Healthy Bread (Lechem Metukan) According to Maimonidies
Maimonidies (The Rambam) was a famous Jewish physician, philosopher, and Torah scholar who lived in the 12th century. He composed many famous medical works. In Sefer Refuot, he explains how to make Lechem Metukan (Healthy Bread). He writes "Lechem Metukan is the best of all foods". But what is Lechem Metukan (Proper Bread)?
1) The Rambam explains that Lechem Metukan should not be made with solet nikiah (refined flour). Flour must be whole-grain.
(In those days everyone used stone grinders (Rechaim) to grind grains into flour. Stone ground flour is the only true whole-grain flour- because the bran and germ are not stripped off the endosperm. Whereas modern day steel mills strip off the bran and germ from the endosperm during the grinding process. Later, the bran and germ have to be added back into the flour to make whole wheat flour. This destroys the structure of the grain).
2) The Rambam says that bread must be prepared with proper salt.
3) Bread must be baked- Not cooked or fried in oils or water (no pasta or dumplings). The Rambam considers pasta, bread that is cooked in oils or water, and white bread to be "Maachalim Raim lkol Adam" (bad foods for everyone).
At Joseph's Organic Bakery our bread is made with organic whole-grain flour that we Stone grind in-house fresh daily. Seasoned with sea salt.