Laid-back Loaf

Clients ask me quite often for an Ayurvedic perspective on fermented dough recipes. I let them know that fermentation is generally not recommended because it increases pitta (and pitta problems like acne, rashes, difficult menstruation, hypertension, anger, and frustration are no fun for anyone).

The idea behind fermentation is a richer flavour, so inspired by my teacher and mentor I put together a recipe that applies the principles of Ayurveda and created a bread with a wholesome savoury flavour that satisfies the taste buds.

In her pretzel recipe, she uses rye. As a grain rye is dense, heating, and more drying than others, so combining it with another flour makes the bread a bit lighter, sweeter, and more digestible. For this recipe, I used part rye and part spelt (spelt also helps the bread stick together).

You can make a loaf, buns, chapatis, or practice your pretzels-making skills. Either way, all variations are delicious — especially when paired with hummus, soups, and other nourishing dips.

Enjoy!

Soft Rye Bread

Serves 4

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Augmenting

You'll need

For the dough:

1 ½ cup rye flour - freshly milled is best because it has the most prana

1 ½ cup spelt flour - freshly milled is best because it has the most prana

1/4 tsp of clove

1/4 tsp coriander

1 tsp mineral salt

2 tbsp ghee

Seeds & spices:

1 tbsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp fennel or coriander seeds

1 tbsp ghee

Here's how

Mix all of the dry dough ingredients with your hand or a fork.

Combine flour, salt and spices.

To prepare the seeds, melt the ghee in a small saucepan and add the caraway, sesame and fennel seeds. Toast them gently on low heat until the aroma comes up and the sesame seeds are slightly golden. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Add them to the bowl with the flour and combine.

Gradually add boiling water, using a fork, until the mixture becomes wet crumbs.

Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Now, using your hands, combine the crumbs and dry dough ingredients. Add enough water to create a slightly sticky, medium-thick batter. If the mixture is a bit dry and crumbly, add a little more water to bind it into soft dough. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.

Gently press dough into a glass baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Enjoy with a soup or a dip (hummus, pesto, and guacamole are great options).

Tips

Experiment with other spices for variety: kalonji, poppy seeds and aniseed are lovely choices.

Before placing the baking dish in the oven, you might want to brush the bread with a little melted ghee and sprinkle it with more seeds.