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Fermented Wheat Germ Bread Recipe:

Step 1: A wheat germ Poolish  ("Poolish" is the name for a bread starter that needs fermenting):

2 cups fresh raw wheat germ

1 ½ cups spring water

½ teaspoon of dry bakers yeast 

Mix ingredients together in a glass bowl, cover and leave in warm place, about 85 degrees for 24 hours.

 

Step II:: The Bread dough:

To the Poolish, add:

4 cups flour. A mixture of about half whole wheat and half unbleached white bread flour works well, but you can adjust the ratio to your personal preferences.  Or you can use spelt flour in place of the whole wheat flour.

1 1/2 cup water

mix until dough is formed. Let sit 20 minutes

then add :

1 Tbs sea salt or Celtic salt and knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed. 

 

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, 2-3 hours, divide in two, shape loaves, proof an additional couple of hours, again until doubled in bulk.  Bake in a hot oven, preheated to about 500 degrees, Once the bread is in the oven, reduce heat to 425 and bake until done.  The crust will be dark golden brown and sounds hollow when gently tapped.

 

Diabetic NOTE:  Most wheat breads are a 12 on the glycemic index, but this fermentation process brings one slice down to a 7.

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More info about fermented Wheat Germ

Fermented Wheat Germ Powder is approved as a medical nutrient for cancer in Hungary, where it was first developed. It is used throughout Europe, and in parts of the Middle East and Asia, which have a history of using foods as medicines that is older than many other parts of the world.

Investigation into the biological properties of fermented wheat germ were initiated by Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937: discovery of vitamin C). In the later years of his career, Szent-Gyorgyi focused his research on causes of and possible treatments for cancer, a disease that had taken the lives of his first wife, his daughter, and other family members.

An expert in cellular respiration and metabolism, Szent-Gyorgyi was a strong proponent of Hippocrates' concept of using foods as medicine. His observation that people eating refined grains developed chronic diseases such as cancer more often than those who ate whole grains led Szent-Gyorgyi to investigate biological properties of different grains and bread ingredients. He found breads with fermented wheat germ were the most useful against cancer. Scientists already knew that cancer cells use huge amounts of glucose, compared to normal cells – something known as the “Warburg Effect”. Aware that rapid metabolism of glucose could support development, growth and proliferation of cancer cells, Szent-Gyorgyi looked for substances in the wheat plant that might help explain the lower cancer rates among those eating whole grain products.

Szent-Gyorgyi research on fermented wheat germ showed that certain natural compounds called quinones, specifically methoxy-sustituted benzoquinones, naturally present in wheat germ, could help regulate cell metabolism, and possibly prevent the kind of overuse of glucose that supports cancer cell growth. Fermenting wheat germ with baker’s yeast created the most effective metabolism-regulating quinones such as 2,6-DMBQ. This bread recipe is the more sucessful version of Szent-Gyorgyi’s work. 

Research into fermented wheat germ has since been  picked up by a new generation of Hungarian scientists. These researchers used new industrial-scale fermentation processes to produce large quantities of extract, and succeeded in creating a standardized powder. The powder is now most commonly known as Avemar.  It is quite pricey in it’s pure form, but the bread is easy and cheap to make.  Enjoy!

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