I have been wondering for a long time if it’s possible to make cookies with natural yeast. Why would I want to do that? Because natural yeast makes wheat flour, or any grain, much more digestible. Natural yeast is simply a mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to sit and go sour because of the yeast that is naturally in many things, like grain and fruit, lying dormant, until conditions are ripe. I’ve heard the claim that a person with celiac disease could actually eat bread made with natural yeast because it changed the wheat into a from that the person could tolerate. Since my weight loss, I have to be careful about my grain intake. Cultured grain, that is, grain that has natural yeast, satisfies me a lot more in smaller amounts, than uncultured grain, and has a less inflammatory/weight gain affect on me. After that day in Bisbee with all the big kids here, when we had restaurant pizza, I gained 3 lbs! I only had 3 pieces and did not overeat. I am thinking the weight gain was from the white flour pizza crust. But other days when I have just had small amounts of sourdough/natural yeast bread, I haven’t gained. I have mastered making this bread here at home, using my breadmachine, It allows me to save money and provide bread for my family that isn’t going to cause problems down the road with eating grain that hasn’t been sprouted, soaked, or soured. Problems like tooth decay and carb addiction.

I was delighted to go visit the blog of the Bread Geek, aka Melissa Richardson a few weeks ago and find her recipe for cookies using natural yeast. You can get it here. I’ve used the recipe several times and have tweaked it a little. Tweaks will be forthcoming. For now, I will say that I’ve noticed you can leave the flax seeds out and they still turn out. Which is great since I’m not a huge fan of the taste of ground flax meal. I’ve also cut down the oats from 1 1/5 c to 1 cup, as even with just 1 cup, the oats do not absorb all of the natural yeast’s moisture. I also substitute butter for the coconut oil because I have a son who is allergic to coconut oil. The recipe is vegan, but that’s not really a selling point for me since I discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation diet recommendations. Animal fats help us absorb minerals better. Coconut oil does too, but sometimes it is easier to have butter than coconut oil on hand. But if you are conserving your butter, and don’t have coconut oil, you can substitute squash or pumpkin puree. I will post that variation another day. 

These cookies make a great breakfast because they aren’t too sweet. They only use 1/4 c of honey. I made them for breakfast a few days ago and the kids gobbled them up. If I make them for dessert then I add more sweetener. So on another day I will post my sweeter variation.

I hope you enjoy these! I plan on making them for breakfast at least once a week. They are nutrient dense and very satisfying!