Not a Baker but this Buckwheat Bread is the Easiest!

I love to cook, but I’m not the best baker, reason being I don’t like to measure stuff! However, when I came across a recipe for fermented buckwheat bread, I just had to give it a go. I loved the idea that it’s fermented and full of good nutrition. It’s gluten free, high in fibre and a better source of protein than many other ‘grains’ as it contains the eight essential amino acids, including lysine which is often missing.

In Chinese Medicine buckwheat is known for its ability to circulate qi, clear heat, and resolve dampness. It has a sweet flavour so it’s particularly good for the spleen, stomach and intestines, and as medicine, is used for treating diarrhea, dysentery, skin lesions and hypertension.

Regardless of the benefits, the main drawcard for me was the ease of making it! It’s become part of my weekly schedule taking up a total of 10 minutes effort on my part. The rest is up to miraculous mother nature.

You’ll need a bread loaf pan. I use a silicon loaf pan like the one below and a mixing bowl.

You’ll need some raw buckwheat groats, purified water, salt and seeds of your choice to sprinkle on top. The method is forgiving, and once you have the basic idea you’ll be able to whip up this beautiful bread in no time without ever looking at the recipe again!

I’d love to hear how you go with making it!

Ingredients

• 400g Raw buckwheat groats
• Purified water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

• Rinse the buckwheat groats and put in a mixing bowl
• Cover with the purified water to 2cm above the groats
• Cover with a tea towel and leave to soften for 6 – 8 hours.
• The groats should absorb most of the water.
• Blend the mix (I use a stick blender but you could move it to a food processor).
• Cover again and leave the blended mixture / dough to ferment for at least 24 hours. (Can ferment for longer depending on outside temperature).
• It should start to rise a little bit and may even have a few bubbles.
• Stir in the salt. The mixture should be quite loose and wet but not liquid.
• Be gentle with the stirring as you don’t want to beat out all the little bubbles
• Pour or ladle into your loaf pan
• Sprinkle generously with seeds of your choice. I love pumpkin and sesame seeds and also caraway seeds bring a delicious flavour to the bread.
• Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan / 350°F)
• Bake for 60 minutes or until the top is slightly golden and hollow to tap, and the sides have pulled away slightly from the pan.
• At this stage I like to take the loaf out and put it back upside down in the the pan
• Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes to ensure a gorgeous crisp crust all over.
• Remove and cool down the bread on a rack (right way up)
• It’s ready to cut and eat once it’s cooled down completely.
• Enjoy with your favourite toppings

Comment if you have a go at making it. I’d love to know how it went for you.