Unfortunately, much of today's commercially produced bread is about as far removed from homemade 70's bread as it is nutritionally possible to be. Bread has also become a victim of our desire for convenience and as such has become a staple of the western diet; hands up who has variation on toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch? I know I have been there, but I found that over the long term consuming so much bread was not healthy. By swapping toast for porridge means I last until lunchtime and picking salads or stews at lunch time means that my bread consumption has reduced significantly. But I do miss bread; particularly as an accompaniment to soup or as a little extra weight with lighter meals like salads. So you can image a recent post entitled "Life Changing Loaf of Bread" on Sarah Britton's My New Roots blog caught my full attention.
I got excited just reading the recipe, the ingredients are a nutritionalist's dream; sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, hazelnuts (or almonds), oats and chia seeds all potent sources of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and essential fatty acids (think omega 3 and 6). I did, however, pause when I got to the psyllium seed husks,... Anyone who has ever undertaken a detox program is likely to be familiar with psyllium seed husks; they are a terrific source of soluble dietary fibre and are typically added to water or juices to assist cleansing the colon. You just have to be very quick to drink the water/juice after adding the psyllium seed husks otherwise it is less a case of drinking and more a case of chewing. However, these same properties have been harnessed for gluten free bread making, holding loaves together.
The next benefit of this recipe is that since there is no gluten (assuming you use gluten free oats), there is no need for kneading or proving. Indeed, there is little or no effort involved in making this bread; so lack of time is not an excuse either! Although, I confess it has still taken me a few weeks to get myself together and try the recipe, it has been worth the wait:
The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf (1lb)
Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
4 tbsp psyllium seed husks (3 tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp. melted coconut oil (or ghee)
1 ½ cups / 350ml water
Directions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients, mix well. Place in a flexible, silicon loaf tin. Mine is a 2lb loaf tin and the result was a little flat, so a 1lb loaf tin should give a more loaf like result
2. Gently melt the coconut oil, and whisk in maple syrup and water.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable).
4. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight.
5. The dough is ready if it retains its shape when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
7. Place loaf tin in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove bread from loaf tin, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
9. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
10. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. It also freezes well.
The resultant bread is very dense but delicious and for me at least was a little bit of food heaven.
My New Roots is a lovely source of healthy, wholesome recipes.
