I got very excited to see a healthy recipe this time in the Daring Baker’s Challenge. A nutritious Seed and Nut loaf which also happens to be gluten-free.
For the August challenge Susan from The Kiwi Cook dared us to make Seed & Nut Loaf – a super healthy and gluten free alternative to standard wheat based bread.
Some notes from Susan - The psyllium hulls is the ingredient that binds the loaf together in the absence of flour. If you have a nut allergy, you could make the loaf exclusively seeds. If you use ground flax seeds instead of whole, you will need to add more water to the mix. Oats are inherently gluten free, however they can be cross contaminated with wheat products. If you are gluten-sensitive, ensure your oats are certified gluten free. Buckwheat or spelt flakes make a good alternative. While you can use any nut you prefer, it’s best to chop them fairly finely; if the nuts are too big, it’s harder for the loaf to hold together around them and you might end up with a very crumbly loaf. I find sliced almonds work really well. A silicon loaf pan is ideal for this recipe, as you can check whether the loaf is holding together before removing it from the pan. While I have used a nonstick pan successfully, once or twice some of the mixture has stuck in the pan when I’ve inverted the loaf as such, if you don’t own a silicon pan, It’s important that you line the pan with baking paper, then peel the paper off once you extract the loaf from the pan prior to baking it further. While the idea is that you can mix all the ingredients in the loaf pan itself, I found it easier (and less messy) to combine the wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl, before transferring it to the loaf pan. While you can ‘rest’ the mixture for a minimum of 2 hours, she recommends resting it overnight as it sets up much more firmly and is easier to extract from the pan during baking. All that soaking also ensures optimal nutrition and digestion.
Recipe Source - www.mynewroots.org
Ingredients
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup flax seeds
- ½ cup sliced almonds (or whatever nut you prefer)
- 1½ cups gluten free rolled oats (or try buckwheat flakes or rolled spelt flakes)
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 4 tablespoon psyllium seed husks (3 tablespoons if using psyllium husk powder)
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (it’s fine to reduce this if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or liquid honey; for sugar free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee, melted
- 1½ cups water
Instructions
In a standard sized silicone, nonstick, or greased and lined loaf pan, combine all the dry ingredients It’s easier and less messy to combine in a large bowl first. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a separate bowl. Add mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (while the mixture will be wet, there should be no excess liquid).Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover the pan lightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours or overnight. The
mixture should feel very firm to the touch. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F.Then bake bread initially for 20 minutes. Take the loaf out of the oven, place a wire rack over top and invert to remove the bread (if you’ve lined the loaf tin, you should remove the lining at this point). Put the now inverted loaf on its wire rack into the oven again and bake for another 30-40 minutes (it should sound hollow when tapped). The loaf should be starting to brown on the outside - this gives a lovely nutty crunch to the finished loaf. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.
http://www.thefoodielovers.com/2015/08/gluten-free-seed-nut-loaf-daring-bakers-august-2015-challenge/Using a fine serrated knife for slicing worked better than a typical bread knife with its more exaggerated serrated edge, which made for a very crumbly slice. You can store the loaf in an airtight container (or wrap it in plastic wrap) for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for at least 3 months (it helps to slice it first before freezing so you can enjoy that occasional piece of toast!)
This ‘bread’ makes fabulous toast! Toasted with almond butter and slices of Banana or with some avocado is truly delicious!!!
Your loaf looks fabulous! Well done on this month’s challenge and I’m glad you enjoyed the result!