Traditional flour is ground endosperm powder which is the result of the flour mill removing most of the hard pieces and hence, nutrition from the wheat berry. I'm a huge fan of whole sprouted grains because they're more flavorful and contain significantly more nutrients than bread made with traditional flour. This Flourless Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread recipe utilizes sprouted wheat berries that are then ground into a purée. This requires a substantially hardy food processor. If you're not sure if your food processor is powerful enough, look on the bottom. It should say at least 6.5 Amps or "6.5 A". 

This bread was difficult to design due to the nature of the wheat berry. This hardy seed contains the germ which is the heart and soul of the seed. The germ is the embryo of the plant in its dormant state. This germ is accompanied by the starchy endosperm which acts as fuel for the germ when it sprouts or germinates. This package is encased in a firm fibrous shell called the bran. This protects the seed kind of like an egg shell protects an egg. 

The science of sprouting wheat berries and making them into bread

In order to make bread from wheat berries, the wheat berries need to be softened so they can later be ground into a powder. Soaking the berries then allowing them to germinate for a couple days softens the berries. The germination step also has the advantage of releasing more nutrients as the seed prepares to become a plant. But what causes the germ to turn into a sprout and grow? During the soaking of the berries, enzymes called amylases in the bran layer hydrate and start to infiltrate the starch granules in the endosperm. Starches are made up of complex sugars which are made up of strings of glucose molecules. The amylases break the glucose molecules off of the starches into smaller groups of sugars consisting of one, two and three glucose molecules. Think of the amylase molecules biting Fruit Loops off of a Fruit Loops necklace so they're smaller and easier for you to eat. Like us eating Fruit Loops, the germ happens to love these small sugars so it begins to grow and the seed continues to soften. This germination step assists leavening in breads because yeast needs to have it's food broken down into glucose for it to function optimally.

Note: This is why some bakers, including yours truly, love leavening bread doughs in the refrigerator overnight; It gives the amylases time to do their work while the cold temperatures keep the yeast dormant. The excess sugars in the dough and the increased amylase activity generates a more flavorful loaf.

Once the seeds have sprouted to no more than ¾ the length of the grain, they're ground. The best way to do this is with a flour mill. I didn't want to disservice vegan bakers by instructing them to buy home flour mills that cost up to hundreds of dollars just to make flourless sprouted breads. There must be a better way to easily enjoy this uinique style of bread. If you do splurge on a home flour mill, you'll be rewarded with considerably fluffier and lighter bread. I settled on using a food processor to grind the wheat berries into a purée which results in an extremely dense, hearty loaf with chunks of wheat berries. I only recommend making this bread if you adore whole wheat breads. If you have a plush, soft spot for fluffy white breads I advise you to avoid this recipe.

As the endosperm hydrates, protein compounds contained within it called glutenin and gliadin unravel. Kneading, rest time or both contribute to the binding of these proteins into gluten. Gluten is a high protein, pliable rubbery mass that holds the bread together and acts like a net to trap rising C02 bubbles given off by the yeast.

Once the berries have been puréed, water, yeast, salt and sugar are kneaded in. The dough is then left to rise and proof in a bread pan just as with normal flour-based bread.

The problem with bran husks

There is a reason there is a flour milling industry that's been considerably successful during the last several hundred years. The wheat berry doesn't lend itself well to the breads we know and love. The bran layer is the main culprit here due to how it cuts through the dough, severing critical gluten bonds as it's kneaded. The bran also acts as a barrier which blocks glutenin and gliadin from even getting the chance to join in the first place. Talk about a missed opportunity. Since these gluten bonds aren't able to be fully developed the bread is unable to hold the rising C02 coming off the yeast and the loaf results in a powdery brick.

In the course of developing this recipe I actually gave up at one point due to the amount of loaves I was producing that resembled fireplace sawdust wax logs. Maybe I could market these in cold climates and start a whole new industry? The flavor also wasn't interesting enough to justify the several days of preparation time. Finally, the bread crumbled while being sliced. The gluten just wasn't able to make strong enough bonds to hold the loaf together.

Still having some wheat berries in my pantry, I decided to give it another go. After I ground the soaked and sprouted wheat berries I had to step out before kneading in the yeast and other ingredients so I gathered the wheat berry purée into a ball and placed it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a few days. When I finally got around to making the bread I noticed it was rising while being baked! And the taste. The taste! The bread was like sourdough bread but didn't involve using a the traditional sourdough starter. Why was this happening? 

The Eureka! bread moment

It turns out that leaving the wheat berry purée to sit and rest or ripen was the missing link for this bread. During ripening a couple things happen. The stiff bran husk gets a chance to hydrate and soften considerably. This softening allows them to become flexible to the point of where they don't inhibit gluten development to the same level. The other miracle that happens during ripening is flavor development. As the wheat berries are sprouting out in the open they're getting inoculated by natural airborne yeasts and bacterias such as Lactobacillus. When the wheat berry purée is allowed to rest, these bacterias and yeasts consume the glucose from the endosperm and impart flavors such as lactic acid as byproducts. This flavor development is exactly what happens in wild yeast starters involved in sourdough bread baking.

This bread is unique in that it doesn't rise during the leavening process. This is due to the bran husks creating tiny channels that allow the yeast's C02 to escape. When the bread is baked, the starches gelatinize and the gluten starts to toughen. The dough finally is able to trap rising gas and a small amount of rising takes place.

Once I discovered the results after the ripening of the wheat berry purée I was able to refine my methods and develop the recipe below.

3 ¼ cups wheat berries

3 Tablespoons warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons, or one ¼ ounce package active dry yeast

3 Tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Soak the wheat berries

1)
Soak the wheat berries for about 18 hours. Drain then sprout the wheat berries, rinsing 2 to 3 times per day until the sprout is no more than ¾ the length of the grain. This should take about 24 to 36 hours and will vary depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen. If the berries sprout and you don't have time to proceed to step 2, place them in the refrigerator to slow their sprouting rate down. Here's more information on sprouting grains. 

Process the wheat berries and allow them to ripen

2)
Process the wheat berries in two batches in a food processor until they come together into a ball. Form all of the wheat berry purée into a tight ball and place it in an air-tight covered container. Leave the container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. This step is crucial because it allows the bran layer to soften and the amylase enzymes to break out sugar for the yeast to eat. Leaving the purée out also allows the bread to develop a complex sourdough flavor. If you don't prefer sourdough flavors, leave your purée out for no more than 1 day.

Feel free to taste the wheat berry purée and allow it to sour to your liking. Once its ripened to your preferred sourness either move to Step 3 immediately or freeze the purée for later use. If you place it in the refrigerator it will keep ripening. It's also important to not ripen the purée for more than 2 days because it can start to go rancid and become unsafe to eat. This can happen when the current residential yeasts and bacterias eat all the available sugars they can then die off, leaving the environment open to different types of more harmful yeasts and bacterias.

Knead the dough

3)
In a cup, whisk together the warm water and the yeast with a fork. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the yeast gets activated. Transfer the wheat berry purée to a clean counter and knead in the yeast mixture, agave syrup and salt. Knead for no less than 20 minutes. The knead is lengthly to ensure as much glutenin and gliadin as possible is drawn out of the wheat kernels and activated into gluten.

Allow the yeast to get active

4)
Transfer the dough to a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over the dough and roll it around in the bowl so it's evenly coated as you form it into a ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let it sit for about 1 ½ hours. This dough will not rise because the bran husks create tiny channels that allow the yeast's C02 gas to escape instead of leaven. This bread does all of it's leavening in the oven as oven spring.

Bake to perfection

5)
Preheat your oven to 350F (177C). Form the dough into a lightly oiled loaf pan, cover it with a plastic bag and and let it sit for about another 1 ½ hours. Bake until the internal temperature of the bread measured with a probe thermometer registers 170-180F (77-82C). If you don't have a thermometer, this is about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the pan when cooled completely. I recommend slicing this bread and storing it in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer. Stored this way it will keep for several months. Makes one loaf of Flourless Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread.