Bread. My vice in the food world. Growing up in the Netherlands, it is practically the number one food. Bread at breakfast, bread at lunch, bread as a snack. Bread it is.
When I embarked into the Raw Food Lifestyle, I easily adopted to eating only veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. But whenever I had a craving the first thing that entered my mind was bread. However, I soon discovered that a life without wheat products meant a happy bowel. Every time that I gave into the temptation of eating the bundles of wheat, my stool went brrr…. I started to experiment with making my own bread and buns. Leaving out the yeast and the gluten.
Then the following recipe was brought to my attention. Now it is one of my favourites. The bread is sturdy and I enjoy the mix of seeds and nuts.
Gluten-free bread 1 kg
• 150gr gluten-free rolled oats or rolled buckwheat
• 135gr sunflower seeds
• 90gr grated linseeds
• 65gr hazelnuts or other nuts
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 4 tbsp psyllium husk powder
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 3 tbsp coco oil
• 350ml water
Then I like to add some spices, like cumin, curcuma and nutmeg or cinnamon and anis. Or play with herbs like basil, oregano, fennel.
• Mix the dry ingredients, and add the liquid ingredients.
•Mix the ingredients very well together. I use my food processor for this task. But I also make this bread with my bare hands. It gives me a nostalgic feeling. Make sure everything is well mixed into a nicely glued bun.
• Add water if the mix feels dry or add more psyllium, linseeds or oats, when the mix feel wet.
• Then, form the mix into the bread shape that you wish.
Cover the bread with a cloth and leave in a warm dry place for a few hours or if you are less in a hurry for the night. This allows the ingredients to set and allows the chia and baking powder to mimic the process of yeast. The bread will rise somewhat and becomes a bit more airy, it will not have the effect of traditional yeast. The firmness remains one of the important characteristics of this bread.
Okay the final step. The baking.
Bake the bread in a pre-heated oven on 180 degrees celsius, in about 30 – 45 minutes. Check the bread after 30 minutes by doing the toothpick-test. After the bread is finished, let it cool of a before cutting. And . . .
Make sure you have a avocado ready. Enjoy!
Some advise on the side. I generally store the bread in the fridge, to make sure it lasts longer. Also when the climate is a bit humid, you avoid the bread getting mouldy… Also I enjoy making multiple breads, to freeze in, when I am food prepping for a week.