Breads

[Sweet lips]

Melissa mentioned that she would like some raw challah, so I found this and another recipe that others may enjoy. As I typed this, it appears to be easy, so I'm a thinking that I may do this one during the week - I have everything I need

Sweet Sacred Challah Rainbow Green Live- Food Cuisine - Gaberiel Cousens, MD
He has a note here *for a bread to be considered a traditional Challah, it must contain a grain. We have added 3 grains of buckwheat to meet the criteria.

2 c golden flax seed, ground
3/4 c peacans, soaked
1/2 c sesame seeds, soaked
1/2 c figs soaked
1 tbs Celtic Salt
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t nutmeg
3 grains of buckwheat soaked

Grind flax seed in a coffee grinder or blender - do not make them superfine; the thicker the mixture the better the bread

Process pecans in a food processor with the "S" blade until meal-like. Process figs in a blender with the soak water until smooth.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Form into two loaves and deydrate at 145 degrees for 2-3 hours and then 115 for 2 hours until the desired moisture is obtained.

You may also seperate the dough into three equally sixe balls. Roll into three strands and pinch them to hold. Braid the three strands until the end and then stick the ends under the bread and pinch together. Place on a dehydrator sheet for 2-3 hours at 145 degrees until the bread is a little crusty on the outside.

Optional: Using a pastry brush ( mine is a paint brush -it was cheaper), brush the outside of the bread with olive oil or coconut oil.

Italian Bread - same book, same author

2 c golden flax seeds, groud
1 c pecans soaked
1 c apple, grated
1/2 c coconut water
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t Celtic salt

Grind flax seed in a coffee grinder or blender - do not make them superfine; the thicker the mixture the better the bread.

Process pecans and apple in a food processor with the "S" blade until meal like.

Combine in a mixing bowl; add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Form into tow loaves approximatley 4"x8"x1" abd slice into 1/4" pieces (great for us with the hole in the middle deyhydrators).

Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 2-3 hours and then 115 degrees for 2 hours or until desired moisture is obtained.

[ashabean]

Those are great recipes, and just what I have been searching for this morning!!!!!!

But I notice that the temps to use are 140º, isn't that above the temp when the enzymes breakdown? I am new to all this so please excuse me if I am wrong...............

*eager to hear others thoughts*

ashabean

[Sweet lips]

I am always surprised at Cousen's temp - I don't know really, I have read this under others and the explanation that I got was that the first two hours the enzymes are engaged and that is the reason that it was lowered after that point. I am sure someone in the know will know to tell you. I will also look at his book and see if I find his explanation.

[Elizabeth]

:) Hi! :)

I have read that in the Excalibur and maybe some others,that for the first 2 hours you can set it at 140 or 145 and although the air temp. reaches that high, the size of the dehydrator and the moisture in the food prevent the food from reaching that temp. Then you turn it down to finish dehydrating. Using the higher temp initially allows you to create a more "cooked" flavor with the faster dehydrating of the outside while the inside stays moist.

I have put food in at 140+ and checked it..and it does not get that warm unless you leave it in for a lot more than 2 hours. :)

[ambiguous]

Sweet Lips--Thank you so much for posting these recipes. I tried the Challah recipe today, making it into rolls, and it was great. I put them in the dehydrator for a couple of hours at 145 and they were warm and slightly crusty. This was my first attempt at raw bread making, and I think I'll do it again. Does anybody have tips on how to store extra raw bread to keep it from getting stale or fermenting? I sure have alot of bread now . . .

[rawpriestess]

About the temp thingy,

What I have found out is this, when dehydrating something that is 1/4" thick, you have alot of surface room, and the moisture will evaporate quite quickly, so you need to be very careful about your dehydrator temp.

When dehydrating something that is 1" to 2" high, you have not much surface and alot of moisture trapped inside a potentially fermentable environment.

SO, what the raw gurus came up with, to keep the breads form fermenting (unless you want it really sour and biting-like pumpernickle) was to test and re-test and re-test until they got it right.

So, what they have found, is if you dehydrate at a higher temp for the first 2 to 4 hours, you will dry the outer crust, therefore locking in the moisture, but it will dry it fast enough to keep out the bacteria, also it will not get it above 110 degrees inside the bread.

Try it yourself, take a thermometer and insert inside the inner part of the bread, while the outter air is 140 or so, the inner part isn't even up to 100, but after a couple of hours it starts to climb, and when it gets to about 95 to 100 (about 3 to 4 hours), then you will be turning down the dehydrator temp.

Gabriel Cousins, and others (not sure who, although I know it was several) all did these experiments, as there was so much challenge getting a nice softish bread, as that was the number one thing that raw foodists missed from their SAD days.

So, they fixed it for us all, and now this is how it's done, although, they don't seem to explain it often enough. In one book out of a hundred, you will see a minor explaination, thank goodness, I took a few classes, and asked some good questions. LOL