Khartoum Low GI Bread

Last year I posted about a Low GI whole wheat bread I baked for the Bible Study held weekly at my home. You can read about this here.

Why low GI? What is Low GI? According to a Diet and Nutrition Health website, eating low-GI is a key nutrition message that goes hand-in-hand with other healthy eating guidelines such as eat less saturated fats and eat more fruit and vegetables.

The Glycemic Index (GI) was devised about 20 years ago when researchers looked closer at the dietary recommendations for diabetics; which was to eat more complex carbohydrates (starch) because they took longer to process and digest than simple carbohydrates (sugar).

How does low-GI promote better health? Research has shown that very high glucose levels after meals, called glucose spikes, are damaging to our arteries and various blood vessels, and they promote far too much insulin to be around.

Eating low-GI foods means you avoid those spikes and dramatic falls in blood-glucose so you get a much steadier stream of energy. You, therefore, reduce your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases that are implicated by those blood-glucose fluctuations.

Last week we found wheat flour in the supermarket. This is similar to the whole wheat we get in South Africa except not so "whole" ! I decided to bake my Low GI bread here.

When I removed the sunflower seeds from the packet, I realized they'd not been shelled. It took me forty five minutes to shell them (ewgh!). Finally I could get on with the preparationsFrying the sunflower seeds filled the kitchen with a delicious aromaThe bread turned out well and was delicious

I've posted the recipe again.

Low Whole wheat bread (Fresh Living Magazine July 2009

¾ cup (187ml) sunflower seeds
1 cup (200g) crushed wheat (couldn't find in Khartoum, omitted)
3 cups (420g) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (120g) white bread flour
1 ½ tsp (7g) salt
1 x 10g packet instant yeast
1 cup (42g) All-bran flakes (e.g. Kellogg’s)
2 tbs (30ml) milk
3 tbs (45ml) molasses or honey
1 tbs (15ml) olive oil
1 tbs (15ml) lemon juice
2 ¼ - 2 ½ cups (560ml – 625ml) lukewarm water

Toast sunflower seeds in dry, hot, non-stick pan until golden
(Set aside ¼ cup (60ml) for garnishing)
Mix seeds with molasses/honey, oil and lemon juice
Add water and stir well
Sift together flours, yeast, salt, crushed wheat and All Bran flakes
Add to liquids and seeds and mix well
Pour dough into loaf pan of your choice; (I used 28 x 10 ½ x 9 ½)
Sprinkle top with reserved seeds and crushed wheat
Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 200°C and bake for 45 minutes
Remove loaf from tin and bake on rack for 19 minutes. (For a crisp bottom crust)

Makes 7 mini loaves, 3 rounds, or 1 large loaf

Dimensions of alternative tins:
Round tin: 12 ½ x 4 ½
Mini loaf tins: 11 x 6 ½ cm