Sprouted bread is a type of
bread made from
whole grains that have been allowed to
sprout, that is, to germinate, before being milled into flour. There are a few different types of sprouted grain bread. Some are made with additional added flour, some are made with added gluten, and some, such as Essene bread and Ezekiel bread (after an ancient bread formula in , however that recipe was baked over a dung fire, ), are made with very few additional ingredients.
Overview

Sprouted breads contain the whole, sprouted grain (the
kernel
Kernel may refer to:
Computing
* Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems
* Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution
* Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming
* Kernel method, in machine lea ...
, or berry) of various seeds. They are different from
white bread inasmuch as white breads are made from ground wheat
endosperm
The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the embryo an ...
(after removal of the
bran
Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. It consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains ...
and
germ). Whole grain breads include the bran, germ, and endosperm, therefore providing more naturally occurring
fiber
Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorpora ...
,
vitamin
A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nut ...
s and
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...
s. Sprouted (or
germinated) grain breads have roughly the same amount of vitamins per gram. Sprouted grain bread has 47% less gluten than regular bread.
A comparison of nutritional analyses shows that sprouted grains contain about 75% of the carbohydrates, slightly higher protein and about 40% of the fat when compared to whole grains.
In addition to wheat, sprouted breads may contain grains and legumes such as
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets ...
,
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley ...
,
oat,
lentil
The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...
and
soy. Bread that is made from an array of grains and legumes can provide a complete set of
amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha ...
s, the building blocks of proteins. Sprouted breads may contain slightly more trace minerals and nutrients than non-sprouted breads. Other than that, they supply much the same advantages as whole grain breads over refined grain breads, such as lowered risk of coronary heart disease.
Essene bread

Essene bread is a simple form of sprouted grain bread made from sprouted wheat and prepared at a low temperature. Proponents of
raw foods often eat it uncooked or slightly heated.
The
Essenes
The Essenes (; Hebrew: , ''Isiyim''; Greek: Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, ''Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi'') were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st ce ...
, 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,
although no scholarly evidence exists for this claim. Sprouting and low-temperature preparation ensure the maximum possible vitamin content for this foodstuff.
Sprouting also breaks down the
lectin
Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates and polysaccharides. Lectins have a role in rec ...
s and other substances that some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to.
See also
*
Health food
*
List of breads
This is a list of notable baked or steamed bread varieties. This list does not include List of cakes, cakes, List of pastries, pastries, or List of fried dough foods, fried dough foods, which are listed in separate Wikipedia articles. It also does ...
*
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air.
Malted grain is used to make beer, ...
*
Malt loaf
*
Multigrain bread
Multigrain bread is a type of bread prepared with two or more types of grain. Grains used include barley, flax, millet, oats, wheat, and whole-wheat flour, among others. Some varieties include edible seeds in their preparation, such as flaxseed, ...
*
Wheatberry, a whole-wheat kernel before sprouting
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprouted Bread
Breads
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made ...
Whole wheat breads
Raw foods
Vegan cuisine