Fermented Buckwheat Bread
With a total of about 10-15 minutes of hands on time, the majority of this recipe is simply patience for soaking and fermentation. This bread tastes like sourdough but is entirely grain free and gluten free, and is basically made with 1 main ingredient!
Equipment
- Glass or Ceramic Bowl
Ingredients
- 500 grams raw buckwheat groats
- 750 millilitres filtered water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- optional add-ins such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, herbs, raisins, etc.
Instructions
- Add 500 grams of raw buckwheat groats to a glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with 600ml of filtered water. Stir and cover with a plate or tea towel and leave on the countertop for 12-24 hours. I use this brand of organic buckwheat that comes in 500g packages: https://amzn.to/3r1F0ds
- After 12-24 hours, the groats will have absorbed all the water. They will be slimy (this is good! Do NOT rinse!) and may or may not have sprouted (don’t worry if they have or haven’t – the bread will turn out great either way). Into the same bowl, add 150ml filtered water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup. Use an immersion blender to blend everything together. You may also dump everything into a food processor, then return to the same bowl. Cover, and let sit for another 24 hours on the counter.
- After 24 hours, the batter will be frothing, foaming and bubbling. Some spots more than others. It will smell a bit (or a lot) funky. This is good news! Now is the time to add in any flavourings you’d like. You can keep it plain (delicious), or you can try adding hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds or flax. I love making an everything bagel version (poppy seeds, sesame seeds, granulated onion and garlic). You could also try cinnamon raisin or herb and garlic (granulated garlic, dried dill, dried parsley, dried coriander). The possibilities are endless, and there’s no need to measure your add ins – use as much or as little as you want!)
- Gently mix in your add-ins, then transfer to a greased and lined loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (the crust will be done WAY before the inside of the loaf is set - it will look deliciously golden brown after the first 45 minutes, but the inside will still be sticky and wet, so keep baking!) Let cool in the pan, then slice, TOAST, and enjoy!