This bread is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. It is by far the fastest (when you plan ahead) and most delightful bread I’ve ever made, and it is really the only one I make these days. It resembles the loaves you buy at the farmers market or bakery for $5 or more and costs little to make.
The first time through, as you are familiarizing yourself with the process, it will take longer to make. But it now takes me 10 minutes total prep time. I can throw the ingredients together in a bowl right before bed, let it sit over night, then throw it in a pre-heated ceramic pot in the oven at dinner time the next day.
If you don’t already own a grinder or a heavy cast iron or ceramic pot, it also requires some investment in equipment. We have found the investment in both of these items to be very worthwhile to us.
Grinding your own flour greatly enhances the taste, texture, and nutritional content of the bread. It gives you control over which grains, beans, and legumes you’d like to include. By using the coarse (instead of fine) setting, you can reduce the glycemic index and enhance the health benefits.
I like to freshly grind up a mixture of any of the following organic grains roughly in order of most to least: wheat, kamut, barley, amaranth, millet, spelt, oat groats, quinoa (make sure it is rinsed and dried, Costco and other stores offer this), just a dash of garbanzos, white beans, lentils, etc.. I then add up to 1 cup pre-ground almond flour which makes for a moist and lower glycemic bread than the traditional breads.