Pinto Bean Bread
I think I've found one of the greatest sandwich breads ever in this recipe! It's soft and delicious with a crispy crust, it takes hardly any time to make once you've soaked your beans, and it's a high protein bread with all the nutrients found in pinto beans.
I found a Pinto bean bread recipe on the Idaho Bean Commission website: http://www2.state.id.us/bean/recipes/getrecipe_action.cfm [1] and I tweaked it a bit to use weight measurements instead of cups and to use instant yeast instead of active dry. I also added another proofing step and changed the flour ratios a bit. That website has more recipes for beans than you could ever imagine possible!
Anyway the bread came out better than I could hope. I think it's become my new sandwich favorite. It has a delicious flavor that only slightly reminds me of beans (although a bean flavor wouldnt have put me off - I love Pinto beans) and is very soft and springy. And I'm always trying to get more protein into my diet.
The Bean commision put nutritional values on their recipe page for a "serving's" worth of bread. I assume they mean per slice, since the values look comparable to those per slice for other breads. They will be slightly different now that I've fiddled with the flour ratios, but then, the recipe was hardly precise to begin with since the flour was measured in cups and the number of cups was not specific.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this bread as much as I have!
I did a free form loaf as well as one in a loaf pan.
Ingredients:
430g warm bean water (that used to boil the beans)
36g honey
41g vegetable oil
473g cooked Pinto beans, pureed
12g sea salt
7g instant dry yeast
300g whole wheat flour
473g white flour
Preparation:
Soak your Pinto beans overnight and then cook them in a pressure cooker till they can easily be smashed between the fingers. Save the water. Remember that the beans will be much heavier once they are soaked and cooked, so be sure to prepare enough. After the beans are cooked, put them in a food processor and mix till fairly smooth.
Mix warm bean water, honey, oil, bean mash and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Add yeast.
Add wheat flour and enough of the white flour to make dough stiff but slightly sticky to the touch. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it passes the window pane test.
Place in an oiled bowl and let rise till three times its original size, about 1 hour. Turn out onto work surface and shape into loaves or place in loaf pans; let rise until double (about 30 minutes). Bake at 350F (175C) for 50 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf is firm and sounds hollow when tapped.
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving
Cals: 183
Total Fat: 2.8g
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 65mg
Total Carb: 33.7
Dietary Fiber: 6.5g
Sugars: na
Protein: 7.2g
You can see the little bean skins add an interesting look to the outside of the loaf.
Crumb shot - very moist and shiny.
ready to be eaten - yum!