INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups (375 g) hulled, whole buckwheat
- 1 cup (235 ml) filtered water, plus more for soaking
- 1/2 teaspoon (3-4 g) kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (45 g) sesame seeds (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse buckwheat and remove any debris. Place buckwheat in a large bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Cover with a cloth and let it soak overnight.
- Drain buckwheat well in a fine mesh strainer. DO NOT RINSE! That slimy stuff is what makes this work.
- You’ll lose a little of it just by draining off the soaking water. No worries on that.
- Pour the strained buckwheat into the blender or food processor and add 1 cup of filtered water, salt and sesame seeds. Pulse until combined, but not smooth. In a Vitamix, this is like 2 seconds of it running, followed by 2 to 3 pulses. In a food processor, it’s more like 10 pulses. Your goal is to integrate the liquid and grain so that they don’t separate when poured out of the blender, but also leave some of the grains relatively in tact. If it gets too smooth, no worries! It will be just fine, but it tastes nicer and has a way better texture when not fully blended. If you pour it and you’re seeing too much water separated, blend it again. Better over-blended than under-blended, but you can also toss it back into the blender for another pulse or two if it pours and separates quickly.
- Pour it into a large glass bowl (the same bowl you soaked it in is fine), cover with a kitchen cloth to keep dust out and let it sit for 24 hours at room temp. If your home is particularly warm, you may want to cut that time, or if it’s particularly cool, you could go up to 36 hours. Tested in room temperatures ranging from 64°F (17.7°C) to 78°F (24.5°C). Bake it after 24 hours of fermentation at both temperatures.
- If you want to measure how much your dough/batter has risen, place a piece of tape along the side of the bowl, even with the level of batter. This isn’t a glutinous bread that will double in size. It tends to rise between a 1/2 inch and an inch. You’ll be able to see the bubbles in the batter that tell you it fermented, though, so keep your eyes peeled for those.
- Once it’s ready, heat the oven to 425° F (218° C), and gently pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Since this bread doesn’t rise a ton, I prefer a deep loaf pan so that I get a more sandwich-worthy slice. It should be full to about a 1/2 inch below the rim of the pan. My best results have been in my 1.5 quart Pyrex loaf pan. Place it in the oven, middle rack, and allow it to bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Mine is done at 38 minutes.
- You’ll know it’s done when the entire surface looks like cracked desert sands. The edges should be lightly browned. The middle will set last, so if you see a wettish spot there, it hasn’t finished baking.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. It should release easily once cooled. This loaf will keep for 3-5 days at room temperature. Underbaked loaves will be wetter and won’t keep as long. You may want to store those in the fridge.
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