I’m not proud of this but many, many years ago, I had a friend who I labeled a “health freak.” Not just a “health nut” or even “healthy fanatic,” I determined her to be full on freaky about doing everything good for the health of herself and her family. What pushed her over into freakidom for me was seeing her sprout grain on damp paper towels before she made bread. Sometimes, she just ate the sprouted grain like a snack or put it on salads. I thought this was just weird. I mean, it’s already a grain or a bean which is good for you. Why sprout it?

Well, not long after that, I started getting on the healthy eating bandwagon and understood why my friend was not a health freak but was, instead, ahead of her time. Turns out, grains have that hard exterior on them to protect them until it’s time for them to start growing. Once that outer shell opens up, there’s a powerhouse of nutrition hiding inside just waiting to come out and nurture itself as it grows into a full-on plant. So eating sprouted grain, at the time it sprouts, is like amping up the nutritional value in a big way. Mix that sprouted grain with high-quality bread-makings and you have a very healthy, very tasty bread to eat that, by the way, is especially awesome toasted.

We’ve been eating sprouted grain bread for a long time now and love it but hate the high cost. I mean $4.99 or more for a loaf of bread that we potentially go through in a week? That gets to be a bit much. So when I discovered Angelic Bakehouse, a family-run bakehouse out of Wisconsin selling delicious sprouted grain breads for much less, I was all over it. Through the website, the Sprouted Seven Grain bread is just $2.50 (plus shipping and handling) and a little more in the stores – but still far less than the brands we’ve been buying.

We sampled the Seven-Grain Sprouted Bread, great for sandwiches and toast; the Seven-Grain Dinner Rolls and the Flatzza, a thin pizza crust/flatbread. The bread was light but not floppy, toasted well and wasn’t totally dry like some healthy breads can be. The rolls were the biggest hit, coming in handy to go along with a Sunday roast-chicken dinner I had made. From grandma on down to the kids, they all asked me if I’d made the rolls (I wish) and if we could have them again soon (sure). I’m making the Rosemary Potato Flatzza tonight but with bacon instead of chicken because that’s what I have on hand.

Angelic Bakehouse products are currently available at Sam’s Club, Sprouts and Whole Foods. Or you can order them off of their website, like I did, having them delivered fresh to your door. http://www.angelicbakehouse.com/

Here are some recipes that let you discover additional ways to enjoy Angelic Bakehouse’s breads:

Cinnamon Honey Butter Spread – http://www.angelicbakehouse.com/recipe/cinnamon-honey-butter-spread/

Blueberry French Toast – http://www.angelicbakehouse.com/recipe/blueberry-french-toast-casserole/

Rosemary Potato Flatzza – http://www.angelicbakehouse.com/recipe/rosemary-potato-flatzza-recipe/