Homemade Ezekiel bread made with sprouted grains, lentils, and beans for a hearty, wholesome loaf.
This homemade Ezekiel bread recipe combines sprouted grains, legumes, and whole-grain ingredients to create a hearty loaf with a pleasantly dense texture and deep, nutty flavor.
The ingredient combination is inspired by Ezekiel 4:9, which mentions wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt being combined to make bread. Bible Gateway This homemade version adapts that idea for a modern kitchen with yeast, olive oil, and honey.
Unlike a traditional white sandwich loaf, Ezekiel-style bread has a more substantial crumb and earthy flavor. It is excellent toasted, used for sandwiches, topped with avocado or nut butter, or served alongside soup and stew.
The method is also approachable: grind the prepared grains and legumes, mix the dough, allow it to rise in loaf pans, then bake until golden.
If you enjoy homemade breakfast breads, you can also try YumAndRun’s Ultimate Moist Banana Bread or explore the full Breakfast recipe collection.
This loaf has a lot going for it. The combination of wheat, barley, millet, lentils, and beans creates a deeper flavor than ordinary sandwich bread, while honey adds mild sweetness and olive oil helps keep the crumb from feeling overly dry.
There is also no traditional hand-kneading required. The mixture is stirred thoroughly before being transferred directly to the loaf pans for proofing.
Once baked, the bread works equally well with sweet or savory toppings.
Important: Use grains and legumes that have been properly prepared for grinding. If you are working with sprouted ingredients, commercially sprouted and dried grains are the simplest option for home baking.
The FDA notes that raw and lightly cooked sprouts have been associated with foodborne-illness outbreaks, so handle sprouting ingredients carefully and fully bake the finished loaf. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Add the warm water, honey, olive oil, and active dry yeast to a large bowl.
Stir gently and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, until the yeast begins to look slightly foamy.
Water that is excessively hot can damage the yeast, so aim for warm rather than steaming water.
Combine the wheat berries, spelt, barley, millet, lentils, and beans.
Grind the mixture into a coarse flour or meal using a grain mill.
The mixture should be thoroughly ground without large, hard pieces remaining.
King Arthur Baking uses the same general principle with sprouted-grain bread: the sprouted grains are ground completely before being incorporated into the dough. King Arthur Baking
Gradually add the ground grain mixture and salt to the yeast mixture.
Stir thoroughly for several minutes until everything is evenly hydrated.
This dough will feel different from ordinary white bread dough. It may be softer, heavier, and somewhat sticky because whole-grain ingredients absorb water differently.
King Arthur notes that whole-grain doughs often feel stickier than dough made primarily with refined flour. King Arthur Baking
Grease two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans.
Divide the mixture evenly between the pans and smooth the tops.
Avoid filling the pans all the way to the rim because the dough needs room to rise.
Cover the pans loosely and place them in a warm, draft-free area.
Allow the dough to rise until noticeably expanded and approaching the tops of the pans, usually around 60–90 minutes depending on room temperature and yeast activity.
Use the appearance of the dough rather than relying only on the clock.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the loaves for approximately 45–50 minutes, or until the tops are deeply golden and the loaves feel firm.
For additional confirmation, you can use an instant-read thermometer. King Arthur’s sprouted wheat loaf guidance recommends an internal bread temperature of at least 190°F at the center. King Arthur Baking
Remove the bread from the pans and place it on a wire rack.
Allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Cutting into bread while it is still very hot can compress the crumb and make the interior seem gummy.
Homemade Ezekiel-style bread tastes noticeably different from ordinary supermarket white bread.
Expect a hearty, earthy flavor with subtle nuttiness from the grains and legumes. Honey provides mild sweetness, but the loaf should still work well with savory foods.
The crumb is generally firmer and denser than soft sandwich bread because the dough contains a large proportion of whole grains and legumes.
If you prefer very soft bread, slice this loaf thinly and toast it before serving.
The biblical inspiration comes from Ezekiel 4:9, which names wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Bible Gateway
Modern Ezekiel-style breads vary considerably. Some use sprouted versions of all of those ingredients, while homemade adaptations may use a mixture of whole grains, sprouted grains, flours, and legumes.
This YumAndRun version also includes yeast, olive oil, honey, water, and salt to make it practical for home baking.
Not exactly.
Traditional whole-wheat bread is generally built primarily around whole-wheat flour. Ezekiel-style bread contains several grains and legumes rather than relying on wheat alone.
Whole grains such as wheat, barley, and millet are recognized as whole-grain foods when their grain components remain intact. Dietary Guidelines
That variety is one of the characteristics that gives this loaf its distinctive texture and flavor.
The most important factor is grinding the ingredients thoroughly. Large pieces of dried grain or beans can create an unpleasant texture.
Also give the dough enough time to rise. Whole-grain breads do not always rise as dramatically as white bread, so look for visible expansion rather than expecting an extremely airy loaf.
If your bread consistently turns out very dense, make sure the yeast is active and that the water was not too hot.
And avoid adding large amounts of extra flour simply because the dough feels sticky. Whole-grain dough naturally handles differently from white-flour dough.
Once you are comfortable with the basic recipe, you can experiment with flavor additions.
Try adding sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, or a small amount of chia.
For a savory loaf, add herbs such as rosemary or a little za’atar.
For breakfast toast, cinnamon can complement the mild sweetness from the honey.
I would remove the green-tea substitution from the old version. It does not add much value to the recipe and makes the recipe appear less focused.
Toast a slice and add avocado, tomatoes, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
For breakfast, spread it with peanut butter, almond butter, or another nut or seed butter and top with sliced banana or berries.
You can also use it for sandwiches with turkey, chicken, tuna, cheese, vegetables, or hummus.
Because the loaf is sturdy, it is particularly good toasted.
And if you have a few slices that are becoming dry, turn them into French toast. YumAndRun’s French Toast Recipe gives you the basic method.
For more morning inspiration, browse the YumAndRun Breakfast collection, which also includes banana bread, waffles, baked eggs, and breakfast casseroles. Yum and run
Let the bread cool completely before storing it.
Because homemade bread does not contain the same preservatives as many commercial breads, I would not promise five days at room temperature as the previous article did.
For short-term storage, keep the loaf tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.
For longer storage, freezing is usually the better option.
Slice the bread first, separate slices with parchment if necessary, and freeze them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Then you can remove individual slices and toast them directly when needed.
Yes.
Freezing sliced bread is especially convenient because you do not need to thaw the entire loaf.
Allow the bread to cool completely, slice it, wrap it well, and freeze.
Individual slices can then be thawed at room temperature or reheated in a toaster or toaster oven.
It is a modern recipe inspired by the grain-and-legume combination described in Ezekiel 4:9, not a reconstruction of bread made in biblical times.
Yes. Wheat, barley, and spelt contain gluten, so this recipe is not gluten-free.
Sprouted ingredients are characteristic of many modern Ezekiel-style breads, but the exact formulation varies.
For this recipe, follow the ingredient preparation carefully and use ingredients suitable for grinding and baking.
Whole grains and legumes create a naturally heavier loaf than refined white flour.
Inactive yeast, insufficient rising time, ingredients that are not finely enough ground, or adding too much extra flour can make it even denser.
Absolutely. Slice the bread relatively thinly for sandwiches, or toast the slices first if you prefer a firmer texture.
Yes. Its firm texture can hold up well to an egg-and-milk mixture. Try it with YumAndRun’s easy French Toast recipe.
If you enjoy making bread and breakfast recipes from scratch, try YumAndRun’s Ultimate Moist Banana Bread next.
You can also explore the full Breakfast collection for waffles, baked eggs, casseroles, French toast, and more.
These internal links are particularly useful here because they connect one of your strongest Pinterest landing pages with the rest of your breakfast content.
Making Ezekiel bread at home takes a little more preparation than making a basic white loaf, but the combination of grains and legumes creates a bread with a distinctive flavor and texture.
Use properly prepared ingredients, grind the grain-and-legume mixture thoroughly, give the dough enough time to rise, and let the baked loaves cool completely before slicing.
For another example of how professional bakers work with sprouted grains, King Arthur Baking’s Sprouted Wheat Pain de Mie guide is a useful reference. Their recipe also emphasizes thoroughly grinding sprouts and baking the finished bread until the center reaches at least 190°F. King Arthur Baking
And because sprouting creates warm, moist conditions where microorganisms can grow, review the FDA’s guidance on food-safety concerns associated with sprouts if you plan to sprout grains or legumes yourself.
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