Sprouted bread is a type of bread made from whole grains that have been allowed to sprout, that is, to germinate. There are a few different incarnations of Sprouted Grain bread. Some are made with added flour, some with added gluten and some such as Essene bread which are of a very primitive, raw form.
Essene Bread is a very primitive form of Sprouted Grain Bread. It is often eaten uncooked, or slightly heated, by proponents of raw foods.[1].[2]. The Essenes, a Jewish religious group that flourished from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, are credited with the technique and basic recipes for Essene bread,[1] which is made from sprouted wheat and prepared at a low temperature. These two practices ensure the maximum possible vitamin content for this foodstuff.[2] The sprouting also breaks down the lectins and other substances that some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to.
The following is an excerpt from The Essene Gospel of Peace, as translated by Edmund Bordeaux Szekely.
Let the angels of God prepare your bread. Moisten your wheat, that the angels of water may enter it. Then set it in the air, that the angel of air may embrace it. And leave it from morning to evening beneath the sun, that the angel of sunshine may descend upon it. And the blessings of the three angels will soon make the germ of life to sprout in your wheat. Then crush your grain, and make thin wafers, as did your forefathers when they departed out of Egypt, the house of bondage. Put them back again beneath the sun from its appearing, and when it is risen to its highest in the heavens, turn them over on the other side that they may be embraced there also by the angel of sunshine, and leave them there until the sun sets. For the angels of water, and air and of sunshine fed and ripened the wheat in the field, and they likewise must prepare also your bread. And the same sun which, with the fire of life, made the wheat to grow and ripen, must cook your bread with the same fire. For the fire of the sun gives life to the wheat, to the bread, and to the body. But the fire of death kills the wheat, the bread, and the body. And the living angels of the living God serve only living men. For God is the God of the living, and not the God of the dead.[3]
A typical Essene bread recipe:
1. Sprout wheat berries over the course of about 4 days, rinsing twice daily.
2. In a food processor, add sprouted wheat berries and other choice ingredients.
3. Once the dough has formed into a ball in processor and clings together, let sit for an hour.
4. Bake on oiled baking sheet at 300 degrees for 2.5 hours. To preserve more enzymes, bake at 200 degrees for 4 hours, or in a slow cooker on its low setting for up to 8 hours.
Though the modern method involves the use of an oven rather than the sun, both methods create a round, flattened loaf, rather like a sweet, moist dessert bread or cake.