Essene bread is among the oldest forms of bread known to us—minimally processed sprouted grains ground with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. The story goes that the Essenes, an ancient Jewish sect, prepared their bread by sprouting wheat, pounding it into a paste, and setting it in the sun to dry. The result is dense, sweet, and nourishing. Because it doesn’t use leavening, such as yeast or sourdough starter, it’s not as airy as the bread you’ll find in the grocery store or that you might bake at home.
Here, I fold in chopped dates and dried apricots, which lend lush sweetness and chewy texture. The bread is rich in fiber, minerals, and enzymes, and it pairs beautifully with cultured butter and a drizzle of raw honey.
