I have a ton of dried beans and grains, because I love making soups or rice with grains during the winter, so I buy big 4kilo bags when they go on sale, and put them in glass jars to store in my cupboards. They last forever if they're airtight, and are great additions to your favourite meals. They're also high in protein, so a great substitute for meat dishes.
Anyways, I've been clearing out my cupboards and came across not 1, not 2, but 3 huge jars of lentils that got shoved to the back well over a year ago. I'd venture a guess that I have about 20lbs of red lentils in total, and this doesn't include the copious amounts of of green, brown and yellow lentils in there, too! Yikes
I don't know if you're like me, but I'm a label reader, and am appalled at the amount of chemicals in commercially prepared and ultra processed foods, especially breads, added to the fact that loaves are so overpriced now, so I've been making my own bread for the past few years.
I was checking out recipes online for bread, and there were several for lentil bread. Great! A useful way to use up some of my overstock. Not being one to follow directions, I read a bunch of different recipes and make a bunch of substitutions.
I like sprouted grain breads the best. They're highly nutritious, delicious and pretty simple to make. Little did I know, presoaking lentils don't really root quickly, but they do start fermenting after 24 hours and smell like 'farts'.
Fermented lentil bread is super high in protein, good for gut bacteria, and surprisingly delicious. It tastes almost like cornbread, and even has the same crumbly texture. I smothered it in butter and am pretty pleased with my recipe.
This is a 2-3 day process, dependent on how warm your kitchen is. You can make a vegan version by eliminating the egg and yoghurt and honey....AND it's gluten-free.
Farty Fermented Flourless Lentil Bread
Ingredient List
- 1 and 1/2 cups dried lentils
- 1/2 cup water (plus 5 tblsp if omitting egg and yoghurt)
- 1 egg (can be omitted)
- 1 tsp honey (can be omitted)
- 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt (I used my homemade organic yoghurt or can be omitted)
- 1 tsp good quality salt
- 1 tblsp olive oil or avocado oil (I used organic olive)
- 1/2 cup organic cornstarch (I use Bob's)
- 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder. I didn't have any, so used 2 tsp Cream of Tartar and 1/2 tsp of baking soda
Directions
Add dried lentils to a large bowl, cover with water and leave on your counter, with lid for 2-3 days. You'll know its fermenting when it gets big bubbles and stinks when stirred.
Once fermented, put in strainer and rinse well until 'stink' is gone. Place over bowl and allow liquid to drain completely.
Preheat oven to 450
Gather your ingredients and a high powered blender. I have a vitamix, but any blender or food processor would work.
Line your bread tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Place your fermented stinky lentils, along with all other ingredients into blender and blend until soupy. This is a VERY liquidy batter, so don't be alarmed.
Pour batter into your parchment lined bread pan, and bake on centre rack for 45 minutes. I just used my toaster oven, which is why the top is a little crisp. Keep an eye on it the last 5-10 minutes to ensure it doesn't burn. If it's looking dark, you can put foil on top for the last few minutes of baking.
Once 45 mins have passed, immediately lift out of pan and place on cooling rack. This is when I cut off the end and smothered it in butter. Nothing quite like warm bread out of the oven.
When completely cooled, wrap in parchment. You bread can be left in cupboard for up to 2 days, or can be refrigerated up to 10 days. I'm pretty sure it won't last that long.
If you're adventurous try adding some small chunks if feta and some chopped black olives for a Greek version of Stinky Bread.
Enjoy 😊
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