Introduction Malt Leaven Bread


Modern farming techniques, including chemical fertilizer, that have been used for more than a hundred years, have led to a severe degeneration of our food crops, which has been noticed as early as the 1920's:

Crops would not grow in the same fields where they had been growing for generations, nutritional value was lost, crops became susceptible to disease, and they just did not show the vitality they used to have.

Surplus nitrogen from weapon manufacturing in the 2nd W.W. was converted into chemical fertilizer production. By the 1970's this led to a 8-12 fold yield increase. Quality was sacrificed for quantity.
The nutritional balance was distorted. Now wheat had an increased carbohydrate, less protein and sacrificing other valuable nutrients that it's ancestors had.
Less protein also meant less gluten, which is needed to make a bread rise. So scientists developed a more powerful, stretchable gluten, that is also water-insoluble, meaning hard to digest. This is one of the causes of the gluten allergies, but also the changed carbohydrate is giving people digestive problems.

At the same time that chemical fertilizer was introduced, also monoculture yeast was developed, for a more dependable way to leaven bread. Bread has many valuable nutrients, essential for healthy brain function, among them zinc, copper, and magnesium. But these nutrients can only be absorbed when bacteria break down the phytic acid that prevents the absorption of these nutrients. With fast rising monoculture yeast the bacteria do not have the chance to break down those nutrients.

When new methods prove to be wrong we tend to go back to the past. Here we find the old way of making sourdough. But new methods appear to carry us forward. Instead of going back to the past I was thinking of a way to create a natural yeast, not through de-spiritualized scientific methods, but through holistic spiritually guided methods.

Yeast is originally a byproduct of the beer production, made from sprouted barley. What better way to bring back the Life Forces than using the force of the sprouted barley which seems the perfect carrier of a growing, rising force. From sprouted, then dried and ground barley a batter is made. This attracts and advances the wild yeast while not eliminating the lactic acid bacteria when ripe. This culture is then dried. From this a starter can be made in 1 or 2 days to make a bread that is completely unique, neither a monoculture yeast, nor a sourdough.

With it a new force is introduced into the bread that makes it very light and completely digestible, including breaking down the light gluten of Spelt. Spelt is the uncorrupted twin sister of wheat that never had a need for chemical fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide. Spelt cannot be harvested with the combine, because of its husk, which protects it. It then has a chance to fully ripen on the field which helps the digestibility.

With the Malt-Leaven even a Rye bread is not dense, but so surprisingly light that it is even becoming a teenagers favorite.

Here are the reasons why the Malt Leaven bread is the bread for all of us to rescue our immune system from the attack by modern food and agribusiness:

  • no yeast
  • no wheat
  • no sourdough
  • whole grain
  • fresh stone ground
  • healthy bacteria
  • completely digestible
  • beyond organic, contains spiritualized water
Philmont Community Bakery.
ph: 518 821 2148