Essene Bread for the Bread Machine

½ cup sprouted wheat berries, ground

¾ cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

Beginning several days before you hope to be eating this bread, rinse 1/2 cup raw wheat berries in cool water; drain. Soak the berries with cool water in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or cloth, and allow the berries to soak at normal room temperature overnight or for about 12 hours. The berries will soak up a considerable amount of water. Drain the berries in a colander, cover the colander with a plate to prevent the berries from drying out, and set it in a place away from light. Rinse the berries about 3 times a day, and they will soon begin to sprout. In a couple of days the sprouts will reach their optimum length of about l/4 inch. Drain the sprouts and grind them in a blender or food processor.

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Whole Wheat cycle and Medium Crust setting; press Start.

If your machine has a raisin cycle, you can put the sprouts in at the beep for more intact sprouts. If not, the bread may have a mushy consistency.