"Zeke" Bread

Have you ever heard of Ezekiel bread? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't, because I hadn't until a few months ago when one of my mom's friends told her she needed to try some. My mom bought some from the grocery store and we gave it a try. My mom liked it and wanted to try her hand at making it from scratch since she loves to bake bread. She found a recipe for it on the internet and started experimenting. She made it a few times and thought it was good, but not great, so she tweaked the recipe until she got it just right.

You might be wondering what this bread is and where it gets its unusual name. In the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament the Lord tells Ezekiel, "Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches [spelt], and put them in one vessel and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shall lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof." Ezekiel 4:9 This was a foreshadowing of the siege and famine that would happen in Jerusalem. Here's a little more info about the origins of Ezekiel bread from the Bible:

The Lord told Ezekiel to do certain things that symbolized conditions that would prevail when Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem.

“In times of scarcity, it is customary in all countries to mix several kinds of coarser grain with the finer, to make it last longer. This mashlin, which the prophet is commended to take, of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and fitches, was intended to show how scarce the necessaries of life should be during the siege.

"… The whole of the above grain, being ground, was to be formed into one mass, out of which he was to make three hundred and ninety loaves; one loaf for each day; and this loaf was to be of twenty shekels in weight. All this shows that so reduced should provisions be during the siege, that they should be obliged to eat the meanest sort of aliment. (Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible… with a commentary and Critical Notes.)

I shortened the name to "Zeke bread" since giving nicknames to people/things is just something I do. Ever since I was a little girl I've altered the names of people/things, oftentimes by using the first syllable of the word or by dropping a syllable off the end or something like that. Anyway, this is where the name "Zeke" comes from.

I love, love, LOVE toast! It's one of two or three different breakfasts that I alternate between. Things just don't get any better than hot, buttered toast! Ezekiel bread makes THE BEST toast. I actually don't think I've ever eaten Ezekiel bread as bread… I always have it toasted. This bread is very hearty and has a semi-coarse texture with a wonderful flavor. You can see from the pictures that the holes in the bread are rather large, so the butter really sinks into the nooks and crannies of the bread as it melts. I wish I could describe it better because everyone should know how delicious this toast is!

Here are pictures of the Ezekiel bread as bread, and then as toast

This bread is very nutritious, so I don't feel at all guilty about eating it! The bread has seeds and grains in it, which makes a complete protein. Zeke bread also does wonders for the bowels, so you can't eat it with reckless abandon. If you do you'll be sorry!