Out of bread + didn't want to drive to the market + had a pound of 1% sprouted rye flour on hand = bread-making camp! Yes, I packed yeast in my bring-from-the-other house grocery box, but I didn't want to wait, and no I didn't have any baking powder on hand so I decided to experiment with a soul-fulfilling soda bread.
I decided to make a micro loaf because if it turned out well I needed portion control, and if it didn't, no biggie. I measured 3/4 cups of flour and some sea salt into a bowl and mixed in 1/2 tsp of fresh baking soda. Next I poured into a well in the flour a dollop of kefir, a splash of Bragg's Amino Acids, and some blackberry syrup. I had never heard of using soy sauce as an ingredient in bread dough before, but after my first loaf came well I Googled it and learned that other people have done this sort of thing before. Why the blackberry syrup? I had some on hand and figured the dough needed something sweet (expands dough) to offset the salty (contracts dough) and also it had the perfect color. I really think that sprouted flour is revolutionary and life changing not only because of the nutrition factors, but also because it is so easy to use, with predictable results.
In my collage the rye is the one that is so dark you can't see it top left. Below that is some oat/rice bread which tasted ok but was a little crumbly, and the raw dough at the bottom left, shown baked on the right is made with sprouted spelt and Sprouts Balsamic Fig Butter.
I used to bake bread almost every day years ago when I was in graduate school, but I remember it being time-consuming and a bit unreliable from one loaf to the next. I did it because stores at that time did not yet routinely carry whole grain breads and when they were available they were cost prohibitive.
All of the breads I have been practicing on this summer were so quick and easy to make and turned out so well that I may never buy store bread again. The key features that make them foolproof, at least in my opinion, are, first of all that their base is organic sprouted whole grain flour, my favorite of which is the 1% brand in part because they are not only organic, but they also put a photo of the farmer who grew the food right on the package. Second is that I include Bragg's Amino Acids to help the texture, and third is I increase the liquid to dry ingredient ratio to the point where the dough is not quite, but almost runny. I shape it by hand with olive oil and sort of toss it in the air rather than kneading. This kind of dough actually improves in the refrigerator overnight or for a day or two, so I can make a full batch and then bake as needed.
I am not going to post a recipe because I make it differently every time, switching the ingredients and flavors around to match my mood, the meal, or the preferences of guests. Sometimes I use yogurt instead of kefir, honey instead of blackberry or fig, choosing oat, spelt, rye, or wheat flour or mixing them with each other or with quinoa flour, rice, or kamut. The only time I got a result that was less than stellar was once when I forgot to include the Braggs. Even then it was edible, just not awesome.
