Diversity = Fertility
Recipe By: | Susie Astbury |
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Recipe Status: | Untested |
Kind of Bake: | Retarded overnight – 10-minute style – mixed in the evening, retarded in the fridge overnight and baked next day |
Makes: | 2 x 1kg loaves |
Created Over: | 3 days |
Recommended For: |
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Diversity Score: | 15 |
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Increase Fibre: | This recipe increase fibre by incorporating a combination various stoneground flours, that have not been sieved to remove the bran from the flour. Additionally, seaweed used in the starter and for decoration has both fibre and a nutritional value too. |
Probiotic Serving Suggestion: | My serving suggestion to go with my loaf, is a Lemon zest and Thyme infused Labneh, this makes an ideal accompaniment on its own, being both light and fresh, it can also quite happily act as a base for a wide range of toppings such as avocado, pate, cheeses or even jams. The labneh in this case was made with fresh lemon zest and Thyme, that was added to live thickset yogurt, the additions were mixed with in 3 g of good quality salt, and 2 tbs of live kefir the mixture was strain overnight though a muslin cloth allowing the whey drain away and the cheese to form. |
Antioxidants: | This recipe is rich in antioxidants, 500g of the flour is stoneground whole grains, and the flour is not sifted after milling keeping the bran aspect of the flour intact, in addition to the germ and endosperm. Labneh is rich in antioxidants from fermentation-generated bioactive peptides, while lemon zest and thyme provide extra antioxidants. |
Suggested Botanical Blend: | I blended flour to create diversity please see the recipe |
Ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
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Starter, Build a Lively second build starter, 8-10 hours before you mix your dough. | 200g |
From your first build starter | 50g |
Stoneground organic wholemeal flour] | 100g |
Warm water at 30c (the final DDT should be 27c) | 100g |
seagreens seaweed. https://seagreens.shop/product/food-granules-90g/ | 5g |
Formula 5, Myconutri mushroom mix. https://www.purehealthonline.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=Factor+5 | 10g |
Loaf | 2 x 1kg |
Marriages strong white organic roller milled flour (protein13.4%) | 500g |
wholemeal organic stoneground flour (12.5-13% protein) | 200g |
Organic stoneground Emmer flour | 100g |
Organic stoneground Spelt flour | 100g |
Organic stoneground Rye flour | 50g |
Organic stoneground Millet flour | 25g |
Organic stoneground Chestnut flour | 25g |
Good sea salt | 20g |
Optional Japanese Nori – Dried untoasted seaweed strips | 3 strips |
Lively starter | 200g |
Warm water at 30c (the final DDT should be 27c) | 750g |




Recipe Introduction
I made this loaf with fertility in mind, however read the word fertility with an open mind, a fertile mind is an active mind, you might be learning something new, thinking of starting a business, developing an idea, and or thinking you would like to conceive. All aspects of fertility
Fertility is enhanced by good nutrition, hydration and digestion, my aim with this loaf is to help the body make the most of ingredients we give it.
Chinese medicine dietetics (https://archive.org/details/healing-with-whole-foods/page/n9/mode/2up) values each food for its own thermal nature, flavour nature and directionality,(https://archive.org/details/healing-with-whole-foods/page/n9/mode/2up) any recipe must keep in mind how to weave ingredients into something that is not only tasty but also digestible, and nutritional bioavailable.
All of this is really important, but if the loaf is too complex and time consuming to make, you will never set the time aside to bake it. I have used Vanessa’s principle of a 10minute loaf, and the principle that you bake 2, and give one to a neighbour or friend family member, and if you do that, you never know what fertile project might be born. Bake, Eat, share the love.
Studies
Study | How this study has been applied |
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Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans | the link between the gut microbiome, immune system, sleep physiology, and cognition in humans, something that is easily overlooked in our hyper stimulated lives, where the work life balance is often brushed aside. |
A critical review on the impacts of ?-glucans on gut microbiota and human health | This study reviews various studies on ?-glucans, ?-glucans are glucose polymers (energy storage) that are present in the cell walls of yeast, fungi and cereals. Supplementation in foods is widely studied, as is the impact on the human microbiome, the review concludes that there are many questions to be addressed in ?-glucans-microbial research in the future, could one of these questions be how does fermentation unlock or make more use of the ?-glucans making them more bio available in the human gut. |
Consumption of Fermented Milk Product With Probiotic Modulates Brain Activity | The brain gut axis in the study looks at how fermented milk products can impact regions of the brain (the midbrain) that control processing of emotions and sensations. Fermentation of dairy not only make its nutrient more bioavailable, it also make it less mucus forming and anti-inflammatory, it separates the whey, and whey is a good source of protein that can be added to the diet in other ways. Especially helpful with auto immune issues when an anti-inflammatory diet is required. |
Genetic diversity for grain nutrients in wild emmer wheat: potential for wheat improvement | this article draws attention to the wild Emmer yielding a higher nutrient content to domesticated crops, which draws our attention to how important it is to dig deeper behind product labelling, to try and go direct to the source and to support our farmers to maintain biodiversity and soil health |
Health benefits of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) polyphenols and dietary fiber: a review | Finger millet as a good nutritional complement to a balanced diet, due to its high fibre content, and that it also helps to regulate blood sugar. Millet has the capacity to help to moisten and bulk as it passes through the bowel, blood sugar balance and addressing insulin resistant are key aspects of regulating the hormones for fertility and maintaining a healthy pregnancy |
Identification of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols: an application of the Phenol-Explorer database | A data base of the 100 richest polyphenol foods has been brought together here by gathering information from multiple publication, the polyphenol content was compared to the antioxidant content of the same foods, the antioxidant content always exceeded the other. Eating the rainbow is a key component of a balanced diet, for fertility and throughout pregnancy, constipation can so frequently be an issue during the early stages of a pregnancy, diversity and seasonal eating is a good way to address constipation without having to take a laxative. The proportion of vegetables / polyphonically on your plate compared to the grains or proteins is something to be aware of, for there anti-inflammatory and immune modulating capacity. |
Equipment
- A large mixing bowel
- Spurtle
- Tea towel +/- shower cap
- Dough scraper
- 2 x loaf tins 23 x 10 x 10 cm (9 x 4 x 4 ins)
- Jug of tepid water to dip your hands into
- Scissors
- Oven gloves
Tin Size cm (HxWxD)
23 x 10 x 10Starter Quantity
200g
Status of Starter
bubbly, lively first-build starter
DDT
27°C (80°F)
Flours
- My flours came from Hodmedods, https://hodmedods.co.uk/collections/flours, as I like to guarantee that I use British non fortified flour as much as possible.
- The chestnut flour however was from Mulino Marino from Italy .in the UK you can get this from Baker Bits. https://www.bakerybits.co.uk/organic-chestnut-flour-500g
Baking Temperature
180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4
Baking Time
50 - 55 minutes
Timings
Step | Day | Timings (hh:mm) |
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Refresh first starter | Day 1 | evening 10pm |
Second refresh starter Add inclusions | Day 2 | morning 9am |
Mix Dough, In a large mixing bowl mix your lively second build starter into 700ml of water at around 30c (your DDT at the end of this first mix should be 27c) mix vigorously so it is well blended. | Day 2 | 7pm |
Mix into this your flours and 20g good sea salt mix thoroughly for about 2- 3 minutes using a spurtle, it will come together to form and tight dough. Leave the mix covered with a damp tea towel for 30 minutes to autolyse | Day 2 | 7.05pm |
Refresh your second build starter | Day 2 | 7.20pm |
Bassinage 50g of the remaining warm water into the dough, making sure all the water in combines. | Day 2 | 7.50pm |
Allow to rest for 30 minutes | Day 2 | 7.50 am |
While your dough is resting, butter the tins well on all sides and the base, line the tins with seaweed strips, you can cut the seaweed strips into a design as you please. | Day 2 | 7.50am |
Divide your dough between the 2 tins and cover with a shower cap | Day 2 | 8.20 pm |
Leave out on the kitchen counter to prove overnight, if your kitchen is very warm move to a cooler area or place in the fridge at 8 c overnight to prove | Day 2 | 8.20 pm |
To Bake | Day 3 | 7 am |
Heat the oven to 230c | Day 3 | 7am |
Put a baking pan with plenty of water in the bottom of the oven to create some humidity | Day 3 | 7am |
Place your bread in the oven middle to top shelf, Reduce the temperature to 180c Set a timer for 50 minutes | Day 3 | 8am |
Remover your bake from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes before turning it out of the tin onto a cooking rack to cool. | Day 3 | 8.50 am |
If the sides are looking pale place the naked loaf back in the oven with the heat turned off for 5 minutes. | Day 3 | 8.50 am |
Allow to cool before cutting into the bake | Day 3 | 8.50 am |
Your refreshed starter should now be ready to be put into the fridge ready for your next bake. | Day 3 | 8.50 am |
How to Store
This loaf can be enjoyed as bread for 3-4 days and toasted for up to 7 days, the best way to store this loaf is wrapped in a fresh linen tea towel or waxed cloth.
Top Tips
Use a lively starter.
Mix your starter into the water before you add the flour, so it is well airyated and blended.
Use plenty of butter tin well before adding the seaweed strips, do this in the second resting phase so you are ready to transfer the dough.