.
so what is your choice for yeast.. i know that commercial yeast isn’t very healthy
Hello Carla
I’ve just seen this recipe which looks very exciting. I am rather nervous about the kidney beans being toxic if they are not soaked. I didn’t see anything about soaking them. What can you tell me about the safety of using dry kidney beans? Thanks so much
Can I make Ezekiel bread without the yeast as well as the wheat and gluten?
Thank you ?
Ezekiel bread is specifically SPROUTED grains. The sprouting process uses up the phytic acid found on all grains, nuts and seeds. Phytic acid is to help grains nuts and seeds avoid sprouting in unfavorable conditions however this makes it an antinutrient within the human digestive system, meaning to protect ourselves it encasing the phytic acid with other minerals and flushes it out the body along with those minerals. So eating an inactivated grain (most of us do) cause long term health issue such as food intolerances, PCOS and inflammation, heart problems, blood pressure, food cravings (because we are actually starved of nutrients). Ezekiel bread was given as specific guidance to humanity on how to make healthy bread. It’s a common practice a cross many cultures to soak grains, nuts and seeds over night before cooking for this same reason.
Ezekiel bread is NOT specifically sprouted. It comes from the book of Ezekiel and is based on the ingredients found in the verses Ezekiel 4:9 references. The sprouting is common among manufacturers, and indeed increases nutrition, but you’re wrong about this recipe. It does not have to be sprouted to be considered Ezekiel bread.
If leaving the wheat out what would you use in its place?
I have Gastricpernices and as so have bad digestive issues would this be to hard.on me.I have to be careful of all bread ,rice and fiber content has to be low
This bread is super yummy. I sprouted all my grains (except the beans) before milling them. Two changes I would make:
1. Less honey. I found it quite sweet – more like a loaf than traditional bread. Next time I’ll use half the amount of honey.
2. It rose nicely but then fell while cooking. This is usually indicative of not enough flour. I measured all the grains before milling them, but next time I’ll also measure the amount after and make sure there is at least 9 cups of the various flours. If that still falls, I’ll keep adding flour until it works. I added bread conditioner this first time, but not gluten. Do you have any other suggestions as to why it may have fallen?
Also, I buttered my pans with butter and the loaves stuck quite badly. Next time I’ll try oil, as suggested and see if that helps.
Otherwise, delicious! I’m going to keep making it until I get it perfected!
Prairie Boy was born while I was at Allume and I’m just now finding out! CONGRATS!! I can’t wait to read your story, Jill!!
Lexie, this recipe looks wonderful! I will have to try it by omitting the gluten. Where do you buy your millet?
I buy all my grains from a local lady who buys them in bulk (I mean HUGE bulk). So that’s not much help to you. 🙁
testing
Congratulations!
I just found your blog and am trying to subscribe with Google Reader, but it keeps telling me it can’t find a feed. It seems to be working fine with other blogs. I thought I’d mention it in case you might know something that can help.
Thanks!
Natalia
Hmmm… Sorry for the trouble Natalia! I’ll look into it and try to figure out what is going on.
Thanks for the recipe, it looks fantastic. Trying to make this tonight 🙂
Let us know how it went for you! Hope you enjoyed it!
Puzzled by your comment that the bread only needs to be kneaded for ten minutes, unlike other bread that needs to be kneaded to death. Bread, the rule says and from my own experience, only needs to be kneaded for 5 minutes – it is very easy to over-knead it. I am also puzzled by the ingredient of kidney beans untreated. I was of the impression that many beans are poisonous to use if not first soaked for a minimum number of hours.
Hi, Carol! I didn’t actually mean that you have to knead bread to death, it was just a figure of speech so to say. Before I had a mixer and I was kneading bread by hand it would take me a very very long time to get it to pass the window test (where you stretch it out and can see through it like a stained glass window-or until it’s a smooth, elastic ball). This bread is a batter bread so it’s basically poured into the pans. If you are using a mixer for this it would probably only take 1-2 minutes to mix.
As for the kidney beans – if you don’t feel comfortable putting 2 tbsp of them in this (or any) dish simply substitute them with something else.
Hope this helps! Sorry for the delayed response.
Great recipe! and thanks for posting it. I have just a few comments. 1) You can get hulled barley from Great River Milling (available on Amazon). 2) Sprouting grain is extremely easy and only requires a little planning ahead. The benefits are seriously higher nutritional value for the grains and much easier digestibility. I am not aware of having any gluten issues myself; many natural nutritionists believe this allays the reaction issues for those eating gluten-free. 3) One other thing for any serious homesteader/homemaker to consider is using “wild yeast.” Again, much healthier, better for nutrition and digestion. I suggest you google the info for this. Happy Baking!
Hi
what is dry green lentils ?
is it green peas ?
No, it’s not green peas it is green lentils. There’s a difference.
I’m confused do you soak and cook the beans before adding them to bread? Or do you put dry beans in?
This recipe calls for milled ingredients. You must mill the wheat and beans.
Before calling this Ezekiel bread, you need to read further (just a little bit) to discover how it should be cooked. Ezekiel 4:12 “And you shall eat it [as] barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.” 13 Then the Lord said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.” 14 So I said, “Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.” 15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.” This was defiled food used to demonstrate the attitude towards God of Israel in the presence of the Gentiles.
Margaret, I was in no way trying to take Ezekiel 4:9 out of context-sorry for that misunderstanding. Ezekiel bread is inspired by Ezekiel 4:9, not a literal representation of it. How you cook your bread is up to you! 🙂 – Lexie
Note about dried cow dung as fuel–I have a portable Kelley (or volcano) kettle and when working out in the field where trees are scarce but there are cattle (say, many parts of Texas or the US southwest) dried cow-pats are great fuel; it doesn’t smell bad because it’s vegetarian, and boils water quickly for tea or washing, and with the little Kelly kettle cook-set (an extra accessory) I can boil an egg or instant oatmeal or soup quickly. Most geologists working in Mongolia have kelly kettles ( stainless steel model is best) and use cow-pats for fuel.
Very interesting?
Hi! I read somewhere you are not soaking the beans anymore.And that you were going tp write an article about it but I can’t find it… Can you help me pleaseee. Why is that? Thanks!
Hi Siu- I do still soak beans, however, I don’t do much grain soaking anymore.
Basically it came down to the fact that my hubby and I never noticed much difference (digestive-wise), and many of the soaked recipes I tried were borderline inedible. 🙁 And then all the research floating around purporting that from a chemistry standpoint, soaking doesn’t really do much anyway… So, that was enough to cause me to take a break from it- at least for now.
However, if it does work for someone’s family, then I would still say “Go for it!” 🙂
I think this is among the most important information
for me. And i am glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things,
The site style is perfect, the articles is really excellent : D.
Good job, cheers
Spelt is NOT gluten-free
What is spelt please?
sorry behind on my blog…. anyway.. was wondering couldn’t Kefir be used as the yeast.. i know that dry yeast is bad for ya.. but kefir’s legend is mana from heaven.. a really neat alternative .. i think i will try it
I made this today and did not look as good as yours. I did google this recipe and found the almost exact recipes on two other sites and they suggest putting the sugar in the water and honey mixture while putting the salt in the flour mixture, I was wondering if you had a typo or it just worked for you . It did taste great and I’ll try reversing my salt and sugar next time to see if I get a better rise.
I just left a message at Lexie Naturals as I din’t see this place to post questions. Hopefully that is your site as well. Same question here. I don’t have a grinding mill and can’t afford to buy one but I do have an electric coffee bean grinder and a NutriBullett with a grinding blade for nuts and stuff, would either of those work for grinding dry beans and how do I do it? Also do you use the ground dry beans as a flour in th ezeliel bread recipe. Is it knid of like the new Triscuits crackers I see advertised with the brown rice and red beans? Also can you do the same thing with brown rice and other rices? Is that how rice flour is made? all this is so new to me, I am an amatuer. i am very overweight and need to eat healthier and would so much appreciate your help and advice. I just found your website and I love it. I am also a follower of Jesus and would be lost without him. Thanks so much,
Tootz
Thanks for posting this recipe, i wanted to make this bread for a long time, and after reading your post i followed your recipe as listed, i found all the ingredients in bulk barn, I grounded the beans in my coffee grinder, and blender, the coffee grinder works best,but needs time to cool off between grinding, as it seems to get hot. i omitted the gluten, and didn’t know what dough enhancer is
But overall this was a success, it taste so yummmy, my family all appreciated it, and i will make it again.
so thanks a lot, and many blessings to your family
Me also, I am badly over weight and going in to surgery but I really want to learn to make this bread, everyone at Church would love it I believe.
I just bought the flour from my health food store…how much should I use in the recipe above? Also do you have a bread maker version? Thanks
Please help!! Both times I made this recipe (made it word for word) it has sunk in the middle, although it is done. It tastes great but is not too pretty! What am I doing wrong? Thankyou!
I liked the recipe, although I also ran into a problem with the bread getting done. I almost wonder if turning down the heat and leaving a little longer would solve that problem.
I also had an issue the second time around due to having already ground products…..must have measured wrong….my bad.
All in all, I have found the flavor to be better than the actual Ezekial in the store.
Thanks for the post!
Do you soak beans or can you simply grind dried beans that are not soaked?
Hi, in your kitchen notes, you say add more spelt, millet, lentils, or beans ; If wanting to make gluten free. Just exactly how much more are we talking about here? Can I completely replace the Wheat Berries and Barley for Garbanzo beans? and keep the rest as is? or how much more should I add of the rest of the ingredients just so it wont be too much of garbanzo beans in the mix. TIA Mariam
Question: Are spelt and spelt flour gluten-free?
Answer: Spelt is a species of wheat, so spelt and spelt flour are NOT gluten-free.
People who believe that spelt (scientifically known as Triticum spelta) is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease are mistaken.
According to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, foods that contain spelt or kamut cannot carry “wheat-free” or “wheat-alternative” labels.
Source: Green PHR, Jones R. Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic. HarperCollins, NY, 2006, p. 199.
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I want to make this Ezekiel bread without salt because of my high blood pressure. What adjustments do I need to make to the recipe?
Hi there!!
Is there a way to not use the yeast??
Thx and God bless!!
Can you make the dough or the whole loaf in bread machine?
There’s one Very important problem with this diy version, Ezekiel bread is vegan. Just as their Genesis 1:29 is. It’s biblically based bread, so of course it is! This recipe very much isn’t. I don’t understand why this recipe is the first to pop up in my search it why it’s even called a diy Ezekiel bread. I’m sorry, but I thought that very important to point out.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve always wanted to make my own bread. Where can I find the Whisper Mill pictured here?
This is not ezekial bread, the grains must be sprouted – that is the whole point.
Very nice and useful post; thanks!
What exactly is the “dough enhancer” that you add?
Online I see some commercial dough enhancers that comprise ‘gluten, sweet whey, diastatic malt, and ascorbic acid’.
I have had my Ezekiel bread fall in the middle a couple times. In not sure if I’m over rising or if my oven is getting too hot. Or if I’ve over mixed. Have you found any trial and error in any of these?
One of the things that attracted me to the Ezekiel 4:9 bread (and the reason I googled a recipe and found your blog) is because the loaves I’ve bought from the store have no sugar/honey/molasses/sweetener. Is there a reason why honey is included in this recipe? What would happen if I didn’t add it? I appreciate your thoughts! 🙂
I found your Ezekiel bread recipe online, purchased the ingredients, however, I will be using a Zojirushi bread machine, so … is there a “bread machine” version of this recipe?
Thank you!
Ezekiel bread is made from sprouted grains. Much healthier than this version.
I made this bread dough. Left it to rise and forgot it for 8 hrs. It rose up! Then I put it at it’s second kneading into the loaf pan, covered it to let it rise. Forgot it again, but after another 4 hours it did double. Baked it. During the risings and baking it smelled so delicious. BUT after the baking and cooling it tasted like remnants of soured beans. I used garbenzo bean flour instead of the beans itself for the beany portion. Is this still good to eat or shall I give it to the birds?
This recipe sucks, not even close to Ezekiel bread. First of all, Ezekiel bread is vegan (no eggs). Next, there is no unhealthy oil (as all oils are) in their bread. Finally they don’t add nearly that much salt in their bread, in fact, they have a sodium-free bread.
I would like to know if you soak and dry the beans before you make the bread
This bread is super yummy. I sprouted all my grains (except the beans) before milling them. Two changes I would make:
1. Less honey. I found it quite sweet – more like a loaf than traditional bread. Next time I’ll use half the amount of honey.
2. It rose nicely but then fell while cooking. This is usually indicative of not enough flour. I measured all the grains before milling them, but next time I’ll also measure the amount after and make sure there is at least 9 cups of the various flours. If that still falls, I’ll keep adding flour until it works. I added bread conditioner this first time, but not gluten. Do you have any other suggestions as to why it may have fallen?
Also, I buttered my pans with butter and the loaves stuck quite badly. Next time I’ll try oil, as suggested and see if that helps.
Otherwise, delicious! I’m going to keep making it until I get it perfected!
Can I ask how you sprouted and then milled them? After sprouting them did you have to wait and then dehydrate them? Milling of wet and soft items is a huge no-no, so I can’t wrap my head around this I would appreciate help, as I’d love to try your idea
Yes, I dehydrated them right after sprouting, because the sprout is moist, but what’s left of the grain berries are quite wet as well. And then milled them. 🙂
I am highly gluten sensitive, however, I can eat the purchased Ezekial Bread from Food For Life. Their wheat, and other grains are SPROUTED. So, I’m guessing it’s the milling that changes the results? Have you ever made this by sprouting the grains first??? Also, how do you sprout grains anyway?? I’m wondering if it would work to sprout the grains first to make this recipe. Otherwise, I’m not sure why my body lets me eat Food For Life Bread which does have grains in it I have no problem with.